A thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family abandoned their house in Amsterdam and went into hiding in 1942, when Nazis occupied Holland. They and another family stayed cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building for the next two years, until their whereabouts were revealed to the Gestapo. They suffered starvation, boredom, the daily cruelties of living in tight quarters, and the ever-present prospect of discovery and death because they were cut off from the outside world. Anne Frank kept a diary throughout this time, recording vivid recollections of her events. Her story is a fascinating meditation on human tenacity and weakness, as well as a riveting self-portrait of a sensitive and vibrant young woman whose promising future was sadly cut short.
