Book Review: Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation adapted by Ari Folman and illustrations by David Polonsky

The Frank family moved from Germany to Holland in 1933 to avoid the rise of the Nazis. As a Jewish family, they saw the beginnings of much bigger persecutions to come. Otto Frank opened a factory that made a stabilizer for homemade jams. The product was popular so the offices and factory were a large building. The building had a secret apartment upstairs in the back, which became their home when the Germans marched into Holland and started sending Jews to concentration camps. Anne had been given a diary on her birthday just before they went into hiding. She used it to chronicle her experiences, thoughts, and emotions as they spent almost two years in the attic apartment. The family was eventually discovered and sent to the camps with only Otto surviving. He set up a trust to publish the diary and use the profits charitably.

This book is an adaptation authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation. The creators have done a great job translating the classic into a graphical format. They obviously could not include everything from the book (much like movie or stage versions have to trim the story down). But they take full advantage of the format to depict her situation and her imagination. Being trapped with almost nothing to do lends itself to interpersonal tension and daydreaming about various things. Anne's annoyance with some of the others and her growing infatuation with Peter, the son of the other family hiding with them, are shown just as much as they are described. The text uses the official translation, occasionally providing large excerpts. It moves along swiftly and gives a good sense of her life and her personality.

Highly recommended--not as good as the original but a very faithful adaptation.