This book somberly and beautifully depicts what life was like for the Franks and others who fell inside the Nazi sphere of influence during World War II. A truly valuable resource.

When the Nazis came for Anne Frank’s family and the other Jewish friends who had been hidden in the secret annex, Anne left behind the diary that would be read and cherished around the world.It was Miep Gies, with help from her husband and a few others, who hid and cared for them for two years, all risking their own lives. Anne wrote in her diary constantly, chronicling her loneliness and fears as well as the events and relationships she observed. Miep knew the Nazis would be back to steal the belongings, but she knew she could not let them find that diary. She locked it away to await Anne’s return. But Otto Frank was the only one who survived. Anne’s mother died of starvation, and Anne and her sister both died of typhus. Miep gave Otto the diary but never read it until long after it had been published. Anne wanted to be a writer, to be remembered, and her beloved diary achieved that for her. Pincus narrates the terrible facts accurately, not understating them but not allowing the horrors to overwhelm the intensely heroic accomplishment of this kind, courageous woman, employing quotes from Miep’s own writing. Solano’s full- and double-page spreads are done in shades of brown and sepia that perfectly capture the somber mood. Endpapers copy the original cover design of Anne’s diary.A beautifully realized homage.