Because there were people who believed "The Diary of Anne Frank" was a hoax, renowned Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal set out to find incontrovertible proof that it was authentic.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 6–8—In 1958, Holocaust deniers disrupted a theater performance of The Diary of Anne Frank. In response, the well-known Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal vowed to prove Anne's story true by finding the Gestapo officer who'd arrested her and her family. Much detective work led to the 1963 discovery of the man in question. This "hook" is the framing story for a picture-book biography chronicling Wiesenthal's experiences during World War II and illustrating the development of his unusual career. The book is meticulously researched and packed with dates, facts, and quotes from the subject and others. Back matter includes an overview of Wiesenthal's life. The amount of detail, while admirably scholarly, makes the text rather dense and dry, and casual readers will find it slowgoing. Farnsworth's dark, realistic paintings are quietly dignified. The scenes have a cinematic drama in their use of lighting and in the contrasts between long shots and close-ups. This book is highly recommended for Holocaust collections, but it will be best appreciated by sophisticated readers or those with an already strong interest in the subject.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Despite the title and the glowing front- and back-cover portraits of Anne Frank, she is just the hook to draw readers into this picture-book biography of a famous Holocaust survivor. Even those who have heard of Wiesenthal will be thrilled by this account of his miraculous escape story and then his lifetime goal to bring Nazi war criminals to justice and to create a historical record of Nazi crimes. In the opening spread, a crowd of Austrian neo-Nazi kids in 1958, supported by their parents and teachers, deny that the Holocaust existed and break up a theater performance of Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. The episode sets Wiesenthal on the hunt to prove the truth and find the Gestapo officer who arrested Anne. Then Rubin tells Wiesenthal’s personal Holocaust experiences of hiding under floorboards; being saved three times, at the very last minute, from firing squads; and surviving the camps. Farnsworth’s stirring full-page oil paintings are filled with emotion, from the close-up portraits of those who do not survive to the depiction of Wiesenthal’s reunion with his wife. Extensive back matter includes detailed source notes, a long biography of Wiesenthal, a bibliography, and a glossary. Grades 4-7. --Hazel Rochman
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really Interesting Book about Anne Frank and How Her Case was "Proved",
By Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal's Search for the Truth (Paperback)
Simon Wiesanthal searches for the officer who arrested Anne Frank in the 50s after he overhears young people believing Neo-Nazis that the Anne story is fiction. This book is the story of how the great Nazi hunter was able to locate the officer. Good story and one I had never heard of before.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting subject,
By Sandy (Michigan) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal's Search for the Truth (Paperback)
I ordered this book through Amazon because it was a sixth-grade Accelerated Reader level. I couldn't wait to read it! The pictures are gorgeous, and the story is very interesting. There is more on Simon Wiesenthal, and less on Anne Frank than I thought; that's why I "only" gave it a 4, not a 5. It didn't tell very much at all about the Franks, as I thought it would. But otherwise, I am glad I read it.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Anne Frank Case,
By Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal's Search for the Truth (Hardcover)
After surviving the Holocaust, Simon Wiesenthal had two goals: to bring Nazi criminals to justice and to leave a historical record of eyewitness accounts of Nazi crimes. He set up offices in Linz, Austria. When a performance of The Diary of Anne Frank was staged in the city in 1958, it was disrupted by booing and assertions that the diary was a forgery and a fraud. Using his photographic memory and investigative skills, Wiesenthal set out to find the Gestapo officer that had arrested the Frank family. He interviewed people in Holland, searched telephone books, and asked friends for help. It took five years, but in 1963, Karl Silberbauer came forward as the officer who had arrested the Franks. Otto Frank had known his name, but withheld it because Silberbauer had treated the family with respect. The officer was cleared of any guilt because there was no evidence that he deported the Franks. Wiesenthal continued his investigative work until his death in 2005.
Bill Farnsworth's illustrations, with the muted palette and shadowy effects, are a perfect complement to Rubin's straightforward prose. A biographical note details Wiesenthal's life before, during and after the Holocaust. Depictions of Wiesenthal in concentration camps and Anne Frank and her family being arrested, as well as the descriptions of these events, make this illustrated book appropriate for readers aged 10 and up. Kathe Pinchuck
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