Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

The Definitive Edition

By: Anne Frank

Narrated by: Selma Blair

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The definitive edition.

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

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a 13-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, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” 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 amusing, 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.

©2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"The new edition reveals a new depth to Anne's dreams, irritations, hardship, and passions....There may be no better way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II than to reread

The Diary of a Young Girl, a testament to an indestructive nobility of spirit in the face of pure evil." (Chicago Tribune)

“The single most compelling personal account of the Holocaust...remains astonishing and excruciating.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Must Read

What made the experience of listening to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl the most enjoyable?

"Enjoyable" is not the word to use in this instance, because you know that Anne, her family, and the rest of the people hidden away in the annex will be taken away at the end of the book. You hear their fates, and it's almost too much to bear. I love that I got the full unabridged version of Anne's diary, including all of the parts about her budding sexuality and anger towards her mother, because Anne was not a cookie cutter girl; she is an icon for our world.

What other book might you compare Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl to and why?

You could try to compare the "Dear America" books, the historical fiction diaries written to make kids feel like they can relate to a certain era in the world. However, Anne's diary was not fiction. It was real. There are some people who would deny the Holocaust or the damage the Nazis did in Europe during WWII. But the fact is that Anne Frank was a real girl who suffered a real battle and died a real, brutal death simply because of her heritage and religion, as did millions of people during that time. You can't deny the raw quality in this version of Anne's diary, and if you did, you'd be lying to yourself. I would compare this book also to Elie Wiesel's "Night"--a direct survivor of the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps. Anne's story is sort of like the first half of being Jewish in WWII Europe, and Elie's is like what the second half of being Jewish in the camps. His story would give you a better, detailed idea of how much more suffering Anne and the Frank family, along with millions of other people, still experienced after the diary ends.

What does Selma Blair bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

By Selma Blair reading this story, you get that adult sense of Anne rather than the teenager Anne. I feel like Selma really brought a haunting note to this book, since we do know that Anne never reached adulthood. It's as if Anne is reading her diary from another plain where she grew past teenager age. I can't really think of anyone else who could have done a better job than Selma Blair.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I just can't stop remembering how Anne truly wanted and believed that she'd be a famous writer someday. Sometimes she would laugh at herself and say, "I must be crazy for thinking I'll be famous for my writings one day, but I can't stop wanting it." And today, she IS a world renown writer; her diary is the second most-read nonfiction book in the world! It's almost too hard to comprehend that Anne Frank is as famous as she is, and she was just a girl like everyone else. Do not pass up this audiobook; everyone NEEDS to know her story, directly from her diary.

Any additional comments?

I believe it's important to know the history of not only the best ages of the world but the worst ages too, and the Holocaust, I would say, is definitely the worst age in history, especially since it was only in the last decade. It was recently the 70th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation; 70 years might feel like a long time, but it's really not. If we don't understand how certain tragedies and genocides happened, we can't stop them from happening again. Don't disregard Anne's story, because it is a true story that everyone needs to hear. If you had read this book in school, read this unabridged version again as an older reader. If you didn't read this book in school, like me, don't wait another moment.

Amazing

the story is so moving and interesting. i love the narrator and its just so amazing! :,) i cant believe that this actually happened

A Very Touching and Tragic Story

For the most part, the first part of the book is just the rambling of a young girl with little mention of the world around them. Just talk about school, boys and frustrations of a girl about her family.
But as time goes on, you can see her begin to mature and come into her own. Being serious about her future and how she wants to take on and ultimately change the world. And also still such innocence. She becomes more relatable as she is in her 14th and 15th year of life and she sees how childish she was before and how she becomes so grateful of the little things in life and how she sees beauty in the little things. It really shows her becoming a young woman and slowly leaving behind her childhood. It is a tragedy what happened to her and her family.
No one knows what would have become of her love for Peter and if this harsh time would have bonded them in love for life. I think it would have. And maybe it did, in the here after.

I visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam a few weeks ago July 2015, and was moved by what I saw. I touched the walls and doors to physically take in the moment. I would advise you to wait in the very long line it takes to get in if you are ever in Amsterdam. It's worth it. Better yet, try to be there by 6 AM to ensure you won't have to wait long to get in. The line can grow to a good 4+ hours. I had to hear her words and feel her emotions after going there. I hope this review is helpful to you.

Beautiful

Such a great diary and I am amazed on how opinionated she was for a 15 year old. So real and captivating yet sad too but am enjoyable listen

Must read for everyone to remind us of the past

Anne, I wish I could have known you. I'll see you in Heaven one day soon.

Easy to relate

A girl with dreams and easy to relate to by younger viewers. I loved it!

Love This Book!!! I listen to it often...

Would you consider the audio edition of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl to be better than the print version?

The audio version is so much better than the print version. Listening to this book has held my attention way better than reading it did. It is nice to hear how Dutch and German names and phrases are pronounced since I do not speak either language.

What other book might you compare Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl to and why?

There really is no other book quite like it.

Which character – as performed by Selma Blair – was your favorite?

Anne, of course. I do have to say that Selma's characterizations of the annex adults (as seen through Anne's eyes), can be quite funny. I think Selma Blair was a perfect choice for a narrator. :) She did a fantastic job of bring Anne's words to life. :)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I don't usually go through any audiobook in one sitting. That being said, I have listened to it many, many times over.

Any additional comments?

The only reason I gave the performance 4 stars is this: Some of the original Dutch/German phrases and comments by the Annex family are left in, as in the print version. However, the print version italicizes the phrase and has a footer with the meaning of the phrase in English where it appears. It is impossible for the audiobook to have something like that, so how the phrases fit into Anne's diary entries can be very hard to decipher for the listener.

What a surprisingly good book.

If you could sum up Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl in three words, what would they be?

Knowing the outcome, it was difficult to keep listening sometimes. It was like, you know the train will cross the tracks at the same time the car crosses the the intersection, and you know the passengers are oblivious to the outcome.

It was fascinating to me that while Anne was faced with potential daily dangers, she was focused on sometimes the most mundane things - their daily menu, relationships with the other people in the annex, daily chores - in short, life in general.

Have you listened to any of Selma Blair’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No - first one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I knew the family was taken prisoner in August of 1944. As Anne wrote about her growing feelings for Peter in the early part of '44, I couldn't helped but be moved.

Any additional comments?

Anne was clearly a remarkable writer to have penned such a work at such a young age. I can't help but imagine what other works we missed by her early departure.

beautiful ❤️

narrator was awesome. I loved the book and learning more about Anne Frank. Highly recommend

Rich, young soul, Anne Frank

A unique perspective during this time in world history from such a rich, young soul.