The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank

"How can I find tranquility? Years later, the tumult of the men resounds, The swishing of their whips, Above the people being pushed along, And stamping of boots, Cries of anguish. I have seen so many go to a desperate death, Across a dirt path, on which their weakened feet Dragged them to the gate Smoke cannot speak, From the chimneys they slip out, formless above my head, And are taken by the wind, Robbed of their bones. Since then, despite my clothes, I am naked. And remain exposed to synonyms. Therefore it is not tranquil within, The whips are still lashing, And at the most unexpected times, The packing paper pictures come forth, Chilly, yellowed, gray from smoke, And stiff with death at night when I want to sleep." Ronnie Goldstein- van Cleef, This novel was an eye opener for me of the Holocaust and all that the Jewish people were made to bear. Death looked them all in the eye, and from day to day, no one knew if they would see another day. They were humiliated and dragged down, stripped of their self-esteem and their strength as never before in their lives. Husbands were separated from wives, and some children from their parents. Many got sick and died before reaching the gas chambers. Many looked already dead in skeletal form breathing their last breaths. I applaud the six women who gave interviews from this book. These women saw Anne Frank and her family and sought to help them any way they could. These were brave women, who endured the suffering of the death camps and came out alive. Hannah Elisabeth Pick-Gosslar, Janny Brandes-Brilleslijper, Rachel van Amerongen-Frankfoorder, Bloeme Evers-Emden, Lenie de Jong-van-Naarden, Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef, we thank you for sharing this horrible time of your life. It must have been very hard to relive, so thank you. Thank you so much for your courageousness. Heather Marshall Negahdar (SUGAR-CANE 07/03/07)

This is one of the best books I have ever read. A must read for all ages. These ladies are some of the most courageous people in the world. They perserved knowing that their demise could be any day. But living was too important to them so they dug deep within themselves to keep their spirit alive and they succeeded. Hooray for them!!! Miep Gies is also a very courageous person. She is right up there with these ladies. "Anne Frank Remembered" by Miep Gies and Alison Leslie Gold is also a wonderful book. If you are looking for excellent reading and a time frame for the life of Anne Frank, then by all means read this book. I don't know if I could handle the pressures that these ladies went through to live, and I hope that I never have to endure their suffering, but if I do, I will take these 7 women with me and draw on their strengths and spirit to keep me alive.

It's been a few years since I read this book. However, I recently watched the video interviews (Anne Frank Remembered) of the same concentration camp survivors that the author quoted in this heart-wrenching book. This book adds information not before known and is worth reading by anyone who is curious about what life was like for Anne Frank and her family after the diary. Along with Ernst Schnabel's book Anne Frank: A Portrait in Courage, it could form the basis of a great movie which for the first time would show what happened to Anne Frank post-Diary. (written on June 12, AF's birthday)

When I finished reading the diary on Anne Frank I needed to know more about the rest of her life. The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank are stories of women who knew Anne in the concentration camp. It is more about other womens stories than Annes but sometimes includes a bit about her expieriences.