The Hidden Life of Otto Frank

Good work of fiction.

I found this book to be a good read; it was only about Otto Frank's life before and after the war; it does not go into his or his family's life while in hiding or their incarceration in the concentration camps; the reader will find this book to be so fascinating as it is a part of the story that has never been told; so you will find all of it very new and gives the reader a different look at Otto's life - i intend to read this book again as there was so much information that was new; i would highly recommend this book

The Diary of Anne Frank was indeed a tearful, provactive story of a family's attempt to survive the hell of the Holocaust. Then to read The Hidden Life of Otto Frank in many ways took away the sincere expression of his daughter's record of life being hidden for preservation of life. In Jewish terms, I would hope that someone, somewhere Anne Frank could be annointed as an "Ashes Chayil"--a woman of valor. The research of the author, Carol Ann Lee, respresents an homest attempt to focus on her father, but as I read Lee's book, I felt at times I did not want to know so many particulars about the "hidden life of her father." The Holocaust was a G-d less happening, and the "Diary" let generations of intellegent people in our world know what Jews faced by the tyranny of the second World War. The essential message must be assumed from her Diary that there should never be such a tragedy for future generations. This book was purchased from Amazon.com

I am in the process of working on my own project about the Frank family, and this book provides a magnificent insight into the story. I was reading some reviews here and was rather puzzled by the person who called the annex a "comfortable flat." I have visited three times, and describing it like that is pure lunacy. I will admit it is bigger than I had imagined after reading Anne's diary in my youth, but to imply the eight people hiding there were comfortable is insulting to their memory and their suffering. Otto Frank was a man who did what it took to keep his family safe and alive. Carol Ann Lee's research is phenomenal and her tender understanding of the human heart makes this book grab the soul. I only wish she had a website so I could email her and tell her this myself. Very impressed. Very.

Unless some compelling new document comes to light, it appears unlikely that we will even know who betrayed the Frank family, calling Gestapo headquarters and alerting them that Jews were hiding in 267 Prinsengracht Street. There were at least two official Dutch inquiries in the matter. Many people were interviewed, there were some suspects who seemed likely to have betrayed them, but in the end there was a lack of evidence to arrest anyone.Carol Anne Lee, in her biography of Otto Frank, The Hidden Life of Otto Frank, makes a case for Tonny Ahlers, a Dutch Nazi, informant, and general low life. But the case against him is not very convincing; in the end, it is simply circumstantial, and weak at that. Ms. Lee tries to show that Otto Frank was being blackmailed by Ahlers after the war, since Frank's company had business dealings with the German Army. Again, this in itself does not constitute proof. Much of what she marshals is inadmissible hearsay.By far the best part of this book is her exploration of Otto Frank's life following the death of his family. In all ways, he was responsible for carrying on his daughter Anne's legacy following her murder with the publication of her diary. As the promoter of the diary, he was Anne's postmortem extension in the world. He carried on her work because she was unable to; at first this took a heavy toll on his health. But eventually, it became his life's mission. We can safely say that his sorrow would have been more encapsulated if it were not for Anne's diary and its great popularity. Carol Anne Lee does a very good job at exploring the life and mission of Otto Frank. She shows how even great loss can lead to a kind of redemption.

Apparently the news that Otto Frank had sold some of his product for making jam to the Nazi Germany during the war caused quite a stir in the occupied country The Netherlands. What is really strange is how we create heroes out of people who do not choose to be heroes. Otto Frank was a remarkable man. The story of his life is equally remarkable. He was the father of one of the most famous people who ever lived, Anne Frank. If it were not for Otto, his daughter's diary would not have been published. The fact that he would want to edit things out that were personal to him and his wife is completely understandable. We will never know whether Anne would have published her diary if she had survived. This is a balanced portrait of a man caught in extraordinary times. If it had not been for the publishing of the diary we would probably never know about this survivor of the holocaust. I think he was quite remarkable.

What a great man this was hiding and protecting his family hiding and protecting people he did not know from the terror and horror that was the Nazi movement great man risking his own life to save people he didn't know great book very informative I really honor this man's decisions and what this man and his family did

I think I've known the story of Anne Frank all my life, but of her father, the only survivor of the Annex, so little could be understood. Carol Ann Lee almost lovingly provides us a background of this extraordinary man's life before, during, and after the two years in hiding. Lee's research provides the reader with explanations to all of the possible contradictions in Otto's life (his relationship with his likely betrayer, his company's sales to the German war effort, etc.). Ms. Lee's tender approach to this man's life shows not only the sensitive and courageous man most of us had found somewhat elusive, it shows how an extraordinary man influenced an extraordinary girl the world can never forget.

Excellent book

I think that this is essential reading for anyone who is interested in Anne Frank and her story, or in the occupation of the Netherlands and the fate of the country's Jews.This biography is compelling. Fascinating, and very well-written in a fluid, natural style.My main reason for recommending it is that it does not portray Otto as holier-than-thou, which would have been tempting given his status as "the perfect father", a hard-worker, and his dignified, calm, patrician bearing. For example, the author examines Otto's loveless marriage-of-convenience to Edith, whose dowry helped finance his company, and the probability that he favoured Anne over her elder sister Margot. She also hints at the possibility that in introducing her to his family in Basel after the war, he may have led Peter Pfeffer's widow to believe that he wanted to marry her, before disappointing her by proposing to someone else. The issue of blackmail, and specifically why Otto may have been vulnerable to it, is also discussed at length. It was refreshing to see Otto Frank portrayed as a flawed human being and not as a saint. This in no way detracted from my admiration for him though; having finished the book I still regard him as an extraordinary person.I was also impressed with the author's forensic and careful analysis of the issue of the Franks' betrayal. She clearly worked very hard on this aspect, and refrained from merely re-hashing established theories.Like a previous reviewer, I found the section about the problems surrounding publication of the diary a little too convoluted, although it was useful in showing how much pressure Otto was under in the aftermath of the war; it disabuses the reader of the idea that once the diary came to light, Otto's life became easier.Watch out for the interesting twist at the end of the book.

A very interesting book - full of historical facts as well as information about the family of Otto Frank as about the first publication of the diary of Anne Frank. Though knowing this diary and also a film I've learned a lot of information concerning the diary I've not yet heard until now.I've never read in such a short time (only 3 days) a book than this in a foreign language - but this was caused by this very interesting publishing. Some days later I noticed, that this book is already available in my language german - maybe I'll order it for my 15 years old daughter who is reading the diary of Anne Frank at the moment.

I could not put this book down,what an amazing man,to have gone through what he did,it was so interesting to hear about his life after the war,at the back of book is a list of people in the book,l wrote this down so l could refer to it when l was reading as it was easy to get confused between the different people In his family,a must read.

I would like to praise Carol Ann Lee for her research of the Frank family. I was totally hooked to the book all the way through. Otto Frank was a very remarkable person. Having discovered the lost of his Wife Edith and hoping the girls would be alive to only be told they to had died. He carried on Anne's dream and put it into print. Well done.