Review: The Betrayal of Anne Frank

 I read somewhere that the mystery of who betrayed Anne Frank had been solved, and The Betrayal of Anne Frank is the book that explores the story and how it happened. Not having actually read Anne Frank's diary, I was very happy that the first couple of chapters delved into what happened and why, as well as the cultural significance of the book. I also learned many details about why it was important, for instance:

by the end of World War II, the Netherlands would have the worst record of Jewish deaths in Western Europe: 73 percent of Jews in the Netherlands died. In Belgium, 40 percent of Jews were killed; in France, 25 percent; in Denmark, .6 percent. In Fascist Italy, only 8 percent of Jews were killed (kindle loc 556)

 The book offers multiple competing theories about who betrayed Anne Frank, but points out a few intriguing details about the whole thing. For instance, there's a lot of evidence that Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father, figured out who it was who betrayed them, and then deliberately obfuscated accounts of the arrest process to cover the tracks of the person who betrayed them. Why would he do that? There's also evidence that he confided with one of his close friends (former employee) about the identity of the said betrayer.

Even more interestingly enough, one of the foundations that were founded by Otto Frank refused to help with the investigation!

There's obvious controversy over the conclusions drawn by the book, but having read it, I found the book's arguments convincing. But read the book and figure it out for yourself!