This fascinating history of Anne Frank and the family that shaped her is based on a treasure trove of thousands of letters, poems, drawings, postcards, and photos recently discovered by her last surviving close relative, Buddy Elias, and his wife, Gerti.

As children, Anne and her cousin Buddy were very close; he affectionately dubbed her “the Rascal” and they visited and corresponded frequently. Years later, Buddy inherited their grandmother’s papers, stored unseen in an attic for decades. These invaluable new materials bring a lost world to life and tell a moving saga of a far-flung but close-knit family divided by unimaginable tragedy. We see Anne’s father surviving the Holocaust and searching for his daughters, finally receiving a wrenching account of their last months. We see the relatives in Switzerland waiting anxiously for news during the war and share their experiences of reunion and grief afterwards—and their astonishment as Anne’s diary becomes a worldwide phenomenon. Anne Frank’s Family is the story of a remarkable Jewish family that will move readers everywhere.

“This book breathes new life into our view of Anne Frank, whom until now we could only see through the prism of her diary.” —Süddeutsche Zeitung

“A gripping family saga . . . full of dazzling and colorful characters.” —Brigitte

“Pressler’s lucid account . . . provides an insight into an almost forgotten world . . . [and] sheds new light on the touching persona of Anne Frank.” —Die Zeit

“Their story is the story of countless others and remains required reading.” —The Sunday Times (London)

 
Mirjam Pressler was born in 1940 in Darmstadt, Germany. She was educated in Frankfurt am Main and lives near Munich, where she works as a writer and translator. She is the German translator of Anne Frank’s diary and has written a biography of Anne Frank in addition to nearly forty other books. She is the recipient of the German Literary Prize for Children’s Books, the Carl Zuckmayer Medal for services to the German language, the German Book Prize, and a lifetime award for her literary work from the board of the German Book Prize.