Treasures from the Attic: The Extraordinary Story of Anne Frank's Family

Anne Frank wrote a diary from the age of 13 as she hid for over two years in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse escaping the horrors of Nazi occupation. An intimate record of tension and struggle, adolescence and confinement, anger and heartbreak, it is among the most enduring documents of the twentieth century, famed throughout the world. Since first publication in 1947, the diary has been read by tens of millions of people in many different translations. A bestseller in its 1952 and 1997 (definitive) editions, it remains a beloved and deeply admired testament to the indestructible nature of the human spirit. Recently discovered letters, documents and photographs of Anne and her family including letters from her, her father's letters from Auschwitz and his poignant descriptions of searching for his family after the war and his discovery of the diaries, have been made into a family saga by Mirjam Pressler, the editor of the definitive edition of the Diary. The book, which reads like a novel, an epic, fateful, family saga, recounts the story of Anne's family both before, during and after the war. It contrasts the normality of family life with the horrors of persecution, deportation and the concentration camps and through it we gain new insight into Anne and her iconic diary, one of those unique documents that portrays innocence and humanity, suffering and survival in the starkest and most moving terms.

About the Author :
Mirjam Pressler is one of Germany's best-loved and best-selling authors of young adult fiction. She is the editor of the retranslated and enlarged 'definitive' edition of The Diary of a Young Girl published in 1997 and which spent 9 weeks on the NYT bestseller list. http://www.mirjampressler.de/

Review :
'Treasures from the Attic are treasures indeed. The book is a thoroughly absorbing and engrossing family history, with fascinating descriptions of people's lives and emotions dating back to the end of the eighteenth century. Through letters and photographs we learn how one Jewish family moved out of the early nineteenth century ghetto of the Frankfurt Judengasse, to feel so accepted by the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that they found a successful bank, holiday around Europe... and stage lavish celebrations. How fragile it all is that by the mid twentieth century it has all turned to dust. Reading these remarkable letters, poems and family tales shows us how the descriptive powers and strong moral code Anne Frank demonstrated in her famous diary and accompanying stories were inevitable. They were coursing through her DNA.' -- Gillian Walnes, Mbe Co-Founder/Exec Dir, The Anne Frank Trust "Their story is the story of countless others and remains required reading" SUNDAY TIMES - 6.03.11