Anne Frank: The Missing Pages

The story of Anne Frank and her diary is well known throughout the world. But there is more to Anne’s diary than the version presented. Anne’s published diary is actually a synthesis of two versions written by Anne, the original, and an edited version she began in 1944. In the past few years, after the death of Otto Frank and his second wife, it has come to light that there were five pages of the diary that Otto Frank did not publish. Anne Frank: The Missing Pages reveals these pages and their journey. Anne Frank: The Missing Pages would be useful for classes on World History, Holocaust History, Literature, 20th Century Culture and Ethics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• Gestapo
• Spanish Inquisition
• authenticity
• clandestine
• claustrophobic
• enigma
• forensic
• integrated
• lyceum
• naïve
• perish
• pogroms
• revelation
• vengeance

1. Over six million Jews perished in the Holocaust. Why is it that one teenage girl, Anne Frank, is a symbol for the Holocaust?

2. The Franks moved to Amsterdam in 1933 from Germany. Why did the Frank family leave Germany?

3. The Holocaust is only one example, albeit the worst, of European anti-Semitism. Discuss the history of anti-Semitism in Europe.

4. What was Hitler’s “Final Solution?” How was it planned and executed?

5. Anne Frank began to edit and rewrite her diary in 1944. What prompted Anne to do this?

6. Miep Gies, Otto Frank’s assistant, took care of the family while they were in hiding. After the Gestapo comes for the Franks, Miep Gies saves Anne’s diary. Why?

7. Why is Anne Frank’s diary and story so popular in America?

8. In 1980, the German Federal Police ordered that Anne Frank’s diary is examined for its authenticity. Why was the authenticity of Anne’s diary questioned?

9. Why did Otto Frank suppress the five missing pages of Anne’s diary?

10. Edith Frank, Anne’s mother, has been in the shadows or background of the Anne Frank story. Why has Edith been invisible all these years?

1. Anne Frank’s life coincided with one of the most turbulent times in world history. Create a timeline of Anne’s life that illustrates the events of her lifetime.

2. Read Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl and discuss its impact on the 20th century and in our understanding of the Holocaust.