This book ANNE FRANK the biography was written by Melissa Muller a Journalist who lives in Munich and Vienna. She decided to write this book when she picked up Anne’s diary as an adult. She read the definitive edition and after this reading she now had many questions concerning the Frank family. She could not forget that Anne died just eight months after her last entry of her dairy. All her questions were met in Germany with silence, regret and remorse. Ms. Muller began her research and this book is the result as Anne’s dairy covered just two years of her life.

BEFORE
Otto and Edith Frank were married in Aachen, Germany on May 12, 1925. Edith’s maiden name was Hollender and from a wealthy family living in Aachen. Otto was from Frankfurt, Germany as his family was in the banking business. Otto and Edith lived with his mother for two years and during this time Margot was born on March 16, 1926. They moved into an apartment in Marbachweg a suburb of Frankfurt so Edith could have a place of her own. This new area was a far cry from the upper-middle class Jewish environment of his mothers. It was filled with government officials, schoolteachers and independent businessmen like Otto. They enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendly people even though there were mixed religions. Anne was born on June 12, 1929. There apartment was large and they had a live in housekeeper

Political unrest became known in the early 1930’s. Hitler was gaining strength with his Nazi party and it was certain that the Jews would be in big trouble with him in power. Soon their fears became true, as Hitler was appointed chancellor of the Reich. The Frank’s bank was in trouble and Otto and his family moved back into his mother’s home. They soon realized that they would have to leave Germany as Hitler started announcing decrees against the Jews. Otto had traveled much of Europe and decided on Amsterdam as he could start a business with people he knew. His business with selling pectin to housewives and be branched out into spices and other food items. The family all came to Amsterdam after Otto found a suitable apartment. This apartment was in an area filled with other displaced Jews who had fled from Hitler’s discrimination of the Jewish people. Anne was four years old when they moved to Amsterdam and was thirteen when they went into hiding. During that time she had many friends, enjoyed her freedom and the Dutch people.

The hiding place was the upper two floors Annex above Otto’s place of business, which were contained in the first two floors of the building. All the people Anne wrote about who helped them during the two years in hiding were all employees of Otto and his partner Hermann Van Pels. The Van Pels included his wife Auguste and their son Peter also in hiding along with Werner Pheffer a Dentist. The employees helping them included Johannes Kleiman manager, Victor Kruger bookkeeper, Meip Gies Secretary and Bep Voskuijl warehouse foreman. This arrangement gave Otto control of his business and the girls sometimes helped with the bookkeeping and orders. Usually at noon and after working hours they had free run of the business including the warehouse. Jan Gies husband of Meip was also a big factor in helping the hidden Jews. The business name was changed to Gies and Company so having Otto’s name on the business would not show suspicion. The plan worked great for two years until they were reported to the authorities and on August 4, 1944 they were sent to concentration camps.

AFTER
Our author Melissa Muller did research to find out who may have reported the hiding place of the Jews. When Bep Voskuijl became ill and had to leave his job as foreman of the warehouse, a new foreman was hired, Willem Gerard van Maaren. He became suspicious that someone may be in hiding, as he would lay traps to see if anyone would be in the warehouse during night hours. When he found Mr. Van Pels wallet in the warehouse he turned it into Kruger and was given some excuse. The foreman then mentioned this to another workman named Lammert Hartog who in turn told his wife. She became very worried that if the Jews were found her husband may be in danger as well. The author was told that the person who telephoned in the report was a woman so it is believed that Lena Hartog was the person who turned them in. It was believed that Willem van Maaren would not have done this as he was hiding his own son to keep him from being sent into the war. Many Dutch citizens hide the Jews but it was Anne’s diary that showed us the fears they went through and their experiences during this time.

It was the Dutch Secret Police and Nazi sympathizer who raided the hiding place. It was such a surprise that they quietly obey orders to gather a few belongings while the place was ransacked to find personal items to confiscate. They were herded into a truck and taken to the police station to be booked, then taken to a Westerbork a camp located in far northeast part of the Netherlands. After the raid, Meip’s went into the Annex and found Anne’s diary and some of the extra papers of her writings scatter about her room. She placed them into her desk for safekeeping. The two businessmen employees were also arrested but they did not arrest Meip, who continued working at the business.

The arrested Jews after being at Westerbork for a month so on September 3 they were herded to the train tracks and loaded in boxcars. The people were so close together that they could not sit down. A few buckets were placed in each boxcar for waste purposes. The long hours on this train with its filthy conditions and stifling air gave them a clue as to what was in store for them. This was the last train to leave Holland that arrived in Auchwitz in Poland. Auchwitz was a series of camps and the men who disembarked the train were sent to one camp two miles away. All had to go through de-lousing, all hair was shaved and each were given a tattooed number. The women and children were given a ragged sack-like dress and were expected to work at this camp. Any news about how Anne adapted to camp life is scarce, but any who survived that knew her, said she was quite and introverted while others thought she was strong and courageous. All were expected to work and Anne participated until she became ill and was places in the infirmary.

All captive Jews were housed in barracks in beds with no mattresses and in tiers three beds high. Sanitary conditions were scarce with very little clothing and blankets to ward against the cold. On October to November trains left Auchwitz with over 8,000 women including Margot and Anne for Bergen-Belsen Camp in Germany. It was believed the Germans planned to use these women as a reserve force of workers. Both girls arrived at this camp weak and in poor health. They were expected to walk four miles from the train to the camp and after arriving there the over crowded conditions meant some had to be housed in tents. While in this camp she met two of her friends who was in the camp but was separated by a high barbed-wire fence packed with straw. Visiting with her friend she told them she thought her parents were already dead, and she was to weak to fight off the cold and body lice, and she mentioned she did not want to live anymore.

Sometime between late February and early March 1945, Margot died of typhus and followed a few days later by Anne. The British liberated their camp on April 15, 1945. The girls mother Edith died in the gas chambers at Auchwitz. The Russians liberated Auchwitz on January 27, 1945 and Otto was freed. He learned in March of the death of his wife. After a long journey he finally arrived back in Amsterdam on June 3, 1945. It wasn’t until July 18, 1945 that he learned that his daughters had died in Bergen-Belsen.
He lived for a few years with Meip’s and her husband while he attempted to continue with his business. It was at this time that Meip’s turned over Anne’s diary and other papers. After some deliberation he decided to publish the dairy but he kept out some of the things he felt were too personal

CONCLUSION
This book answered the questions I had after reading Anne Franks Diary. This Author Melissa Muller completed interviews in many counties, as the Jewish families scattered to places, as Israel, South America and United States. In her research of the Frank and Hollender ancestors in Germany, she was able to interview and find much information concerning their background. She interviewed relative, friends and acquaintance that remember Anne in her schools in Amsterdam. Meip Gies was still alive and has added her notes at the end of this book. An Anne Frank Foundation has been established in Basel, Switzerland and the Hideaway Annex in Amsterdam has become a museum and is a tourist attraction. ATROCITIES ARE THE CURSE OF OUR CIVILIZATION IN THE FUTURE LETS BE MORE AWARE!!


Recommended: Yes