Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography [Paperback]

Sid Jacobson (Author), Ernie Colón (Author)

Editorial Reviews

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Product Description
Drawing on the unique historical sites, archives, expertise, and unquestioned authority of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, New York Times bestselling authors Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón have created the first authorized and exhaustive graphic biography of Anne Frank. Their account is complete, covering the lives of Anne’s parents, Edith and Otto; Anne's first years in Frankfurt; the rise of Nazism; the Franks' immigration to Amsterdam; war and occupation; Anne's years in the Secret Annex; betrayal and arrest; her deportation and tragic death in Bergen-Belsen; the survival of Anne's father; and his recovery and publication of her astounding diary.

A Look Inside Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography
(Click on Images to Enlarge)

The Nazi party rises to power	Hitler becomes Chancellor
Hope in the Annex	Anne Frank’s first kiss

From Publishers Weekly

The team that created the bestselling The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation reunites to produce a stunning biography of Anne Frank, a book as historically rigorous as it is personally engaging. The story begins with the youths of Anne's parents, Otto and Edith, then traces the family's trajectory through WWI, into WWII, and finally beyond it to Otto's postwar activities and his death in 1980. Anne's childhood is portrayed against the background of the Depression and the rise of Nazism. The narration mixes historical background and informative "snapshots" of events like Germany's Nuremberg Laws of 1935, Kristallnacht, and the concentration camps, with details about the Franks and their household. Personality and life are added not just through Anne's oft-quoted diary but other contemporary memoirs and narratives--all listed in a bibliography--along with a chronology of world events and Anne's life. The combination of history, memoir, and richly detailed graphic representations creates a powerful whole, a beautiful and important graphic novel that will be enjoyed by adults and children alike. (Sept.) (c)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; First Edition edition (September 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809026856
• ISBN-13: 978-0809026852
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Frank, Anne
  • #56 in Books > History > Europe > Netherlands

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent graphic book., October 3, 2010

By 

Jill Meyer (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography (Paperback)

I ordered "Anne Frank" after reading that the author/illustrator team Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon were the same duo who had produced "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation", which I felt was very well done.

I read the original Anne Frank Diary many years ago and have kept up with the various controversies over its publishing; mainly the "white-washing" the publishers had done - supposedly with the consent of Otto Frank - of its contents. Did Otto rewrite Anne's diary to take out the personal parts? Did the publishers attempt to "universalise" Anne's diary in hopes of making it less "Jewish" and more "commercial" to the wider world? Did Hackett and Goodrich do the same with their Broadway play and subsequent movie? We're talking about the 1950's; the book's message and contents were judged much differently than they are today.

Jacobson and Colon have "updated" the Anne Frank diary and biography to today's sensibilities. Along with parts of the diary, they have written and drawn the life of the Otto Frank family, from its origins in Frankfurt, to their lives in Amsterdam, and, finally, to their fate in the German concentration camps. Only Otto emerged alive. The authors also record the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party and their subsequent take over of the German government in the early 1930's. Jacobson and Colon do not neglect, either, the friends and family and helpers who were the supporting players in the Frank family story. Their book makes harrowing reading, particularly the part about life in Auchwitz and Bergen-Belson. This book could not have been written much earlier than it was. Today's reader is ready for the truth about Anne Frank and her fate and the truth of the world around her.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Graphic Biography, September 21, 2010

By 

Annette Lamb "eduscapes" (Teasdale, UT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography (Paperback)

Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon is an outstanding example of the power of graphic nonfiction. Beginning with the story of Anne's parents and ending with Anne's legacy, the book provides essential background information about both world history and Anne's family that provide the context for Anne's famous story. Readers of all ages will be immersed in Anne's touching and tragic story.

Middle school teachers and school librarians will be thrilled to find a new way to approach the study of Anne Frank. Pair this graphic biography with the original diary transcriptions and the museum website for a powerful learning experience.

The authors had remarkable access to photo references and other background information not found in other accounts of Frank's life making this book a unique addition to the collection of materials available. Simply outstanding!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A faithful depiction of Anne Frank's story in graphic novel format, October 13, 2010

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography (Paperback)

As an ardent fan of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (Mass Market Paperback) and a keen reader of books on the Holocaust, this non-fiction graphic novel by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon is an excellent depiction of Anne's life story, and was produced under the auspices of the Anne Frank House. There is so much detailed information provided that it addresses almost all questions one would have on the subject of Anne Frank and the Secret Annexe (except that million-dollar question as to who actually betrayed the occupants of the Annexe).

It begins with background information on both Otto and Edith Frank, Anne's parents. It was interesting to read how Otto and his brothers were involved in the banking industry, and how Edith's family name, Hollander, was taken because they originally made their home in the Netherlands. Readers get to read about how Otto and Edith met, married, and had both Margot (Anne's older sister), and Anne of course. Together with the more salient historical information, readers are also given insights as to the distinct personalities of both Margot and Anne, who apparently showed their different personalities since they were babies (Margot hardly cried and was a quiet baby, Anne was constantly crying and demanding attention)! Anne's maturing into a self-possessed young woman (after a phase of adolescence angst) is also well-illustrated here.

The chapters of the book are well-organized in chronological order, and lots of detailed information provided for each period and event being narrated. The chapter titles are:

A Hopeful Beginning

Annelies Marie Frank

The Growth of Nazism

Amsterdam

Under German Rule

The Diary

The Eight Hiders

The New Year

Discovery

The Story Lives On

The illustrations are rich and amazingly detailed, many painstakingly copied from actual archival photographs that lend authenticity and credibility to the story unfolding within these pages. It is a very real and very human story, of a time that was so enveloped in darkness, where human beings committed unimaginable atrocities against other human beings because of bigotry and hatred. Anne Frank's story is one that will always hold universal appeal, and even now, decades after her death and the publication of her diary, her story bears repeating and remembering, especially for the younger generation. As Anne herself mentioned in her diary, "I don't believe war is simply the work of politicians and capitalists. Oh, no, the common man is every bit as guilty. The time will come when we'll be people again and not just Jews!" The graphic novel format also makes Anne's story and the Holocaust more accessible to the present generation.

The book ends with a chronology of events and suggestions for further reading. To that list I would like to add a couple of films and a documentary that will enhance one's understanding of Anne Frank and the times she lived in:

Anne Frank Remembered

Anne Frank - The Whole Story

The Diary of Anne Frank