The Diary of a Young Girl

“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”

― Anne Frank, quote from "The Diary of a Young Girl"

I have always loved reading.

Wherever I went, a book went with me too. My parents used to joke that they couldn't afford to keep me in books when I was a child so I made very good use of my school library card.

One of the books I remember checking out was The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank when I was thirteen years old. I became utterly horrified by the Holocaust and the events that transpired in World War II. This book still remains one of my favourite novels I have ever read because of the way it inspired me to want to become a writer.

The Diary of a Young Girl was originally published back in 1947 by her father Otto Frank, just a few short years after the end of World War II.

For those of you who have not read or heard of this novel, I have provided a summary of the novel from GoodReads.

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Now maybe it was because of the age I was when I read this novel or my lack of knowledge of world history, but Anne Frank and her family's story utterly shook me to the core.

I finished the book within three days because I could not put it down. This poor young woman, was the same age as me. She lived for reading and writing the same way that I did, and was treated brutally because of her heritage. After being discovered and captured by the Nazi army, she ended up dying of typhus with her sister in one of the Jewish concentration camps which would not have happened if the war hadn't taken place. Her only surviving family member, was her father Otto.

You cannot even pretend that this was a long time ago. It has not even been 100 years since events of the second World War transpired.

She managed to leave a legacy behind her. She left her mark on people and that is the greatest impact that this book has left on the world. And I think that in itself stands for something. I admire her father for turning something so painful into something meant to teach other human beings.

She inspired me to keep a journal. A record for me to leave behind.

This truly is one of the best and most memorable books I have ever read before. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy reading journal style writing like I do.

“I wish to go on living even after my death.”

― Anne Frank, quote from "The Diary of a Young Girl"

Thank you for reading.

Have you read The Diary of a Young Girl?

What did you think of Anne Frank's journal?

Chloe Rose Violet