"Of all the many remarkable things about Anne Frank, I believe the most important is the fact of her survival - a survival contained between the covers of a small red-checkered cloth covered diary book." (Stevens,8) In order to discuss the talented Anne Frank, one must explain who she is, her life before and after Nazi occupation, and what happened to her after she was captured. Anne Frank is the second daughters of Otto and Edith Frank. She was born in Frankfurt, Germany on June 12, 1929. When Hitler came to power in 1933, the Franks had fear of him and their future. Anne, Margot, and Edith moved in with Edith''s mother''s house to join Otto in Amsterdam. Anne continued to stay with her grandmother until the new house was suitable for the Franks. When Anne moved in with her family, she started learning at Montessori School. At age seven, Anne was already reading and writing very well. Her best friend was Hannah Gosler; she was also Anne''s neighbor from age four until thirteen. Anne''s last year in grade school was in 1941. After the holidays in 1941, the Jewish children learned that they could no longer go to the school of their choice; instead they were only allowed to go to Jewish schools with Jewish teachers. From May of 1942, all Jews from age six and up had to wear a yellow star of David with the word "Jew" written in the middle. Just about the only advantage the Franks had left was that they could go to the beach in Zandroort Ann Zee. "Humiliated on the streets and in school, deprived of their livelihoods, they saw every freedom taken away step by step, until they had no rights at all." (Verhoeven,21). The Jewish people were scared to do anything because it was forbidden. Anne and Margot often played ping-pong with their friends. Things began to get worse for the Jews. "On the night of November 9-10, 1938, Nazi throughout Germany went on a rampage, burning and smashing Jewish-owned shops and synagogues. That night was called "Kristallnacht," Crystal Night or Night of Broken Glass. In the days that followed, about 30,000 Jewish men and boys were rounded up and taken to concentration camps." (Verhoeven,17) Otto Frank received a call-up notice from the S.
S. "The government of many countries, believing that the stories of persecution in concentration camp were exaggerated, began putting increasing restrictions on refugees." (21) With help from a few of Otto''s friends, Anne''s family found a place to hide from the S.S. On July 6, 1942, someone called the Nazi police and told them that there were Jews hiding in the warehouse building where Anne was. At ten o''clock that same day the Nazi police and several Dutch found the Secret Annex. On Aug. 8, 1944, residents of the Secret Annex went to Westernbrok Transit Camp from Weteringsehans Prison. Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman were also imprisoned for being involved in hiding the Frank family. Anne and her family were transported to Auschwitz death camp in Poland. Then finally on Oct. of 1944, the Franks were transported to another concentration camp called Bergen- Belson in Germany. "I think it was horrible how the Jews were treated at the concentration camps, especially how the Nazis found pleasure by watching the starving Jews trample over each other to get some food." (Halvorsen) Anne Frank died only a few weeks before the war ended in March 1945. She died from disease and starvation at Bergen-Belson. "I saw Anne Frank die." (Menkel) Otto Frank, Anne''s father, was the only one in the Frank family to survive the concentration camps. "Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I''ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on either I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen year old school girl." (Anne Frank) Trank sold more than twenty-five million copies. In the end Anne''s dream of being a famous writer came true!