I read the original book so long ago that I didn't know there was a definitive edition (published 1997), so I took it out of the library. The pages Anne's father took out were put back in, adding about 30% more content than the original book. They're mostly about sex, human anatomy, and how much she disliked her mother. I've heard that five more pages have been found but I can't find any book with them.
Anne Frank is a 13-year-old German Jew whose family moved to the Netherlands when Hitler started his rule. Soon they go into hiding in a spice warehouse, up on the top two floors and attic. Her family (father, mother, sister), another family (mother, father, son) and a friend move in thinking they're prepared to stay for a while. They have Christian friends who are helping them and bringing new food when they need it, although all food starts being very expensive.
Anne starts her diary just before moving into the Secret Annex, which has a bookcase hiding the entrance to their stairs, and like most teenagers, her emotions run rampant. She tells us a lot more about how she feels than about what is happening, but it's still a horrible situation. Near the end (almost two years) they're eating potatoes only, and counting them out for each person.
One day the SS turns up -- someone turned them in -- and they go off to different concentration camps. All died except Otto, Anne's father, who then edited her diary and got it published.
Most of the new elements are not about the war but about Anne, and still interesting things to read.
Tags: book
