I don't know why it's taken me this long to actually read this whole book, but jeez I'm glad I did finally. The history major in me loved this glimpse into the lives of this normal family during such a terrifying time in history for their people.

Anne is just a normal girl in a lot of ways, but her situation has made her so much wiser and more mature. She's also just really smart and a really good writer. It's gutting because every time you think something like this throughout the book, you remember how her story ends. She talks about how she has these big drama to be a journalist and famous writer and you remember she never gets to do that. She gets frustated with her mom (same, girl) and vows to be a better one, but she never gets that chance. She also shares surprisingly deep thoughts on humanity, the war, antisemitism, and so much more.

ALSO it was always weird to me that this book has so often been banned or challenged, I figured it was just holocaust-denier hogwash. But now that I've read the definitive edition HOLY COW I get it. The first time she mentioned sex or menstruation I was like 😦 and then she mentioned women being attractive and I was just completely gobsmacked. No wonder they didn't want people, especially kids, reading this and what a shame they did that for so many reasons.

Oh, and Selma Blair did such a great job as a narrator! 

🎧
I enjoyed this book. It was hard at times. I knew how the book ended before I started it while this was the diary of a teenage who wrote about her life. 

It was a privilege to read. Let it also be a call to action.