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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shadow Life... by Alexandra B., December 12, 2006
A Kid's Review
"I shall not remain insignificant," are the words of Anne Frank before she knew the world would never forget her. Barry Denenberg's Shadow Life: a Portrait of Anne Frank and her Family is a story that keeps her memory alive. This book illustrates the journey of Anne Frank through the perspective of her family, friends, and fellow holocaust victims. It is broken up into chronological parts of her life: her childhood, the secret annex, the camps, and life after the war. While Denenberg does not pull directly from Anne Frank's personal diary entries, he gives another point of view to paint the picture of her experiences living in a world war. This point of view is intriguing because of how it is not from Anne Frank, but from others.
As told by narrators, Margot (Anne Frank's sister), other friends, and holocaust victims, this book details the story about Anne Frank and her family. First, the narrator describes Anne Frank's childhood, the beginning of the war, and the Franks' move from Germany to Holland. Next, it turns into a part called "Hiding," which is all written by Margot Frank in her diary. There, she talks about every day life in the Annex and what happens behind the big secret bookcase door. Third, "Dying" is all about the camps the Frank's went through and the quotes from fellow victims. Finally, "Surviving" is the last part about Otto Frank's (Anne Frank's father) life after the war. The most important part of this book to me is not only what is described, but how it is written, and all the points of view it incorporates. In "Hiding," the part written by Anne Frank's sister, she talks about life in the secret annex writing, "It is nearly impossible to find someplace quiet during the day... I read and do my schoolwork and shut out the rest as best I can (pg. 61). This is just one of many examples in which Denenburg does a great job of portraying each person's image of the Secret Annex.
Young adults will enjoy this book for the clarity of the story, but also the complex clockwork behind it all. Despite the numerous voices of all the different narrators, there is a lucid flow to this book. "By the fall of 1944, Hitler's regime, knowing they were going to lose the war, began destroying the physical and documentary evidence of their monstrous crimes (pg. 189)." The reason we know so much about this historic event, is because of people like Anne Frank and other holocaust victims. Shadow Life is not only about Anne Frank's struggle through World War II, but the big picture behind it all.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Quite Out of the Dark, April 26, 2007
This review is from: Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family (Paperback)
Since the publication of her diary, much has been written about Anne Frank and her family's remarkable story. In "Shadow Life" Barry Denenberg has tried to throw some illumination onto that story for a young adult audience, and for the most part he succeeds.
"Shadow Life" begins with an explanation from the author, giving his reasons for writing this book and his reasons for laying it out in the manner he did. This biographical look at the Frank family is broken into four parts, offering brief overviews that a younger audience can easily digest in order to understand what life was like during this times. For the first part, Denenberg details what caused the Franks to move from their native Germany to the Netherlands, and what eventually caused them to go into hiding. In the third section, he uses testimonials of concentration camp survivors, some who knew the Frank girls, to offer insight into what life in the camps was like. The fourth and final section is slight, an extremely brief sketch of Otto Frank's trek to find out what happened to his daughters after the war, and the publishing of Anne's diary.
While Denenberg has done a good job in making the story accessible to a younger audience and expanding upon Anne's account, not much new light is shed upon the Frank's ordeal. Denenberg mentions the sources he used for his books, and drawing heavily upon these more thorough, adult-oriented accounts, he has little new information to share. What is unique about Denenberg's book is the second section entitled "Hiding". To tell this part of the story, the author claims that he did not want to rehash what others and Anne herself had said, so he imagines a diary that her sister Margot may have kept in hiding, basing the voice upon letters she had written and what is known about her interests. Denenberg ties it into accounts present in Anne's diary, and it offers readers a unique opportunity to see the experience through someone else's eyes.
"Shadow Life" is quick-paced, but often choppy, the author prone to fragments. It lacks much of Anne's presence, relying on others to tell what she has already told. Yet it is a commendable companion piece to the legacy of Anne Frank and allows children to step into the Frank's experience.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A tragic end to a familiar tale, April 11, 2006
This review is from: Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family (Paperback)
As a middle school teacher, I have read and taught the play many times. While I have seen the impact (mostly positive) the play has on readers, I also quite agree with the criticisms (of the play) presented in the book. What *Shadow Life* adds to appreciation and knowledge of Anne's story cannot be overestimated.
The book's content and structure have been previously discussed at length, so I will just hit some high points. The three sections of the book are complimentary, yet almost completely separate works. Section One provides some interesting background material, though nothing particularly new. Section Two is an imaginative diary written by Margot during their time at the annex. It is both interesting and tiresome in the way that teenage diaries can be.
The truly remarkable portion of the book is the final section, which concentrates on tracing Anne's history to its end in the death camps. Through eyewitness accounts, letters and historical evidence, the author weaves the story of Anne's last days in a clinical, yet strangely emotional way. It is profoundly moving, profoundly disturbing, and profoundly redemptive in a way that no other work written about Anne has been. For the ending alone, this book should not be missed.
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