Anne Frank Remembered - Miep Gies

⭐ 8.5/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

This is a memoir by the woman who took in and hid the Frank family during World War 2. I'm probably the only person in the world who hasn't read Anne Frank's Diary, and probably should have read that first, but hey, I don't control what's free on Overdrive. But going in with less knowledge added a bit of character and suspense to this story because although I knew the fate of Anne, I didn't know anything else.

This memoir is really great. The author does a great job telling the story and explaining her beliefs and convictions in a human way. She was no great politician or war hero or intellectual, but was a normal Dutch woman doing what she thought was right for her friends. Like any story related to the Holocaust, the story was a real gut punch and simply hard to fathom even though we've heard these things a million times. Hearing it from this unique perspective was pretty interesting - not a victim necessarily but one who - with good reason - wished death to the Germans and idolized Eisenhower and the Allied armies.

So I definitely recommend, especially if you're looking for a free Overdrive book. Just know that this, you know, doesn't exactly have a happy ending...