People’s insistence on describing Anne Frank as a schoolgirl scribbling in her notebook rather than a writer creating a piece of art reminds me of depictions of Rosa Parks. She is persistently described as a seamstress who happened to stay seated on the bus because her feet were tired. In fact she was a trained and experienced political activist whose act of defiance was a planned strategy in a long campaign of collective action against Jim Crow. Both Frank and Parks are held up as icons yet deprived of their agency, as if they had accidentally stumbled into history.
This was a masterclass in literary excavation. The “many lives” structure is not just brilliant—it’s necessary. It allows Anne to be seen not as a frozen icon but as a living, evolving presence in the cultural imagination. Your refusal to let the myths stand, and your deep dive into how her diary was crafted, revised, censored, and repurposed, gives readers a fuller, truer understanding—not just of Anne, but of how history is shaped. Thank you for writing this for those of us who’ve always felt there was more behind the version we were taught.
People’s insistence on describing Anne Frank as a schoolgirl scribbling in her notebook rather than a writer creating a piece of art reminds me of depictions of Rosa Parks. She is persistently described as a seamstress who happened to stay seated on the bus because her feet were tired. In fact she was a trained and experienced political activist whose act of defiance was a planned strategy in a long campaign of collective action against Jim Crow. Both Frank and Parks are held up as icons yet deprived of their agency, as if they had accidentally stumbled into history.
Great connection.
This was a masterclass in literary excavation. The “many lives” structure is not just brilliant—it’s necessary. It allows Anne to be seen not as a frozen icon but as a living, evolving presence in the cultural imagination. Your refusal to let the myths stand, and your deep dive into how her diary was crafted, revised, censored, and repurposed, gives readers a fuller, truer understanding—not just of Anne, but of how history is shaped. Thank you for writing this for those of us who’ve always felt there was more behind the version we were taught.
An exciting milestone. Looking forward to reading.
Is the Israel/Palestine book group reading now?
Hi Ann! So nice to see your name pop up. The current book is Isabella Hammad's The Parisian.
I can't wait for the book.
Ruth, when are you discussing The Parisian?
do you have a link for pre-orders yet?
Hi Mary - thanks for asking! I don't have a personal link but you can preorder from anywhere online. Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Many-Lives-Anne-Frank-Jewish/dp/0300248121/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3D0PVA2SS09FE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XihYE7FpaP71Qb6sKlM_dVebljOUqY6oYwhRbiSTqYNQxa07IeZeKegP4TNAUo0zxvv4hRwWU5uOz6TMzMEf_itx3sUoyZQBtM-tZwKdB8QROfJrrHnioNdL2TaCvtaOc96YqXndkP9NeeFMurExrCW8yVjNNkzlCbtFmBNKhPyq8q0nSBlnaHkT3d-szxoRmNbzLiewGes7FxICLtpC0B8QmlT00ju_OIDKoAk0MPw.7VRUAncOhyjaBotzwjv7fUtaL9p_yNGs1lxIFtkIRog&dib_tag=se&keywords=anne+frank+ruth+franklin&qid=1725273107&sprefix=anne+frank+ruth+franklin%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-1