Anne Frank wrote to the world from the cramped quarters of a 4th floor attic. At 13, she described her life in Amsterdam, hiding in fear from the Nazis during World War II with her family, who had fled the anti-Jewish policies of Hitler’s Germany in the early-1930s. For two years they relied on friends such as Miep Gies to bring them food and other necessities. When the Franks were discovered and arrested on the morning of August 4, 1944, Anne’s diary remained scattered among the possessions left behind in their ransacked rooms. Gies found the diary before the Franks’ things were confiscated by Nazi authorities. She kept it, unread in her desk drawer, then gave it to Otto Frank after the war. Only Anne’s father, Otto, survived the war, returning to Amsterdam after enduring the deadly conditions at the Auschwitz concentration camp . Her mother, Edith, died at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp on January 6, 1945. Both Anne and her older sister Margot were transported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. They each died of typhus in March, 1945. Margot was 19-years-old. Anne Frank was fifteen. With more than 25 million copies of “The Diary of Anne Frank” sold worldwide, the words of a teenager have become one of the most widely-read memoirs of the holocaust. Joyce Apsel, Ph.D., Director of Education for the Anne Frank Center USA, says, “Anne’s voice is so strong, that the book continues to be read so widely.” The Anne Frank Center USA is a not-for-profit educational organization based in New York City, dedicated to educating people about the causes and dangers of discrimination and violence through the story of Anne Frank. Apsel travels across the nation conducting seminars about the diary and the tragic consequences of the holocaust. She says the book resonates especially strongly with young readers, who are touched by Anne’s story and relate it to their own lives. “She’s a person who’s so human and passionate for life,” says Apsel, “that children can identify with her.” And there are certain questions she receives repeatedly. “They will ask me,” she says, “Do you think Peter and Anne would have married?” or “Why did it happen to the Jews?” The Anne Frank Center USA and Doubleday have published a reader’s companion to the expanded version of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” in an effort to encourage discussion of all the questions raised by Anne’s legacy. Apsel has adapted some of the discussion questions below from the reader’s companion to help young readers better understand the events of the holocaust after reading the diary. Who was Anne Frank? What can we learn from Anne’s story? Why was the diary important? Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people? Did the diary mean something different to Anne after she had been in hiding? Anne wrote about the growing anti-Semitism in the Netherlands during this time. How were Anne’s family, Jews, and others discriminated against? Are there signs of discrimination in our own society today? What kinds of things can you do in your everyday life to prevent discrimination of others? What is a stereotype? Can you give an example of a stereotype? Anne describes in her diary the many restrictions the Nazis placed on Jews. Make a list of the things Anne could no longer do. Think about ways your life would change if you had to follow these same laws. Who helped Anne Frank and her family to survive while they were in hiding? What is the definition of a hero? Who do you think are the heroes in Anne’s diary and why? To contact the Anne Frank Center USA about special programs and exhibits in your area, visit their website at http://www.annefrank.com. For more information about Anne Frank and the holocaust: The Anne Frank House The United States Holocaust Memorial The Simon Wiesenthal Center Back to Miep Gies Back to Cover