Beyond Anne Frank: Hidden Children and Postwar Families in Holland

by Diane L. Wolf

The image of the Jewish child hiding from the Nazis was shaped by Anne Frank, whose house―the most visited site in the Netherlands― has become a shrine to the Holocaust. Yet while Anne Frank's story continues to be discussed and analyzed, her experience as a hidden child in wartime Holland is anomalous―as this book brilliantly demonstrates. Drawing on interviews with seventy Jewish men and women who, as children, were placed in non-Jewish families during the Nazi occupation of Holland, Diane L. Wolf paints a compelling portrait of Holocaust survivors whose experiences were often diametrically opposed to the experiences of those who suffered in concentration camps.

Although the war years were tolerable for most of these children, it was the end of the war that marked the beginning of a traumatic time, leading many of those interviewed here to remark, "My war began after the war." This first in-depth examination of hidden children vividly brings to life their experiences before, during, and after hiding and analyzes the shifting identities, memories, and family dynamics that marked their lives from childhood through advanced age. Wolf also uncovers anti-Semitism in the policies and practices of the Dutch state and the general population, which historically have been portrayed as relatively benevolent toward Jewish residents. The poignant family histories in Beyond Anne Frank demonstrate that we can understand the Holocaust more deeply by focusing on postwar lives.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Holocaust, Biography

406 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2006

Reviews

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took a class with Dr. Wolf who used “Beyond Anne Frank” as one of our course books. The Scoiology course was “Jewish Family.” The book was very well written and Dr. Wolf did a fantastic job studying how survivors coped after the war. However, I agree with other posters in that it certainly left one wanting more than just snippets of each person’s experiences. Yet, I can hardly criticize Dr. Wolf seeing as how the book’s objective was to provide insight and details into her study.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sociological look at children hidden during WWII and what happened to them after the war. A wonderful book

[Tara V · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been way shorter, the points that matter got lost because of so many words saying nothing at all

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was not what I was expecting. I would have prefered full stories rather than snippets of many stories analyzed.