The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Updated with enlightening new material, this is the complete, definitive edition of Anne Frank’s diary, “the single most compelling personal account of the Holocaust” (The New York Times Book Review)

Discovered in the attic where she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

In 1942, as Nazis occupied Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the secret upstairs rooms of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.

In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, Anne’s account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Praise for The Diary of a Young Girl

“One of the most moving personal documents to come out of World War II.”The Philadelphia Inquirer

“There may be no better way to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II than to reread The Diary of a Young Girl, a testament to an indestructible nobility of spirit in the face of pure evil.”Chicago Tribune

“The single most compelling personal account of the Holocaust . . . remains astonishing and excruciating.”The New York Times Book Review

“How brilliantly Anne Frank captures the self-conscious alienation and naïve self-absorption of adolescence.”Newsday

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Published Feb 3, 1997

400 pages

Average rating: 8.44

645 RATINGS

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Readers say *The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition* is a profoundly moving window into oppression, fear, and the resilience of the human s...

VanessaGuz
Mar 24, 2026
7/10 stars
Her honesty, hope, courage shine through even in the darkest times.
NinjaNeo
Feb 20, 2026
10/10 stars
We know the historical figure. We know the historical story. But actually sitting down to finally read her diary... she was just a child. There's so much depth and character to this little girl. I knew the story and watched documentaries, but I had never read her diary before and I was honestly expecting to read from the perspective of some empowering and strong teenager, staying optimistic through the worlds darkest times. But wow, she was just a regular girl. Movie posters, family squabbles, romantic curiosities. I think that makes the tragedy so much darker, seeing this 13-15 year old and getting to know her at such a deeper intimate & emotional level. And just like that, losing her and all of her dreams.
Izzy Winn
Jan 21, 2026
8/10 stars
read as a child - '09-'12
Aravind Anilkumar
Dec 10, 2025
8/10 stars
it is not just any girls diary, it is a window into the reality of oppression and fear and what happens to life when threatened and condemned to be treated like vermin. The hopes and aspirations or an oppressed humanity is what is showcased in the diary.

Must read it atleast once.
Alexa57
Nov 19, 2025
7/10 stars
This is one of the books that I have reread multiple times.

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