The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank

Wow! Was this a great book. For a 13 year old girl, she was extremely bright and insightful. I know I wasn't as well informed or as intellectual as she was at that age. I went back and looked at my journals from that time and was mortified at the difference. Different times I guess. I also didn't have the threat of Ethnic Cleansing facing me.

I feel like a dieter who has cheated on her diet. I really wanted to read this book even though it is not on my reading list. It's not a novel even though it reads like one. It is a autobiography that details The Frank Family and the Van Pel family's adventure in hiding from the Germans. I know a lot about the holocaust and even studied Holocaust Literature at the graduate level, but, believe it or not, I had never read this account. It's like not reading Dr. Suess as a little kid. That's how important this piece of literature is.

What I found even more fascinating than the book was a documentary on Anne Frank (I found it at the Grocery Store of all places) narrated by Kenneth Branaugh, with Glenn Close reading bits from her Diary. The interesting part of this documentary was that it finished the story where Anne's Diary abruptly ends (they were arrested and taken to a concentration camp on August 3, 1945). Everyone in the Hiding Place died except for Otto Frank, Anne's father. Most of that part of the story is widely known. But what is not as widely known is that she could have potentially survived. There was one selection that she did not attend because Margot, her sister was ill. She chose to stay with her in the barracks. Unfortunately, it was at this selection that women were chosen to go to a work camp and all of the women who were selected survived the Holocaust.

Can you imagine what she could have done with her life had she lived!? She wanted to be a writer and journalist. She wanted to do something bigger with her life. She has done something pretty big already. It is hard to imagine what more she would have done had she survived.

What a good read. I am going to make my teens read it. It would be good for them to see what other teens in different situations have had to deal with.

Neil Diamond & His Super Fans . . . and Other News

Saw Neil Diamond at the Hollywood Bowl last night with Cher. Yeah, she was sitting up front and I was . . . well, I was a tree people (If you know Neil Diamond and Hot August Nights, you will know what that means! If you don't, you should skip this blog!)

Okay, I admit it. I am a Neil Diamond fan. There! I have said it.

When I told people that I was seeing Neil Diamond in Concert at the Holllywood Bowl Last night, they scoffed and laughed at me. WHO? They said. NEIL DIAMOND!!! Hel-LO!! Legend.

My man and I have loved Neil Diamond since FOREVER. I grew up listening to my parents play Neil Diamond so I was a fan . . . but not a SUPER FAN! Can I just say that sitting in the tree people section affords you a view to some of the strangest SUPER FAN sights ever! Like I said, I am a huge fan, but not THAT kind of fan! Yes, I know all the words and yes, I did partake in the audience participation part of "Sweet Caroline" and yes, I did cry when he sang "Play Me" (couldn't help it. That was our first dance at our wedding!). Get it? FAN!! I am a FAN!!!

However, these people were SUPER FANS. There was more granny gyrating that I care to remember, more men singing and air guitaring, and women standing and obstructing my view and smacking into me than I care to remember. When Neil would say "Hello LA!!!" They would shout back. "Hi NEIL!!!" From the TREE PEOPLE seats. As if he could hear them. CRAZIES!! My man and I realized that as much as we love Neil Diamond, we are NOT super fans. They are some kind of crazy.

In other news . . . I finished Lord of the Flies . . . a while ago, but just haven't had the desire to write about. The finishing of that book coincided with my 40th birthday and I am still ruminating about that. Anyway, it started off slow (see previous post about my cheating on Lord of the Flies) but picked up some momentum towards the end when things on the island started to fall apart. I read it a long time ago in High School and then again when I was pregnant with my first child. But I didn't remember all the nuances of the story. My kids and I watched the movie one time so it was fun to talk to them about it. At one point, they had a friend over and out of the blue I said to one of my boys "It wasn't the twins that killed Piggy. It was Ralph." Their friend looked quizzicallly at us. "Really!? I thought it was the twins." He turns to his friend and proceeds to tell him that it is this book I was reading and tells him about my quest. SOOO CUTE!!

So I am a cheater once more. I have opted for something OFF the list. I understand why it is OFF the list, but still, need to read it. I am reading the Diary of Anne Frank at the moment in preparation for my trip to Amsterdam. I am leaving October 20th!

I can actually say that I have never read the Diary of Anne Frank. I was in the play when I was in High School. I was the the mom! So I know a bit about it. I also studied Holocaust Literature in Grad School, but still had never read it. The thing that strikes me is that she is the same age as my kids are now and she writes with such authority and control and style. She writes well beyond her years. She also had a mind of her own. LOVE IT!!!

Birthday Present: Family and Friends know me well. I got Starbuck's gift cards and Gift Certificates to Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. My two very favorite things: Books and Tea! WOO HOO!!!