Shadow Life A Portrait of Anne Frank and her family

Since the publication of her diary, much has been written about Anne Frank and her family's remarkable story. In "Shadow Life" Barry Denenberg has tried to throw some illumination onto that story for a young adult audience, and for the most part he succeeds. "Shadow Life" begins with an explanation from the author, giving his reasons for writing this book and his reasons for laying it out in the manner he did. This biographical look at the Frank family is broken into four parts, offering brief overviews that a younger audience can easily digest in order to understand what life was like during this times. For the first part, Denenberg details what caused the Franks to move from their native Germany to the Netherlands, and what eventually caused them to go into hiding. In the third section, he uses testimonials of concentration camp survivors, some who knew the Frank girls, to offer insight into what life in the camps was like. The fourth and final section is slight, an extremely brief sketch of Otto Frank's trek to find out what happened to his daughters after the war, and the publishing of Anne's diary. While Denenberg has done a good job in making the story accessible to a younger audience and expanding upon Anne's account, not much new light is shed upon the Frank's ordeal. Denenberg mentions the sources he used for his books, and drawing heavily upon these more thorough, adult-oriented accounts, he has little new information to share. What is unique about Denenberg's book is the second section entitled "Hiding". To tell this part of the story, the author claims that he did not want to rehash what others and Anne herself had said, so he imagines a diary that her sister Margot may have kept in hiding, basing the voice upon letters she had written and what is known about her interests. Denenberg ties it into accounts present in Anne's diary, and it offers readers a unique opportunity to see the experience through someone else's eyes. "Shadow Life" is quick-paced, but often choppy, the author prone to fragments. It lacks much of Anne's presence, relying on others to tell what she has already told. Yet it is a commendable companion piece to the legacy of Anne Frank and allows children to step into the Frank's experience.

"I shall not remain insignificant," are the words of Anne Frank before she knew the world would never forget her. Barry Denenberg's Shadow Life: a Portrait of Anne Frank and her Family is a story that keeps her memory alive. This book illustrates the journey of Anne Frank through the perspective of her family, friends, and fellow holocaust victims. It is broken up into chronological parts of her life: her childhood, the secret annex, the camps, and life after the war. While Denenberg does not pull directly from Anne Frank's personal diary entries, he gives another point of view to paint the picture of her experiences living in a world war. This point of view is intriguing because of how it is not from Anne Frank, but from others. As told by narrators, Margot (Anne Frank's sister), other friends, and holocaust victims, this book details the story about Anne Frank and her family. First, the narrator describes Anne Frank's childhood, the beginning of the war, and the Franks' move from Germany to Holland. Next, it turns into a part called "Hiding," which is all written by Margot Frank in her diary. There, she talks about every day life in the Annex and what happens behind the big secret bookcase door. Third, "Dying" is all about the camps the Frank's went through and the quotes from fellow victims. Finally, "Surviving" is the last part about Otto Frank's (Anne Frank's father) life after the war. The most important part of this book to me is not only what is described, but how it is written, and all the points of view it incorporates. In "Hiding," the part written by Anne Frank's sister, she talks about life in the secret annex writing, "It is nearly impossible to find someplace quiet during the day... I read and do my schoolwork and shut out the rest as best I can (pg. 61). This is just one of many examples in which Denenburg does a great job of portraying each person's image of the Secret Annex. Young adults will enjoy this book for the clarity of the story, but also the complex clockwork behind it all. Despite the numerous voices of all the different narrators, there is a lucid flow to this book. "By the fall of 1944, Hitler's regime, knowing they were going to lose the war, began destroying the physical and documentary evidence of their monstrous crimes (pg. 189)." The reason we know so much about this historic event, is because of people like Anne Frank and other holocaust victims. Shadow Life is not only about Anne Frank's struggle through World War II, but the big picture behind it all.

As a middle school teacher, I have read and taught the play many times. While I have seen the impact (mostly positive) the play has on readers, I also quite agree with the criticisms (of the play) presented in the book. What *Shadow Life* adds to appreciation and knowledge of Anne's story cannot be overestimated. The book's content and structure have been previously discussed at length, so I will just hit some high points. The three sections of the book are complimentary, yet almost completely separate works. Section One provides some interesting background material, though nothing particularly new. Section Two is an imaginative diary written by Margot during their time at the annex. It is both interesting and tiresome in the way that teenage diaries can be. The truly remarkable portion of the book is the final section, which concentrates on tracing Anne's history to its end in the death camps. Through eyewitness accounts, letters and historical evidence, the author weaves the story of Anne's last days in a clinical, yet strangely emotional way. It is profoundly moving, profoundly disturbing, and profoundly redemptive in a way that no other work written about Anne has been. For the ending alone, this book should not be missed.

I saw this book as very insightful. Rather than the story being told by Anne's point of view, Denenberg writes a fictional diary by Margot, Anne's older sister, to help the reader understand the story line from a new perspective. I thought that this was a wonderful idea, because it really helped me to see that, the book The Diary of Anne Frank, is telling the story in the way that she saw it, and expressing her feelings and her opinions. However, in The Shadow Life, it shows the point of views of various characters. Denenberg used spectacular imagery, his sentences beautifully described the pain and hurt in that time era. His use of words and detailed sentences painted pictures in my head of what it was really like. This is a must read book that really went over and beyond the expectations I had for it, I enjoyed this read, it is not to big, and it is a book that you cant tear yourself from, I sat in my room and read this book from cover to cover, Denenberg really did a great job with this book to help the understanding of the holocaust. This book is amazing.

The story of Anne Frank is told through her sister's eyes in a fascinating and compelling tale of the human will to live. Author Barry Denenberg's masterful portrayal of realities for Jews living during the WWII era makes for a fascinating read. Denenberg fills readers in on historical facts and goes on to re-create the diary of Margot, the sister of Anne Frank. The final sections of this book shed new light on the fates of Anne and her companions from 263 Prinsengracht. The plot and characters were very likeable, made even more so because they are factual. Barry Denenberg employs an interesting method for telling Anne's story: a four-part chronology complete with introduction and timeline. One part is a re-created diary of Margot Frank, and the other three parts are historical essays on the life and time period that the Franks lived in. Pictures are show throughout and add a potential for readers to connect with the story and hardships of the Franks. Shadow Life is a must- read for everyone, whether or not they have read The Diary of Anne Frank. As Heine says in Shadow Life, "Shadow kisses, shadow bliss, shadow life, forever gay! Do you think, dear foolishness, everything is here to stay? What we lovingly possessed, fades away like reverie; hearts grow heedless in the breast, eyes forget to see." FROM FLAMINGNET BOOK REVIEWS [...]