It took me forever to get through this book. It wasn't fun to read. At times it actually felt trivial and, honestly, just a little invasive. But it also feels very important.

It felt important to see how Jewish families were forced to live to avoid being found during one of the darkest times in Earth's history. It felt important to see the human condition still able to laugh and joke and have stupid meaningless arguments even under such terrible circumstances. It felt important to see the honest feelings of a teenage girl as she lived her final years as no one should, but especially not as a teenager with so few other experiences should.

I think part of the reason it took me so long to get through was that Anne's perspective was difficult to read, knowing in advance how it would end. It's also still something I'm getting used to that I can't read books about teenagers without thinking about it from the perspective of a father. I wasn't placing myself in her shoes, so much as her dad's. It's a weird way to read this type of book.

I'm glad I read it. I do think everyone should, but it's difficult to be too adamant about pushing that because I do think it's a hard read.