From Publishers Weekly
Nun and Holocaust scholar Rittner (Beyond Hate) has gathered a diverse group of educators, clergy and Holocaust writers for this slim volume of pieces loosely organized around the subject of Anne Frank and her famed diary. The pieces range from solemn remembrance (a survivor movingly describes Danish rescue efforts) to religious (Frank is described as "wrestling with God, fighting darkness, and prevailing"). Although the diversity of the essays lends an imbalance, the collection provides a poignant mix of celebration and mourning. The diary's present-day significance, one contributor notes, stems from acknowledging that Frank "embodies the idealism and decency that were so utterly absent in Nazism and remains so lacking in our world today." Another essayist further deplores Frank's second legacy: "the publicity, the hype, the exhibits, the rank commercialism, and the academic overkill." Though primarily designed for teachers--with an extensive Holocaust chronology as well as a study guide, bibliography, videography and teaching resources--this series of brief meditations will be of interest to general readers.
Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
