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My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds
THE LONG-AWAITED, MOVING MEMOIR OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR HANNAH PICK-GOSLAR.'Heartbreaking and life-affirming' - Edith Eger, bestselling author of The Choice'An extraordinary story of love, loss and the power of friendship in the darkest time.' - Jack Fairweather, Costa prizewinning author of The VolunteerWhen five-year-old Hannah Pick-Goslar and her family fled Nazi Germany to live in Amsterdam, she soon struck up a friendship with a precocious, outspoken and fun-loving girl named Anne Frank. For several blissful years, the girls were inseparable, enjoying carefree childhood games and sleepovers in their neighbourhood of Rivierenbuurt.Then, one day in 1942, two best friends' lives were about to change for ever. As the Nazi occupation intensified, Anne and the Frank family vanished. As Hannah puzzled over the fate of her friend, hoping she was safe, her own family's fate began to they were captured and taken to Westerbork transit camp, before being transported to Bergen-Belsen.Amid horrific conditions and surrounded by death, Hannah heard astonishing news about her dear friend and risked her life to help her.'As a girl I witnessed the world I loved crumble and vanish, destroyed by senseless hatred, and with it, my best friend Anne.'In an incredible memoir of hope, strength and defiance, Hannah's story of survival is testament to the enduring power of friendship, love and remembering.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2023
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April 30, 2024
“As a girl I witnessed the world I loved crumble and vanish, destroyed by mindless hatred, and with it, my best friend Anne”
After a wonderful childhood for Hannah and Anne Frank and their friends, things changed irrevocably when the Netherlands came under German occupation in 1940.
After three gruelling years of occupation, when Nazi officers arrived at the home of 15-year-old Hannah Pick-Goslar, on 20th June 1943, she had no real idea just what awaited her family, but she’d heard tales and was understandably terrified. The Nazis had sealed off their neighbourhood, blocking roads and stationing soldiers on every bridge. Early in the morning, loudspeakers blared in the streets, telling Jewish residents to prepare for departure. Then a member of the green police, the wing of the German army tasked with policing civilians, banged on the Goslars’ door and told them: “You have 20 minutes to pack your things.” Hannah had her suitcase all ready and waiting for the threatened deportation. Anne Frank and her family were safely in Switzerland with family as far as Hannah knew and she was happy for Anne. She was so wrong.
Hannah’s family were told they were being sent to Bergen-Belsen, at which Hannah’s father was pleased, expecting it to be an ‘ideal’ camp whilst awaiting a prisoner exchange for which they were eligible.
The family eventually arrived there and were placed in the Sternlager camp, otherwise known as ‘Star Camp’ under the pretext that they would be exchanged for German nationals held by the Western Allies. Hannah’s father thought this meant that they were valuable and would be treated in a humane manner, but it soon became clear that apart from a few privileges, (they could keep their own clothes, and didn’t have to have their hair shorn like others) it wasn’t actually going to be the case.
Hannah would eventually meet her best friend Anne Frank again, years after they’d last seen each other, but of course it was in completely different circumstances - the events of their happy idyllic childhood gone forever.
Throughout their ordeal, Hannah’s father always tried to look on the bright side - he always had hope, and let’s face it, without hope you have nothing.
A tremendously moving memoir that I can highly recommend.
* I was invited to read this memoir by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
After a wonderful childhood for Hannah and Anne Frank and their friends, things changed irrevocably when the Netherlands came under German occupation in 1940.
After three gruelling years of occupation, when Nazi officers arrived at the home of 15-year-old Hannah Pick-Goslar, on 20th June 1943, she had no real idea just what awaited her family, but she’d heard tales and was understandably terrified. The Nazis had sealed off their neighbourhood, blocking roads and stationing soldiers on every bridge. Early in the morning, loudspeakers blared in the streets, telling Jewish residents to prepare for departure. Then a member of the green police, the wing of the German army tasked with policing civilians, banged on the Goslars’ door and told them: “You have 20 minutes to pack your things.” Hannah had her suitcase all ready and waiting for the threatened deportation. Anne Frank and her family were safely in Switzerland with family as far as Hannah knew and she was happy for Anne. She was so wrong.
Hannah’s family were told they were being sent to Bergen-Belsen, at which Hannah’s father was pleased, expecting it to be an ‘ideal’ camp whilst awaiting a prisoner exchange for which they were eligible.
The family eventually arrived there and were placed in the Sternlager camp, otherwise known as ‘Star Camp’ under the pretext that they would be exchanged for German nationals held by the Western Allies. Hannah’s father thought this meant that they were valuable and would be treated in a humane manner, but it soon became clear that apart from a few privileges, (they could keep their own clothes, and didn’t have to have their hair shorn like others) it wasn’t actually going to be the case.
Hannah would eventually meet her best friend Anne Frank again, years after they’d last seen each other, but of course it was in completely different circumstances - the events of their happy idyllic childhood gone forever.
Throughout their ordeal, Hannah’s father always tried to look on the bright side - he always had hope, and let’s face it, without hope you have nothing.
A tremendously moving memoir that I can highly recommend.
* I was invited to read this memoir by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
July 13, 2023
My Friend Anne Frank is powerful and moving. This first hand account gives the world a glimpse into Anne’s life before and after she went into hiding. It is the missing piece to Anne’s story and the complete picture of Hannah’s. With so few WWII soldiers and survivors of the Holocaust left, it is so important to read primary accounts like Hannah’s.
The bonds of friendship and family is so very powerful. The “human saints” Hannah encounters are inspiring. What Hannah and her sister, Gigi, endure is heartbreaking. This is Hannah and Gigi’s story. But it is also Hannah’s dear friend, Anne’s. I was very impressed with, and had great respect for, Mr. Frank before reading My Friend Anne Frank. This was only magnified after reading about Hannah’s relationship after being reunited. I was left in awe of him and feeling inspired.
When Anne “disappeared” Hannah believed the Franks escaped to Switzerland. This thought gave Hannah hope and comfort. But it was hard to grapple with her dear friend’s disappearance without a word. This quote expresses Hannah’s feelings and inner turmoil.
The pages of her diary “were a revelation. I lost my best friend Anne when she had just turned 13 and began keeping her diary. In those pages, I felt I was reunited with her. It was such a strange sensation to witness her evolve and mature, all while having a window into her internal life and her life in hiding. The Anne I met in the most terrible of circumstances at Bergen-Belsen was starving and desperate, hardly the vivacious girl I knew. These precious pages allowed me to see her between those two moments. The writing was so rich and vivid I felt like I was right next to her again. It felt both euphoric and heart-shattering.”
My wife and I each bought the book and downloaded the audio version to accompany our reading it. I strongly recommend listening while reading. It makes the experience even more personal, moving, and memorable.
If you have not visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, I strongly suggest it. I believe all people should visit and bear witness. After starting to read. My Friend Anne Frank, we knew we had to go. Two survivors were there sharing their stories. They were quite young, like Hannah’s sister, during the war. It was powerful and moving to witness what was experienced by Hannah, her friends, and family in My Friend Anne Frank at the Memorial. My Friend Anne Frank is such an important account of what must never be forgotten.
The bonds of friendship and family is so very powerful. The “human saints” Hannah encounters are inspiring. What Hannah and her sister, Gigi, endure is heartbreaking. This is Hannah and Gigi’s story. But it is also Hannah’s dear friend, Anne’s. I was very impressed with, and had great respect for, Mr. Frank before reading My Friend Anne Frank. This was only magnified after reading about Hannah’s relationship after being reunited. I was left in awe of him and feeling inspired.
When Anne “disappeared” Hannah believed the Franks escaped to Switzerland. This thought gave Hannah hope and comfort. But it was hard to grapple with her dear friend’s disappearance without a word. This quote expresses Hannah’s feelings and inner turmoil.
The pages of her diary “were a revelation. I lost my best friend Anne when she had just turned 13 and began keeping her diary. In those pages, I felt I was reunited with her. It was such a strange sensation to witness her evolve and mature, all while having a window into her internal life and her life in hiding. The Anne I met in the most terrible of circumstances at Bergen-Belsen was starving and desperate, hardly the vivacious girl I knew. These precious pages allowed me to see her between those two moments. The writing was so rich and vivid I felt like I was right next to her again. It felt both euphoric and heart-shattering.”
My wife and I each bought the book and downloaded the audio version to accompany our reading it. I strongly recommend listening while reading. It makes the experience even more personal, moving, and memorable.
If you have not visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, I strongly suggest it. I believe all people should visit and bear witness. After starting to read. My Friend Anne Frank, we knew we had to go. Two survivors were there sharing their stories. They were quite young, like Hannah’s sister, during the war. It was powerful and moving to witness what was experienced by Hannah, her friends, and family in My Friend Anne Frank at the Memorial. My Friend Anne Frank is such an important account of what must never be forgotten.
January 11, 2025
The holocaust marks the darkest moment in man’s history, and Hannah’s memoir allows us to understand just what surviving it cost, in this deeply personal and often heart wrenching account. This is Hannah’s own journey told with searing clarity, but she also intertwines it with her recollections of her close friendship with Anne Frank - from the joys of childhood friendship through to the true horrors of Bergen-Belsen they sadly endured. Deeply moving, touching and yet ultimately hope filled, this memoir left me grateful to Hannah for spending her lifetime ensuring the world never forgot the suffering of her Jewish people, or her friend Anne Frank.
June 18, 2023
My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds was a truly moving account of the author’s life and her best and dearest friend, Anne Frank. The first time Hannah and Anne met they were four years old. Both little girls were in a food market with their mothers when they overheard each other speaking in German. Both families had recently fled Germany and the Nazi regime and found themselves in neutral Amsterdam. When Hannah and Anne began school, they discovered that they were in the same class. From that day on, Hannah and Anne became best friends.
I vividly remember reading the book, The Diary of Anne Frank, as a young girl and how I cried my eyes out as I learned about all that Anne had endured in Amsterdam during World War II. Now so many years later, I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to read Anne Frank’s best friend’s story. This opportunity brought with it a greater understanding for me into not only Anne Frank’s life but into Hannah Pick-Goslar’s life. My Friend Anne Frank beautifully depicted Hannah’s and Anne’s special friendship but also described the close knit bond both of their families shared with each other.
As best friends, Hannah and Anne were bound to have occasional disagreements. Hannah felt terrible that Anne and her had had an argument. She went to Anne’s house to try and make things right. After many knocks, the renter finally opened the door and told Hannah that Anne and her family were not there. Hannah learned that day that Anne and her family had escaped to Switzerland. Hannah was so glad for her friend. In the pursuing years, as Hannah and her family were made to go to a transit camp and then to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, Hannah would often think of her good friend and be glad that she was safe in Switzerland. It was very shocking news for Hannah when she learned that Anne and her sister Margot were also prisoners at Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp when Hannah and her younger sister were there. Hannah and Anne met at the fence that separated their camps but never got to hug or see each other. The fence that separated the two friends was stuffed heavily with straw making it impossible to see through it. It stretched between their two sections but both Hannah and Anne were able to hear each other’s voices. They spoke a little about what they each had gone through and who they had lost. Each girl confessed to the other that they often thought of one another despite their ordeals. Anne and Margot had been in Auschwitz before they were transported to Bergen-Belsen. Hannah was so happy to have found Anne again and prayed that she would survive so they could see each other after the war was over. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
I felt so privileged to have had the chance to read this heartfelt and inspiring story. It must have been extremely difficult for Hannah to dredge up so many of her memories that she so willingly shared in her memoir. Hannah was into her nineties when she began this undertaking. It is so important, more so now than ever, to read these true accounts from Holocaust survivors because soon there will be none left to tell their stories. There stories must be read and shared. What an incredible friendship Anne and Hannah had. Although, only one survived to tell their story, Anne lived on in Hannah’s memories. Anne also had the foresight to keep a written account of her life during the time her family was in hiding in her precious diary. Both Hannah and Anne shared something so beautiful during such a dark and dangerous time. Thank you Hannah Pick-Goslar for sharing your story and the friendship you shared with Anne Frank in this powerful and must read book that you wrote. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Little, Brown Spark Publishers for allowing me to read My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds by Hannah Pick-Goslar through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I vividly remember reading the book, The Diary of Anne Frank, as a young girl and how I cried my eyes out as I learned about all that Anne had endured in Amsterdam during World War II. Now so many years later, I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to read Anne Frank’s best friend’s story. This opportunity brought with it a greater understanding for me into not only Anne Frank’s life but into Hannah Pick-Goslar’s life. My Friend Anne Frank beautifully depicted Hannah’s and Anne’s special friendship but also described the close knit bond both of their families shared with each other.
As best friends, Hannah and Anne were bound to have occasional disagreements. Hannah felt terrible that Anne and her had had an argument. She went to Anne’s house to try and make things right. After many knocks, the renter finally opened the door and told Hannah that Anne and her family were not there. Hannah learned that day that Anne and her family had escaped to Switzerland. Hannah was so glad for her friend. In the pursuing years, as Hannah and her family were made to go to a transit camp and then to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, Hannah would often think of her good friend and be glad that she was safe in Switzerland. It was very shocking news for Hannah when she learned that Anne and her sister Margot were also prisoners at Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp when Hannah and her younger sister were there. Hannah and Anne met at the fence that separated their camps but never got to hug or see each other. The fence that separated the two friends was stuffed heavily with straw making it impossible to see through it. It stretched between their two sections but both Hannah and Anne were able to hear each other’s voices. They spoke a little about what they each had gone through and who they had lost. Each girl confessed to the other that they often thought of one another despite their ordeals. Anne and Margot had been in Auschwitz before they were transported to Bergen-Belsen. Hannah was so happy to have found Anne again and prayed that she would survive so they could see each other after the war was over. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
I felt so privileged to have had the chance to read this heartfelt and inspiring story. It must have been extremely difficult for Hannah to dredge up so many of her memories that she so willingly shared in her memoir. Hannah was into her nineties when she began this undertaking. It is so important, more so now than ever, to read these true accounts from Holocaust survivors because soon there will be none left to tell their stories. There stories must be read and shared. What an incredible friendship Anne and Hannah had. Although, only one survived to tell their story, Anne lived on in Hannah’s memories. Anne also had the foresight to keep a written account of her life during the time her family was in hiding in her precious diary. Both Hannah and Anne shared something so beautiful during such a dark and dangerous time. Thank you Hannah Pick-Goslar for sharing your story and the friendship you shared with Anne Frank in this powerful and must read book that you wrote. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Little, Brown Spark Publishers for allowing me to read My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds by Hannah Pick-Goslar through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
May 24, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for access to this title. I am auto-approved for Little, Brown, and Company. All opinions expressed are my own.
In 2015, I was fortunate to be one of 6 people from Quebec and 1 of 13 Canadians that won a scholarship to attend YAD Vashem's International Holocaust Studies program. I spent 21 days in Jerusalem, traveling to other places on the weekend, and met many educators and Holocaust survivors. During my first week, I met Hannah Pick-Goslar, the friend of Anne Frank. It was one of those life-changing moments. Hannah passed in 2022 but her memoir will be released in June 2023.
A deeply moving story. Thank you, Hannah, for sharing it one last time.
Recommended Read if you want to learn more about Anne Frank, Germany, and Holland in WWII, the Jewish community in Holland, the concentration camps, and life after the war.
Expected Publication Date. 06/06/23
Goodreads review published 20/05/23
In 2015, I was fortunate to be one of 6 people from Quebec and 1 of 13 Canadians that won a scholarship to attend YAD Vashem's International Holocaust Studies program. I spent 21 days in Jerusalem, traveling to other places on the weekend, and met many educators and Holocaust survivors. During my first week, I met Hannah Pick-Goslar, the friend of Anne Frank. It was one of those life-changing moments. Hannah passed in 2022 but her memoir will be released in June 2023.
A deeply moving story. Thank you, Hannah, for sharing it one last time.
Recommended Read if you want to learn more about Anne Frank, Germany, and Holland in WWII, the Jewish community in Holland, the concentration camps, and life after the war.
Expected Publication Date. 06/06/23
Goodreads review published 20/05/23
July 11, 2023
I loved this book. It’s well written and well told and engaging and I was always disappointed when I had to put it down and do something else. I’d intended to read four books at once: continuing to read a history of stand-up comedy in the San Francisco area, reading a vegan cookbook, and reading a middle grade novel, the other three all appealing, but once I started this book it was all that I was interested in reading and I put the other three books aside until I could finish this one.
This autobiography stands on its own, even if the author hadn’t known Anne Frank. Reading about Anne from the author’s perspective and learning more about what their lives were like made it especially interesting. This is a great coming of age memoir.
The most devastating part of this book for me was a three page long section titled Elegy for Hannah and Anne’s Classmates. It includes over half of Anne and Hannah’s class members. It lists 16 teens, all of whom were murdered by the Nazis. A bit about each of them is written, including what happened to them and their family members, a physical description, and for most of them what Anne said about them in her diary. Heartbreaking and devastating. An immeasurable loss.
I’ve read hundreds of Holocaust books and maybe a couple of dozen where Anne Frank is the author or somehow appears and for the first time I 100% understood why Anne loved her father so much. I fell in love with Otto Frank because of Hannah’s memories of him. Completely in love! What a great father and what a great person he was!! I wish I’d known everything included about him in this book when he was still alive. I would have wanted to write to him, not about his daughter and he was used to tons of mail about her, but to praise him. He had a great personality and he was a true mensch.
Hannah was also a truly wonderful person.
I appreciate what humor there is in this book. One of the things that Hannah’s mother would say (with fondness) about Anne cracked me up each time (twice I think, maybe three times) this was mentioned in the book.
The narrative does a brilliant job of relating the details of normal, ordinary, everyday life in Germany prior to 1933 and in Amsterdam prior to 1940 and also of the changes that came with the Nazi occupation, and what happened to people because of it and some of the postwar time too for those who survived and those who knew survivors.
I greatly appreciated the photos but could have done without the stock photos. The personal photos are wonderful though. I’d seen many of them in other books but some I viewed for the first time in this book.
There is helpful additional information by the coauthor Dina Kraft in the back of the book. Included is an important and informative Afterword, her Acknowledgments, and an interesting Selected Bibliography.
5 full stars.
I still always recommend the chapter about Anne Frank in the book People Love Dead Jews and I put a link to that essay in my review of that book. Reading it forever changed my outlook about reading about Anne Frank.
This autobiography stands on its own, even if the author hadn’t known Anne Frank. Reading about Anne from the author’s perspective and learning more about what their lives were like made it especially interesting. This is a great coming of age memoir.
The most devastating part of this book for me was a three page long section titled Elegy for Hannah and Anne’s Classmates. It includes over half of Anne and Hannah’s class members. It lists 16 teens, all of whom were murdered by the Nazis. A bit about each of them is written, including what happened to them and their family members, a physical description, and for most of them what Anne said about them in her diary. Heartbreaking and devastating. An immeasurable loss.
I’ve read hundreds of Holocaust books and maybe a couple of dozen where Anne Frank is the author or somehow appears and for the first time I 100% understood why Anne loved her father so much. I fell in love with Otto Frank because of Hannah’s memories of him. Completely in love! What a great father and what a great person he was!! I wish I’d known everything included about him in this book when he was still alive. I would have wanted to write to him, not about his daughter and he was used to tons of mail about her, but to praise him. He had a great personality and he was a true mensch.
Hannah was also a truly wonderful person.
I appreciate what humor there is in this book. One of the things that Hannah’s mother would say (with fondness) about Anne cracked me up each time (twice I think, maybe three times) this was mentioned in the book.
The narrative does a brilliant job of relating the details of normal, ordinary, everyday life in Germany prior to 1933 and in Amsterdam prior to 1940 and also of the changes that came with the Nazi occupation, and what happened to people because of it and some of the postwar time too for those who survived and those who knew survivors.
I greatly appreciated the photos but could have done without the stock photos. The personal photos are wonderful though. I’d seen many of them in other books but some I viewed for the first time in this book.
There is helpful additional information by the coauthor Dina Kraft in the back of the book. Included is an important and informative Afterword, her Acknowledgments, and an interesting Selected Bibliography.
5 full stars.
I still always recommend the chapter about Anne Frank in the book People Love Dead Jews and I put a link to that essay in my review of that book. Reading it forever changed my outlook about reading about Anne Frank.
February 26, 2024
This is a heartbreaking and inspiring memoir of Hannah Pick-Goslar, a Holocaust survivor. It is a wonderful tribute to her friend, Anne Frank. I am grateful for the author for sharing her story, which vividly recounts the horrors and deprivation that she faced, and her courage, bravery, resilience, and hope. The afterward is informative, and it is truly appreciated. I listened to the audio book, and the narrator, Ms. Alix Dunmore, does an outstanding job.
Read
July 30, 2023Did anyone else think this title was misleading?
I was disappointed in being misled and it took quite a while to get over it. Perhaps if the writing had been compelling, I could have overlooked it. Interestingly enough, it was Anne I looked for in both groups of photos, not Hannah.
Regardless, I commend Pick-Goslar for re-living this horrible ordeal in order to share her memoir and enlighten us about the enduring power of friendship and the horrors of the Holocaust.
I was disappointed in being misled and it took quite a while to get over it. Perhaps if the writing had been compelling, I could have overlooked it. Interestingly enough, it was Anne I looked for in both groups of photos, not Hannah.
Regardless, I commend Pick-Goslar for re-living this horrible ordeal in order to share her memoir and enlighten us about the enduring power of friendship and the horrors of the Holocaust.
October 30, 2023
This is one of those books that was hard to put down, I read it in two sittings over 24 hours. It is a truly amazing story that made me want to find out more the lives of the people mentioned in the book.
Having read much about Anne Frank, I was keen to read this. It was interesting to read this parallel story, where we get a look into Hanneli's life that intersects Anne's life in two places. Firstly the happy times at their Amsterdam Montessori school and then at an unhappy point. Hanneli's story is absolutely amazing and although I appreciated the parts about Anne and Otto Frank, this story was completely compelling in its own right.
Apart from the main theme of this book about a German Jewish family during the Holocaust, the details of everyday life in Amsterdam was enjoyable and surprisingly positive. I really enjoyed reading about the children's lives, the parents various thoughts and attitudes as to what would happen, their customs and birthday celebrations. I loved a sentence Hanneli's mother said about Anne
Otto Frank's endless optimism was inspiring, he sounded like such an amazing person. I found it incredibly sad that Anne
The end of the book was a mix of happy and sad, a couple of pages at the end of the book give you the names of Hanneli's classmates, a short description of them and what became of them and their families, this brings home the enormous loss of young teenagers and shows how few survived.
After so much sadness it was good to read about the rest of Hanneli's long and happy life and I loved what Hanneli described as her revenge on Hitler -
Having read much about Anne Frank, I was keen to read this. It was interesting to read this parallel story, where we get a look into Hanneli's life that intersects Anne's life in two places. Firstly the happy times at their Amsterdam Montessori school and then at an unhappy point. Hanneli's story is absolutely amazing and although I appreciated the parts about Anne and Otto Frank, this story was completely compelling in its own right.
Apart from the main theme of this book about a German Jewish family during the Holocaust, the details of everyday life in Amsterdam was enjoyable and surprisingly positive. I really enjoyed reading about the children's lives, the parents various thoughts and attitudes as to what would happen, their customs and birthday celebrations. I loved a sentence Hanneli's mother said about Anne
Otto Frank's endless optimism was inspiring, he sounded like such an amazing person. I found it incredibly sad that Anne
The end of the book was a mix of happy and sad, a couple of pages at the end of the book give you the names of Hanneli's classmates, a short description of them and what became of them and their families, this brings home the enormous loss of young teenagers and shows how few survived.
After so much sadness it was good to read about the rest of Hanneli's long and happy life and I loved what Hanneli described as her revenge on Hitler -
May 6, 2023
This heartbreaking account of the holocaust as told by a survivor should remind all of us of the devastation to all of humanity that is caused by hatred.
December 9, 2023
As a child, reading The Diary of Anne Frank sparked my fascination with Anne, and I recently had the opportunity to explore her life further through this memoir by her best friend Hannah. Learning about Hannah's experiences and her deep affection for Anne was captivating, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to read it. Hannah passed away in 2022, but I am so very grateful that she was able to share her memories with us.
June 15, 2023
“Amsterdam was a reminder of a terrible lesson I had learned far too early: nothing in life is permanent. A quiet, loving, comfortable existence can be stolen away by the powerful forces of hate.”
I think it would be difficult to find an adult who hasn’t heard of Anne Frank. Many of us have even read her diary, a book that ultimately haunts the reader as it ends.
In My Friend Anne Frank, we get a picture of the before and after in Anne’s life. It fills all of those spaces her diary could not cover.
We also learn about one of Anne’s best friends. Hannah (Hanneli) and Anne met at age 5 and Anne referred to her as Lies Goosens in her diary. Hannah had been on the shy side, but gregarious Anne helped her navigate the social aspects of their childhood. The girls remained friends until Anne went into hiding but they did find each other again in a concentration camp.
Hannah’s story goes beyond this special friendship, though. She gives readers a harrowing firsthand look into the mounting fear that transpired as Jewish families fled to safety in the Netherlands and found new danger as Nazi Germany invaded the country. She relays heartbreaking details of her time in the camps and the difficult aftermath of liberation.
Hannah’s story is riveting. I found myself turning the pages faster than I have with many of the fiction novels I’ve read lately. The voice is gentle, but the realities faced were cruel and deeply traumatizing. I’m grateful she dictated her story to Dina Kraft for publication before passing, but deeply saddened that I’ll never have a chance to meet this remarkable woman. But she is clear: The story of survivors should not die with them. This needs to be told again and again.
If you only read one memoir this year, please make it this one.
Thank you, Partner Bibliolifestyle, William Morrow Books for my copy. All opinions are my own.
I think it would be difficult to find an adult who hasn’t heard of Anne Frank. Many of us have even read her diary, a book that ultimately haunts the reader as it ends.
In My Friend Anne Frank, we get a picture of the before and after in Anne’s life. It fills all of those spaces her diary could not cover.
We also learn about one of Anne’s best friends. Hannah (Hanneli) and Anne met at age 5 and Anne referred to her as Lies Goosens in her diary. Hannah had been on the shy side, but gregarious Anne helped her navigate the social aspects of their childhood. The girls remained friends until Anne went into hiding but they did find each other again in a concentration camp.
Hannah’s story goes beyond this special friendship, though. She gives readers a harrowing firsthand look into the mounting fear that transpired as Jewish families fled to safety in the Netherlands and found new danger as Nazi Germany invaded the country. She relays heartbreaking details of her time in the camps and the difficult aftermath of liberation.
Hannah’s story is riveting. I found myself turning the pages faster than I have with many of the fiction novels I’ve read lately. The voice is gentle, but the realities faced were cruel and deeply traumatizing. I’m grateful she dictated her story to Dina Kraft for publication before passing, but deeply saddened that I’ll never have a chance to meet this remarkable woman. But she is clear: The story of survivors should not die with them. This needs to be told again and again.
If you only read one memoir this year, please make it this one.
Thank you, Partner Bibliolifestyle, William Morrow Books for my copy. All opinions are my own.
April 20, 2023
After living in Latvia, I have stayed away from most history and fiction books relating to the Holocaust as it became too real and close during my time there. I am starting to get back into reading about the time period and I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of My Friend Anne Frank, set to be published during the week of 94th birthday of Anne Frank.
Hannah was a friend of Anne Frank during their time in the Netherlands. However, while this book highlights aspects of Hannah's friendship with Anne and later their time together at Bergen-Belsen, it is first and foremost Hannah's story of survival, not Anne's. Hannah, Anne, and so many other children were deeply innocent during the time of German occupation and the removal of Jews. Hannah watched as family and friends began to disappear and experienced her cultural seemingly get more push back. Hannah's childhood though in the Netherlands was relatively happy, filled with school mates at her Montessori school (neat right?!), trips to the beach, and time spent with family. It was interesting to see the dynamics between her parents religiosity vs other secular Jewish families (like the Franks). Hannah captures what it was like following liberation and her immigration to Palestine, subjects often over looked by novels and studies following WW2. This book was easy to read and very vivid. It was heartbreaking but hopeful.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Thank you again NetGalley and Vantage Press for a copy of this book.
Hannah was a friend of Anne Frank during their time in the Netherlands. However, while this book highlights aspects of Hannah's friendship with Anne and later their time together at Bergen-Belsen, it is first and foremost Hannah's story of survival, not Anne's. Hannah, Anne, and so many other children were deeply innocent during the time of German occupation and the removal of Jews. Hannah watched as family and friends began to disappear and experienced her cultural seemingly get more push back. Hannah's childhood though in the Netherlands was relatively happy, filled with school mates at her Montessori school (neat right?!), trips to the beach, and time spent with family. It was interesting to see the dynamics between her parents religiosity vs other secular Jewish families (like the Franks). Hannah captures what it was like following liberation and her immigration to Palestine, subjects often over looked by novels and studies following WW2. This book was easy to read and very vivid. It was heartbreaking but hopeful.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Thank you again NetGalley and Vantage Press for a copy of this book.
June 9, 2024
enjoyed reading this book and a personal memories of the holocaust and how sadly man can become so inhumane but you always feel a small part of humanity remains.
June 1, 2023
Hannah and Anne Frank were both from Jewish families who left Germany when Hitler came to power, and settled in Amsterdam. The girls, and their families, became close friends. One day Hannah goes to Anne's house and the family is gone. It's rumored that they escaped to Switzerland, as more and more Jews are being rounded up and Even though I have read many books about the Holocaust, I would definitely consider this one is a must-read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advance copy.
December 22, 2023
This book has been a long time coming and I'm so glad to live in a world where Holocaust survivors are still around to tell their stories. This story is from one of Anne Franks closest friends who is mentioned several times in her diary, and her experiences through the war that include losing many of her immediate family in the camps. Hanneli is tasked with raising her little sister as they navigate wartime, orphanages, cattle car train journeys across Europe and finally, the horrific conditions within the camps - all while still a child herself.
Wonderfully written, heartbreaking, life-affirming. Everything you would expect and then some. Anyone with an interest in history, world war two experiences and of course Anne Frank, should read this book.
Wonderfully written, heartbreaking, life-affirming. Everything you would expect and then some. Anyone with an interest in history, world war two experiences and of course Anne Frank, should read this book.
August 17, 2023
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I feel that the last years, the book market has been swamped by books about the holocaust, claiming to be based on true stories., so many that I wonder if some are purely published for commercial gain, and the Auschwitz museum strongly advised not to read some books there they are far from the truth.
However, when I came across this book, My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar, I knew I had to read it.
A powerful, and never to forgotten summary of Hannah Pick-Goslar's childhood and teenage years, which she shared with her best friend Anne Frank, and her survival of the Holocaust.
After settling in Israël after the holocaust, Mrs. Pick-Goslar became one of the voices to tell the story of the Holocaust, so we will never forget those who couldn't tell it.
One of the things which made a huge impression on me was Hannah, brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family, her never wavering faith in her G*d, regardless of all the horror around her.
A powerful, gripping book which will stay with me for quite some time.
However, when I came across this book, My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar, I knew I had to read it.
A powerful, and never to forgotten summary of Hannah Pick-Goslar's childhood and teenage years, which she shared with her best friend Anne Frank, and her survival of the Holocaust.
After settling in Israël after the holocaust, Mrs. Pick-Goslar became one of the voices to tell the story of the Holocaust, so we will never forget those who couldn't tell it.
One of the things which made a huge impression on me was Hannah, brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family, her never wavering faith in her G*d, regardless of all the horror around her.
A powerful, gripping book which will stay with me for quite some time.
June 14, 2023
3.5 stars
These types of books are incredibly important to read. While the subject matter can be tough, the lessons learned and reminders provided are critical.
This is the story of Hannah; a neighbor, classmate and friend of Anne Frank. While Hannah and her family faced many of the same struggles and horrors as Anne, Hannah was a “lucky” one, being able to enjoy a long life. Hannah just passed away at the age of 93, having built a family that included over thirty great-grandchildren.
I did struggle with the title of the book a bit. It felt like perhaps they were using Anne Frank’s name and notoriety to help promote Hannah’s story. I’d feel better if the title focused on Hannah herself rather than her posthumously famous friend.
These types of books are incredibly important to read. While the subject matter can be tough, the lessons learned and reminders provided are critical.
This is the story of Hannah; a neighbor, classmate and friend of Anne Frank. While Hannah and her family faced many of the same struggles and horrors as Anne, Hannah was a “lucky” one, being able to enjoy a long life. Hannah just passed away at the age of 93, having built a family that included over thirty great-grandchildren.
I did struggle with the title of the book a bit. It felt like perhaps they were using Anne Frank’s name and notoriety to help promote Hannah’s story. I’d feel better if the title focused on Hannah herself rather than her posthumously famous friend.
October 30, 2023
Major “book hangover” after finishing this one.
**Book hangover- the feeling of being so impressed and/or moved after finishing a book, that one is unable to begin another right away**
I feel that my review may not do this book justice, but I will try.
Such a moving account from one of the people who knew Annelies Frank as a child, as a BF, a classmate. Before the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, when Jewish children could eat ice cream, swim in pools, play in parks, with Gentile friends, blissfully unaware that all these joys would be illegal for them in a few years…
**Book hangover- the feeling of being so impressed and/or moved after finishing a book, that one is unable to begin another right away**
I feel that my review may not do this book justice, but I will try.
Such a moving account from one of the people who knew Annelies Frank as a child, as a BF, a classmate. Before the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, when Jewish children could eat ice cream, swim in pools, play in parks, with Gentile friends, blissfully unaware that all these joys would be illegal for them in a few years…
February 27, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you are a fan of Anne Frank this is an absolute must read.
If you are a fan of Anne Frank this is an absolute must read.
February 11, 2024
I can’t begin to fathom how Hannah survived the cruelties of the Holocaust. She was truly a hero and it’s a blessing she chose to share her story for posterity. I’m delighted that she went on to have a fruitful and happy life. Dina Kraft did an excellent job of telling her story.
I wonder how Hannah felt about Donald Trump? Did she see the evil and chaos he has created in our country as a forerunner to the hate that invaded Germany? Was her story trying to warn us of what too much power can create? Did she see the similarities between Hitler and Trump, like I have from the beginning of his political career?
It is a biography that should be read by everyone “lest we forget.”
I wonder how Hannah felt about Donald Trump? Did she see the evil and chaos he has created in our country as a forerunner to the hate that invaded Germany? Was her story trying to warn us of what too much power can create? Did she see the similarities between Hitler and Trump, like I have from the beginning of his political career?
It is a biography that should be read by everyone “lest we forget.”
August 15, 2023
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In this moving memoir, Hannah Pick-Goslar narrates her extraordinary life from the time she and her parents moved from Germany in the wake of Hitler's rise to power and their new life in Amsterdam to the start of WW2 and the increased tensions and fear Jewish people felt all over the world, and the Gosslar's family incarceration in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Through the horror, Hannah holds on to her happy memories with her family and her friends, including Anne Frank whose diary would become famous following her death.
This was a brilliant book, and really well written and paced. Hannah's story is so hard to read at times and it's so hard to believe that these atrocities happened and not just to her family but to millions of Jewish people, and others Hitler opposed. But Hannah's strength, intelligence and positive attitude prevails throughout the story even as she is faced with increased restrictions as a Jewish person in the Netherlands, the death of her beloved mother and their her teenage years snatched away due to her imprisonment in the camps. I loved Hannah's family from her mother and father, to her gentle grandparents and her ever loving aunts and uncles living abroad and always searching for trapped family. I also really felt emotional at Hannah's relationship with Otto Frank following the war and how he helped the girl who was his daughter's best friend and he became a grandfather figure for her children.
I just thought this was a brilliant book, and Dina Kraft who wrote this book for Hannah Pick-Gosslar did an amazing job and helped a wonderful woman put her unbelievable life journey into words to share with the world.
In this moving memoir, Hannah Pick-Goslar narrates her extraordinary life from the time she and her parents moved from Germany in the wake of Hitler's rise to power and their new life in Amsterdam to the start of WW2 and the increased tensions and fear Jewish people felt all over the world, and the Gosslar's family incarceration in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Through the horror, Hannah holds on to her happy memories with her family and her friends, including Anne Frank whose diary would become famous following her death.
This was a brilliant book, and really well written and paced. Hannah's story is so hard to read at times and it's so hard to believe that these atrocities happened and not just to her family but to millions of Jewish people, and others Hitler opposed. But Hannah's strength, intelligence and positive attitude prevails throughout the story even as she is faced with increased restrictions as a Jewish person in the Netherlands, the death of her beloved mother and their her teenage years snatched away due to her imprisonment in the camps. I loved Hannah's family from her mother and father, to her gentle grandparents and her ever loving aunts and uncles living abroad and always searching for trapped family. I also really felt emotional at Hannah's relationship with Otto Frank following the war and how he helped the girl who was his daughter's best friend and he became a grandfather figure for her children.
I just thought this was a brilliant book, and Dina Kraft who wrote this book for Hannah Pick-Gosslar did an amazing job and helped a wonderful woman put her unbelievable life journey into words to share with the world.
September 5, 2023
The Diary of Anne Frank is probably the first non-fiction book I ever read. Her story opened my eyes to history and to WWII. When I found out about this book, My Friend Anne Frank, I knew I had to read it.
Through Hannah’s eyes, we see the days before WWII, when children of any race could go to school, make friends, go to movies, and do things all children did. We also see how things changed as Hitler gained power and rules were put into place.
This book will give you hope, break your heart, and teach you so much along the way.
I loved reading about Hannah’s childhood and her chance meeting of Anne Frank who turned into a life-long friend.
I found myself angry all over again at what people were subjected to because they were Jewish.
That Hannah survived along with her sister was absolutely amazing. My heart broke at all of the loss they faced, at how their lives were irrevocably changed. The sheer determination to live to tell their story was inspiring.
For as long as I live, I will never be able to wrap my mind and heart around such a time in history. I pray people never stop telling their stories so we can always be informed and aware and can fight to stop the things like this still happening today.
Thank you to Bibliolifestyle for the copy of this book. All views are my own opinion.
Through Hannah’s eyes, we see the days before WWII, when children of any race could go to school, make friends, go to movies, and do things all children did. We also see how things changed as Hitler gained power and rules were put into place.
This book will give you hope, break your heart, and teach you so much along the way.
I loved reading about Hannah’s childhood and her chance meeting of Anne Frank who turned into a life-long friend.
I found myself angry all over again at what people were subjected to because they were Jewish.
That Hannah survived along with her sister was absolutely amazing. My heart broke at all of the loss they faced, at how their lives were irrevocably changed. The sheer determination to live to tell their story was inspiring.
For as long as I live, I will never be able to wrap my mind and heart around such a time in history. I pray people never stop telling their stories so we can always be informed and aware and can fight to stop the things like this still happening today.
Thank you to Bibliolifestyle for the copy of this book. All views are my own opinion.
July 17, 2023
What a fascinating read. If you loved "The Diary of Anne Frank" you are going to love this book. So many interesting insights into the life of the Frank family and the family of author, Hannah Pick-Goslar. The book is very well researched and takes you right there to the streets of Amsterdam. It's made me want to re-read Anne's diary and to visit Amsterdam and the other sites talked about in this retelling. We must never forget the atrocities that these families lived and died from.
June 28, 2023
one of the best books I’ve ever read, an incredible memoir
April 6, 2025
i am so grateful that i have read this book
the one who helped hannah write this did a very good job, and seeing the connection she had with hannah and her family reassured that her story was in good hands
very shocking how the stories weren’t told after the war ended, it makes sense that they had to focus on recuperation but the fact that it was brushed away for so long was startling to read about
if otto frank hadn’t worked so hard to have anne’s diary published it may have been longer before people started to ask what really happened
again very grateful for this perspective and having learned more than i did before
thank you hannah
the one who helped hannah write this did a very good job, and seeing the connection she had with hannah and her family reassured that her story was in good hands
very shocking how the stories weren’t told after the war ended, it makes sense that they had to focus on recuperation but the fact that it was brushed away for so long was startling to read about
if otto frank hadn’t worked so hard to have anne’s diary published it may have been longer before people started to ask what really happened
again very grateful for this perspective and having learned more than i did before
thank you hannah
January 27, 2025
“I was reading Anne frozen in time at 13, 14, 15 years old. I was aware that as I grew older, I could only get further away from her, a girl whose flickering shadow I felt I could still catch a glimpse of out of the corner of my eye.”
Maybe I should read a few books a little less gut wrenching.
Maybe I should read a few books a little less gut wrenching.
May 29, 2024
Last summer I had the chance to visit Anne Frank House with my ten year old daughter when we were visiting Amsterdam. Before our visit through the annex that the Franks lived in for more than two year, we listened to a historian who gave us some more context for what we'd see and experience in our visit (highly recommend this if you visit). During her presentation, the historian shared a lot about the Frank family in the years before they went into hiding. She shared several pictures of Anne as a young girl with her friends from her neighborhood. One photo was the one on the cover of this book. The historian told us about Hannah, Anne's childhood friend, and she recommended this book to us that had just came out. Hannah actually passed away at 93 a few months before the book was published. I finally picked it up a few weeks ago, and it was so much more than I expected. While it was a book about Hannah's relationship to Anne and her family, it was much more about Hannah's life and her own family. And while a large portion of the book is about her experience in a concentration camp, I found the last portion of the book about her life after as a survivor truly incredible. It was devastating, as one might imagine, but I have to admit, I'd never read a memoir written by a Holocaust survivor. I have read many fictional books that take place during WW2, but this first hand account about the horrors of what she experienced as a Dutch Jewish girl was painful and also important. If you like memoirs, specifically historical ones, I'd highly recommend. I also think this would make a wonderful read for someone who might be going to Amsterdam. Please just read with caution knowing that the subject matter is quite heavy.
July 1, 2023
Hannah Pick-Goslar passed in 2022 at the age of 93. This book was published posthumously and serves as a way for her story (and stories like hers) to live on forever. As with any Holocaust memoir, it is a difficult but important reminder of the past.
If you google her name, you will find that Hannah is a notable Holocaust survivor who courageously shared her story with people around the world through public speaking events/tours and later contributing to documentaries.
In this book, Hannah recounts her experience starting as a young Jewish girl living in Germany in 1933. She takes us along as her family eventually tries to flee for safety but sadly end up in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Hannah continues to give us a glimpse into her life during and after the war.
Now, ‘what about Anne Frank?’ you may ask. Anne’s name is obviously in the title! The one criticism I have about this book is the title. Hannah grew up with Anne but sadly, they were separated when Anne’s family left Germany. Hannah often wondered what happened to her close friend. If you’ve read Anne Frank’s diary, Anne worried about Hannah too. I feel that the title of this book did a disservice to Hannah as an individual with her own story. Though Anne was a recurring person in the book, it is actually Hannah’s own memoir.
Is this book worth reading? Yes! It is well written, interesting and heart breaking all in one. Just don’t expect it to be a detailed book about Anne Frank alone.
If you google her name, you will find that Hannah is a notable Holocaust survivor who courageously shared her story with people around the world through public speaking events/tours and later contributing to documentaries.
In this book, Hannah recounts her experience starting as a young Jewish girl living in Germany in 1933. She takes us along as her family eventually tries to flee for safety but sadly end up in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Hannah continues to give us a glimpse into her life during and after the war.
Now, ‘what about Anne Frank?’ you may ask. Anne’s name is obviously in the title! The one criticism I have about this book is the title. Hannah grew up with Anne but sadly, they were separated when Anne’s family left Germany. Hannah often wondered what happened to her close friend. If you’ve read Anne Frank’s diary, Anne worried about Hannah too. I feel that the title of this book did a disservice to Hannah as an individual with her own story. Though Anne was a recurring person in the book, it is actually Hannah’s own memoir.
Is this book worth reading? Yes! It is well written, interesting and heart breaking all in one. Just don’t expect it to be a detailed book about Anne Frank alone.
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