I first heard about Anne Frank in 8th grade in my English class. We read “The Diary of Anne Frank”, and I was enthralled with her journey. So, when I heard Alice Hoffman, who is one of my favorite writers, wrote a fiction book on Anne Frank before she went into hiding during WW2 I knew I wanted to read it. I finally did.
I read this book in two days. I could not put it down. Anne, and her friends being treated poorly just because they were Jewish still breaks my heart. I see elements of the same prejudice in how we treat people now. When we supported Ukraine, everyone treated the Russian immigrants here in the USA like pondscum. We still have not learned to respect, honor, and let go of our fears and allow people to be who they are freely. We claim to, but in reality we don’t. I am guilty of the same sin of letting fear lead me to be disrespectful and mean. I am not sure what the answer is. I am not sure if there is a way to fix it. Humans are fallible. And as we read in history, fear becomes the leader that causes the destruction of people. Reading books on WW2 and other cruel times in history should teach us to do better. That is my prayer. That we will do better.
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I purchased this book. The opinions I express are my own. I was not influenced.
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