BANNED BOOKS WEEK: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

For Banned Book Week, I sort of wanted to write about the Bible.  But I've decided to go with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank because I am reading a book my hubby gave me at Christmas last year - Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, and The Afterlife by Francine Prose.  (Isn't that a great name for a writer?)

There are lots of Anne Frank books out there but I love this one because it examines Anne as a writer.  I reread her diary last summer and wove reflections on Anne into my work-in-progress. Here is a quote from my character which I may as well share now since the whole Anne Frank theme is unlikely to last through my revisions.

As far as I’m concerned Anne Frank is the quintessential writer. Her simple diary is laced with all the elements of story. Character, setting, plot.  It has conflict, self-exploration, and humor. 

Now, I learn from Prose's book, that Anne was being somewhat intentional about making her writing publishable. Not at first, of course.  When she received the diary at age 13 she put her  uncensored thoughts and emotions on the page.  But later, after the families in the Secret Annex heard a radio broadcast that discussed the immense societal value diaries would have after the war, she began to dream of being published.  And the others in the Annex dreamed about this with her.  

Since Anne had plenty of time on her hands she turned to writing for meaning.  As she dreamed of publication she began to fill in pages she'd left blank in her diary.   This meant reconstructing scenes that she'd missed earlier. (Prose points out that the writing in those spots is more mature.) In addition, Anne actually revised well over a hundred pages of her diary, adding details where she originally had generalities, choosing stronger words, and dropping cliches.

In the awful moments that followed her capture,  friends found and safeguarded Anne's checkered bound diary, two other notebooks, and the loose leaf pages of revisions.  After the war, Otto Frank made the decision to publish Anne's work. He decided which passages would be included and those that would be left out, omitting some sexually themed material and pages that reflected poorly on Mrs. Frank and also on his marriage.

This is what writers and editors do.  We make decisions about which themes, scenes, and individual words are essential to the story.  And which ones our audience is ready for.  Who knows; we might even get it wrong.

When the book is published others decide whether it is worthy of their attention.  Sometimes the reader  abandons a story 20 pages in.  At times a parent knows the child isn't ready for the material inside.  And  sometimes librarians decide not to place certain books on library shelves. And of course, sometimes an angry individual makes a fuss about a particular title.

Anne Frank is one of the most taught books in America but it has also been banned from schools for sexual content and tragic themes. Over the years more and more of the material censored by Otto Frank has made its way into editions of the book. 

The truth is that the world is filled with kids whose lives are more horrible than anything many authors can dream up to put into a book.  Those kids deserve to find characters who help them survive. Anne Frank does this.

You can listen to author Francine Prose talk about Anne's writing on this NPR broadcast. It is well worth the listen!

And if you have ten minutes to soak it up you can enjoy watching her discuss it here.  (WARNING:  the video ends abruptly after you are hooked!)

This Day in History: ANNE FRANK GOES INTO HIDING

On July 6, 1942 Anne Frank's family moved into a hidden apartment in the large building where Otto Frank worked.  The following clip reveals what the Secret Annex looked like.



So there's a glimpse. 

But if you want a more leisurely view, one in which you choose which room to visit and how long to stay, one with fascinating narration about the occupants and their relationships, I recommend the virtual 3-D tour of the Secret Annex.  

After following the link above, click on the bookcase and watch it swing open.  Enter the Secret Annex and imagine being in this space for over 2 years.

Imagine that even looking out the window was a dangerous activity.

THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT ANNEXED

Last week I blogged about Annexed, the historical novel by Sharon Dogar which tells the Anne Frank story from Peter Van Pels point of view.

Dogar has taken some heat for writing this book because naturally, the Anne Frank diary has come to feel sacred to us.

And, after all, her story is true.

Annexed, on the other hand, is a novel written by an author who was not there to know what Peter experienced.

But novels are true too. They may have fictional characters and made-up scenarios but they carry an emotional truth that is as essential as getting the facts straight. Dogar immersed herself in the facts of Anne Frank's story and the broader history surrounding it.  She gleaned emotional truth from Anne's diary, from other research, and from her understanding of human nature.  From that compassionate and careful position she told a truthful story.

I hope you will watch the video below in which Dogar discusses her intent.

Some of the heat she's taken has been unnecessary because it claims that she sexualized the relationship between Peter and Anne. She did not. Dogar may believe that Anne and Peter had sex but she did not include it in the book.  In fact, the amount of kissing in Annexed was less than that mentioned in The Diary of a Young Girl.

Peter is a teen-aged boy so there are some moments when he's alone in his room struggling with sexual feelings.   If I had written the book, I might not have portrayed those scenes in quite the way Dogar did but I don't see them as problematic for todays teens.

The whole point of the story is not sex at all.  It is personhood.  Peter is struggling to hang on to his sense of self in a world spiralling into the depths.  Dogar raises haunting questions about that world and for that reason I champion this extraordinary book and the brave author who followed the story that would not let her go. In the end that's what a writer has to do.



BTW, Annexed has a website all its own.  Do check it out!

ANNEXED by Sharon Dogar

Book # 1 in my YA Historical Fiction Challenge is

 Annexed.

I got it for Christmas (thank you, Chuck) along with a nonfiction called Anne Frank, The Book, The Life, The Afterlife.  Anne is my hero. So when I learned via The Fourth Musketeer that Sharon Dogar had written a book from the viewpoint of Peter, the teen that Anne fell in love with there in the secret annex, I knew it was just a matter of time until I owned that volume.

Dogar did not disappoint me. The book starts fast and scary, then lulls just a bit during those first boring days in the attic when Peter wants nothing to do with Anne. But the relationship changes in a believable fashion - until Anne and Peter are good friends.

I suppose I read the book because I wanted more of Anne, herself.  I didn't exactly love Peter's sometimes unfavorable description of her because she's always been larger than life for me.  And yet, by her own admission, Anne had many faults and it was good for me to see her through someone else's eyes.

So Peter did give me more of Anne. Conversations that may or may not have happened. Questions that could have been asked.  Their sure knowledge that under entirely different circumstances these two teens would not have shown the least bit of interest in each other.

But there was nothing normal about their being locked up together for two years, hiding for fear of their life, hoping for rescue, and above all not being able to make sense of any of it.

Peter asks the questions that all of us do about the Holocaust.  Are you there? Are you listening?  Can you hear me?

 How could anyone do this? 

I read Peter's story because I wanted more of Anne but in the end it was Peter I wept for. And not only for him, of course but for all whose story he helped to tell.

Not everyone thinks Sharon Dogar should have told this story but I have to agree with her statement in this article  "The problem is that a writer doesn't always choose what they write."  So very true.

I, for one, am glad that this story haunted Dogar for 15 years. And I'm grateful that she finally wrote it. Judging from the reviews, lots of others are too. Here's the trailer. Have a look.

This Day In History: HEART STOPPING EVENT

Every morning I get a This Day in History notice in my inbox. Some events I really care about. And to be honest, others don't interest me so much.

Today's notice produced one of those gut wrenching moments you have when you realize something terrible just happened.

On this day in history Anne Frank was captured and taken to a Nazi concentration camp.

Which means of course that yesterday in history someone else was captured and taken to a concentration camp. And tomorrow in history? The same thing.

Every day is the anniversary of some tragic event. Not only in Holocaust history but just in general. The terrible beauty of Anne's simple, deeply touching diary is that this one account commemorates the stories of millions of Jewish lives devastated by the Holocaust. And I think I see it as a symbol of heartbreak in general. Lives interrupted. Longings expressed. Life hanging on...

I'm not sure how old I was when I first read Diary of a Young Girl. But I know it changed the course of my personal history. I didn't live in a fairy tale world before that. I'd experienced a few hard times. I knew about travesties that can happen to people.


But Anne's story took me more deeply than ever into the world's sorrow. I sat with her on the stairway and experienced all the hope, fear and irritations of life in the Secret Annexe. My heart beat faster when she fell in love with Peter. It faltered when she expressed fear of capture, and then eventually, it stopped when I turned the page and read that on August 4, 1944 the Gestapo broke in and carried her away.

And that her diary was found on the floor.


I'm sure Anne Frank is why I write history. And I suppose she is also why I write blue.

Just glancing through her diary again this morning, I saw how her spirit served as an example to a younger me. And I hope, that although I do write about hard topics, my stories will always reflect the sort of hope that Anne Frank expressed.


"I have often been downcast but never in despair; I regard our hiding as a dangerous adventure , romantic and interesting at the same time... I have been given a lot,a happy nature, a great deal of cheerfulness and strength. Every day I feel that I am devloping inwardly, that the liberation is drawing nearer and how beautiful nature is, how good people are about me, how interesting this adventure is! Why then, should I be in despair?"


Anne could have chosen depression or anger or resentment. Instead she embraced the narrow life of her confinement and enlarged it with her spirit.

She is my hero and I hope to live half as well as she did.

CHATTING WITH BOSTIAN SCHOOL STUDENTS

This post is for the 5th graders in Donna Rymer's class at Bostian School in China Grove, NC.  But you, dear reader, are invited to lurk while we chat.

And now for a little Q & A.

Students:  Where do you find your topics to write about?

Me:  My topics always seem to grow out of research I'm doing for another writing project.  I'll be witing  and reading and learning. Then right in the heart of it, I'll discover some little known piece of history that fascinates me.  Suddenly, I'm hooked. Of course, I have to finish the project I'm working on. But when I do, I make a bee line for that hidden history I just uncovered. 

Students:  What inspired you to become an author?

Me: My 7th & 8th grade language arts teacher liked my written book reports and told me I'd be a writer someday.  It was just the encouragement I needed to produce great writing for her and for every language arts teacher I had after that. When I went to college, however, I studied to become a teacher. Over the years, I taught preschool and special education.

Then eventually, I realized that, more than anything, I wanted to write. 

So, I began.  My husband would read my stories to our children at bedtime and I would watch for their reactions.  If they listened with their mouths hanging open, I knew my story was working.  If they lost interest and started talking or annoying each other, I'd start revising.

They became my inspiration.  I wanted to write books that they cared about.  In some ways that's still true.  The greatest compliment I receive is when my grown son or daughter tells me my book is awesome.  I know from experience that they'll also tell me if it stinks. But I like to give them that opportunity before it goes to publication -which, of course, leads to more revisions.

Students:  What obstacles do you encounter as an author?
Me:  The competition to get published and to sell books is huge.  And as a writer of historical fiction with heavy themes, I don't love competing with vampires, dystopian novels, or LOL funny stories.  But it makes me step up my game and write the very best historical fiction that I can. 

Sometimes I am my own worst obstacle - procrastinating by playing around on the internet instead of knuckling down to writing or revising.  Time is a big challenge.  It's hard to find time and also money to invest in research trips as well as getting the word out about my books

Students: What is the best part about being a writer?
Me:  Hmmmm - there is a high that comes just from putting words together into a story.  That's hard to explain but if you have something you love to do such as art, dance,or a particular sport, then you probably know what I'm talking about. 

I also absolutely adore the research.  I get very hooked on finding clues to more information, following research trails, and discovering connections between people and events in history. 

And then, there is the fact that I can stay home and go to work at the exact same time. I can wear whatever I want to work.  I'm my own boss. That's not always easy though because the motivation has to come from me alone - but I think writing fits my independent spirit very well.

Students: Do you have another book in the works, and what will it be about?
Me:  The book I am working on is about WWII era conscientious objectors to war.  (Now, there's a topic for you to research and discuss!)  My fictional character, along with about 12,000 real COs, chose to serve our country in a peaceful, nonvioloent manner.  He was a member of the first group of pacifists to work in a mental hospital.  There he helped expose the horrendous conditions and abuses that patients were living with. And he got into a little trouble, himself.

Students:  If you could recommend the best book of all time for a fifth grader to read, which one would you recommend?
Me:  I think "the best book of all time" is like an oxymoron or something.  I can't even choose my favorite book that came out this year. But I will say that I think every young person should read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.  By going into hiding in a very limited space and putting her feelings into a diary, Anne opened the world to millions of people who would not know or care otherwise. And if that just doesn't appeal to you then maybe try Jerry Spinelli's novel, Milkweed.  Both of these books are Holocaust stories.  Call me "stuck in the WW II era Hostetter".  But I think this was such a defining moment in history. 

Students: Which one of your books do you consider to be the best for 5th graders?
Me:  I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest Healing Water - not for every fifth grader but for you, yes!  Here's the warning.  It starts out depressing!  It gets a little gruesome and it's sad.  But it has definite bright spots, bits of humor, and it ends with hope. And it really has a lot to say that I believe you will appreciate.
 
You can read snippets of reviews for Healing Water here.
 
Thanks so much for the questions!  You guys are incredible and I know you have many years of reading, writing, and researching ahead of you.  I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you to do any of those things.  Mostly I want to encourage you to follow whatever skill you have that makes you feel as if life is good. Practice it, take constructive criticism, and be willing to revise your game - whatever it is.

You'll do well, I know!  For real. - Oh, and did you notice I'm giving away another book.  See sidebar for info about the contest to win Captain Mac - nonfiction about an arctic explorer.  Maybe you can win it for your school library.

Q & A FOR H.H. POOLE MIDDLE SCHOOL

When you were little did you always want to be a writer? (Erin) What inspired you to start writing? (Ibrahim)
For some reason I thought I wanted to be a nurse. It’s a good thing my 8th grade teacher told me I’d be a writer someday because I’d make a lousy nurse. I became a teacher first. Eventually I realized I really did want to be a writer. Recently I had a fabulous visit with my 8th grade teacher. Here we are together!
Mrs. Cunningham and me. (She sent me a fan letter for Healing Water. It was like getting an A all over again!

What else were you good at in school besides writing? (Jenna)
Hmmm – spelling, reading, art, history and geography. And I was very good at talking when I wasn’t supposed to be.

If you were to go back and read your book would you feel sad about it or would it not affect you? (Rebecca)
Sometimes I do reread parts of the book – especially when I speak to schools. And yes, sometimes it chokes me up. I haven’t reread the whole thing for a long time but I think it would make me cry if I did.

How long did it take you to write the book? When is the sequel coming out? (Nikki)
I wrote the rough draft for BLUE in about 9 months. Then I revised it many times over a period of 3 more years. The sequel is due in March. (Fingers crossed. )

After you finish the sequel to BLUE, do you plan on writing more books? (Megan)
Try to stop me!

How did you give each character their personality? (Sean)
One way I show the character’s personality is through speech. But as to how they get their personality – hmmmm I think it usually reveals itself to me. I don’t consciously go into it thinking Junior will have a big heart and Ida and Ellie will be whiny. I just start writing and figure it out as I go. It’s a good idea to plan characters out if that works best for you. I just don’t usually do it that way. Sometimes you just know you need a certain kind of character for the story. Ann Fay needed lots of emotional support so it was logical for Junior to be the kind of person who would give it to her.

Why did Bobby have two kinds of polio? (Jessica)
I wanted to tell as much of the polio story as I could through Ann Fay’s eyes. Giving Bobby a more serious case of polio was one way to do that. I know it wasn’t nice but you’d be bored if I didn’t have conflict in there.

Why did a lot of the main characters die? (Kevin & Erin)
I think maybe it’s because I am trying to understand death and why people die in real life.

Why did you choose the time period that you wrote the book? (Katie)
I really didn’t pick the time. I was looking for a local story and discovered the polio epidemic. It just so happened to be a 1944 story. And it just so happens that the WWII era is a time I’ve always been interested in. I think it is because of Ann Frank's book, The Diary of A Young Girl. That story began my passion for holocaust literature.

What was it like visiting the Concentration Camp? (Tyler)
Overwhelming. There was so much to see and read and feel sad about. And so little time to take it all in.
A sculpture at Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

Bunks at Auschwitz.

Auschwitz Camp

Did you ever get writer’s block while writing? (Olivia)
I don’t always know what should happen next in my story. When that happens I start moving which helps my brain to work better. I am a kinesthetic learner. While I walk or mow or dig in the dirt my mind is working out the plot. I ask myself what should happen next. If I think about my characters and what is missing from the story, and if I’ve done enough research it’s usually not that hard to know what needs to happen.

What’s your favorite sport? (Morgan)
To watch? Winter Olympics. Skating and skiing.
To participate in? Running - to the dinner table. I used to love softball before I turned old and lazy. I still enjoy hiking.