The Diary of a Young Girl

Summary: Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl living in Amsterdam during World War II, kept a diary from June 1942 to August 1944. Shortly after receiving the diary for her thirteenth birthday, Anne and her family were forced to go into hiding in order to avoid deportation to concentration camps by the Nazis. Their hiding place was the secret annex, a small collection of attic rooms in the back of the building where her father used to work. While in hiding, Anne’s diary provided a source of solace and a place for creativity, and has since become one of the longest standing testimonies of the strength of the human spirit. 

Critical Evaluation: It’s hard to write a critical evaluation of a diary that is such a heartbreaking account of the results of hate and prejudice, and yet at the same time a testament to hope, love and the human spirit. Anne Frank writes in an honest and vulnerable tone. Though she might not always be sure of what’s to come or who she truly is, she always writes to the truth of who she is in that moment. Despite her extenuating circumstances, teens will feel connected to her struggle to compromise the different parts of herself. In this way, Anne is no different from any other young adult trying to find their way in the world. 

Though it is often overlooked when discussing her diary, Anne’s passion for writing is displayed throughout. Not only did she have goals to publish her diary after the war, but she also loved writing stories, and often wrote that her diary was a lifesaver when stuck in hiding for over two years. Anne’s passion for not just writing, but for art, learning, and life, should inspire young people to embrace what they are excited about in life and pursue it in ways that Anne wasn’t able to. Teens can identify with her longing and anticipation for the future. 

While Anne and those around her are not “characters,” her diary still does an excellent job of documenting how they and their relationships developed and changed. Anne herself greatly matures, and even comments that she wishes she could go back to previous entries and write “over and done with” on the pages (Frank, 1991, p. 158). The themes of the diary, including the discussion of war and what was to come to be known as the Holocaust, brings any reader to the conclusion that anything must be done to avoid such events again. Teenagers will learn empathy and history by seeing someone like themselves experience such awful circumstances. 

While Anne’s diary abruptly ends by no fault of her own, hopefully by sharing her writing with the world, no one else’s story will have to suffer the same fate. 

Reader’s Annotation: Anne Frank’s diary is an honest account of over two years of living in hiding from the Nazis.