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The Diary of a Young Girl summary

Name: The Diary of a Young Girl
Rating: 4.8 (177 reviews)
Author: Anne Frank

Anne Frank

The famous story of a Jewish girl who went into hiding during the Second World War

4.8 (177 ratings)

31 mins

Brief summary

The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank is an intimate account of a Jewish teenager's life in hiding during World War II, revealing her thoughts and emotions.

Topics

Women's Stories Wars European History Autobiographies Memoirs

Table of Contents

The Diary of a Young Girl
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What’s in it for me? Discover one of the most heartbreaking and inspiring stories from World War II.

The Diary of a Young Girl tells the incredible story of the years the Frank family and four other people lived together in hiding, unable to set foot outside. Through the first-hand account of an incredibly insightful and talented young writer, Anne Frank, it reveals just how fragile that life is but also how meaningful and inspirational it can end up being.

There is a reason millions of people every year travel to Amsterdam to visit the building where Anne Frank stayed. Her diary was one of the most powerful books published in the twentieth century. It reveals the thoughts and aspirations of one young Jewish girl and gives us a profound sense of what was lost during the war.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what life was like for some Jewish families in Europe during the war;
how love can occur in the most unlikely of situations; and
how one teenager’s diary ended up becoming an international best seller.

From Schoolgirl to Girl in Hiding.

The first entry in Anne Frank’s diary is from June 12, 1942 – her thirteenth birthday. It reads: “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone . . .” The diary was a gift she’d just received. In it, she noted the day’s other gifts: a new blouse, flowers, a puzzle, a voucher for two books.

There were other small birthday presents and humble tokens of love. Anne admits that she felt a bit spoiled by her parents in those days before the family went into hiding. That summer, in 1942, the family – Anne, her parents, and her older sister, Margot – were living in Amsterdam, where her father worked as a director for the Dutch Opekta Company, a manufacturer of spices and other food-related products.

The early private thoughts that Anne devoted to her diary were primarily concerned with school, friends, and classmates. But, from the start, it was clear that Anne has a sharp mind and that her concerns run deep.

On June 20, 1942, she wrote down a saying: “Paper has more patience than people.” In the same entry, she writes about false appearances. Outwardly, it might look like she has it all, but, deep down, she feels lonely. She doesn’t have a true friend to open up to.

She also writes about the stress that Hitler’s recent anti-Jewish laws have put on the family. As she explains, the pogroms of 1938 had forced Jewish people to wear yellow stars and made it illegal to ride bicycles, use cars or trams, or engage in any sport or athletics in public. They were only allowed to shop between the hours of 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. They couldn’t go to the movies or see plays. The rules were so numerous that it was hard to keep track of them all.

But, in June, Anne wrote most about less weighty matters: her battles with teachers who thought she was a chatterbox, her impending grades in class, her budding relationship with a suitor named Hello Silberberg (Hello being short for Helmuth), and her love for a boy named Peter Schiff.

That all changed on the first Sunday of July. The Frank family received what was known as a call-up notice from the SS. Everyone knew the meaning of these notices: the person being called up would likely be headed to a cell, or worse, a concentration camp. At first, Anne thought the notice was for her father. But she soon found out the truth – it was for Margot, her sister.

A rapid sequence of events unfolded, which found the Frank family quickly packing all the belongings they could and giving other items to friends for safekeeping. They were going into hiding.

The secret location was at the back of the top two floors in the Opekta building where her father worked, at 263 Prinsengracht. An unassuming door on the second floor of the offices unexpectedly led to what is now known as the Secret Annex.

The Secret Annex.

The Franks were not alone in the Secret Annex. A week after moving in, they were joined by the van Daans, as they’re called in the diary. (Anne used pseudonyms.) This family had three members: Mr. and Mrs. van Daan, and their teenage son, Peter. Mr. van Daan was a colleague of Otto Frank, Anne’s father.

A few select people at Opekta knew about the annex and its occupants, including Mr. Kleiman and Mr. Kugler, who ran the business, and two secretaries, Hermine and Elizabeth. Anne calls them Miep and Bep. These people would regularly check in with the Franks and van Daans; they were the families’ only connection to the outside world, bringing in food, books, and other supplies.

Close Quarters, Different Opinions.

There was, of course, little privacy in the annex. Really, the best one could hope for was a stolen moment in the lavatory. Anne’s time spent writing in her diary was often a moment of solitude and peace of mind. Many of her entries speak to the challenges everyone faced by having to spend so much time together.

On July 12, a month after Anne’s birthday, she wrote about how she felt a distance growing between her and her mother and sister. She described her beloved father as the only one who understood her at all. With the others, she felt like she didn’t fit in; they were always picking on her, underestimating her, and treating her unfairly.

Food and Medicine.

Living in close quarters with the same people, day after day, comes with unavoidable tensions. But there were other daily factors that could make life even more anxious and uncertain. Food and health, in particular, were two constant concerns over which the families had little control.

Early on, in late October 1942, Anne’s father came down with what appeared to be measles. This brought into renewed focus the precariousness of their situation. There was no doctor they could go to. Anne could only hope that her mother’s remedy – helping her father sweat it out – would do the trick. Coughs, colds, measles, influenza. As time went on, illness of any kind was cause for real concern. Medicines like aspirin, codeine, and valerian drops were precious commodities.

Meet Mr. Dussel

In November, after a few months in the Secret Annex, everyone agreed that there was room for one more person. There were, God knew, countless people in desperate need of refuge. So the van Daans and the Franks put their heads together to determine who that person should be.

After some deliberation, it was decided that the opportunity be given to Albert Dussel, a dentist. He was quiet and pleasant – the kind of man who would fit in with the rest of the residents. Margot moved upstairs, out of the room she'd shared with Anne, and onto a foldout bed. Mr. Dussel would be taking her place.

A Noise in the Night

The annex residents lived with two constant fears. The first was making too much noise during the day and having one of the warehouse workers hear something and get curious. The second was burglars.

As the war dragged on, the city of Amsterdam became the site of more and more break-ins. People were afraid to leave their houses since it was becoming increasingly possible that your belongings might not be there when you got back. Of course, a business like Opetka, with its offices and warehouse sitting quietly apart from any residential buildings, was a target for more than one break-in.

Young Love in the Annex.

When reading through the numerous beautifully written and empathetic diary entries, it’s impossible not to see that Anne was maturing rapidly in the Secret Annex. This maturity goes beyond the fact that she got her first period while in hiding. As her writing attests, she was constantly reflecting on her character and striving to adopt a more thoughtful and considerate approach to life, even under the extraordinary circumstances she found herself in.

During the winter of 1943 and into 1944, she was even becoming more understanding toward Mrs. van Daan and her own parents. Maybe, if you were not unreasonable and showed a little patience, Mrs. van Daan wasn’t so hard to come to terms with. And even though Anne struggled to see her mother as the role model she wanted her to be, she learned to be less negative and more appreciative of everything her parents had tried to provide her with. Indeed, she began to see her own behavior as part of the problem in her strained relationship with her mother.

Two Sides of Anne.

Along with her creative writing and her regular diary entries, Anne still kept up with her studies during her time in the Secret Annex. This included learning French and English and the dreaded subject of algebra. She loved reading about history most of all and was fascinated with genealogical charts. She even read a massive 598-page book on Charles V, alongside a 320-page book on Galileo. But what she really longed for was to go back to school.

On June 6, 1944, that glorious prospect seemed closer than ever. On the radio, a voice announced, “This is D-Day.” The invasion of the Allied forces had finally begun. After two long years in hiding, it was a day everyone had been waiting for.

A Book to Change the World.

Miep Gies went up to the annex immediately after everyone was taken away and managed to salvage some items, including Anne’s diary. She hoped to return it to Anne once the war was over.

The eight members of the Secret Annex were first taken to a prison in Amsterdam before being sent to a transit camp in Westerbrook, in the northern Netherlands. On September 3, 1944, they were placed on a train to Auschwitz. It was the last transport to leave Westerbrook.

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What is The Diary of a Young Girl about?

The Diary of a Young Girl (first published 1952; this edition 1977) tells the story of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who went into hiding with her family during the Second World War. It offers a remarkable portrait of a maturing young woman forced into an unbelievable situation but rising to the occasion. In her diary, Anne shares her thoughts and dreams, revealing a remarkable talent that was tragically taken from the world, along with millions of other lives during the Holocaust.

The Diary of a Young Girl Review

The Diary Of A Young Girl (1947) offers a deeply moving insight into the life of Anne Frank. Here's why this book is essential reading:

It provides a unique perspective on the Holocaust through the eyes of a young girl.
The diary captures Anne's hopes, dreams, and fears amidst the horrors of war.
It serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of intolerance and hatred.

Experience the resilience and courage of Anne Frank by reading The Diary Of A Young Girl.

Best quote from The Diary of a Young Girl

Mrs van D. wheeled around and gave me a tongue-lashing.

—Anne Frank

Who should read The Diary of a Young Girl?

People interested in stories of life during wartime
Anyone who likes true stories of resilience and survival
Young women looking for inspirational figures

About the Author

Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 12, 1929. She moved with her family to the Netherlands in 1933, after her father was offered a generous business opportunity. The move was also a tactical one for a Jewish family, as Germany, under the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, was becoming more hostile toward Jewish people by the day. Unable to find passage out of the Netherlands, Anne and her family went into hiding in 1942. The Diary of a Young Girl is her parting gift to the world.

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