Anne Frank's diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, is a famous memoir from World War II. It has inspired readers worldwide with powerful reflections and hope during adversity.
If you enjoy reading books by Anne Frank then you might also like the following authors:
Elie Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor and a powerful writer who shared his personal experiences in his book Night. In this memoir, he recounts his teenage years spent in Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
Through his eyes, readers witness the raw reality of the camps, the loss of faith, and the bond between father and son struggling to survive.
His honest storytelling captures the brutality and darkness of that time, but also allows moments of compassion and humanity to shine through.
If you found Anne Frank’s diary moving and authentic, Elie Wiesel’s Night provides another deeply personal perspective on surviving unimaginable hardships during the Holocaust.
Books by Primo Levi offer a powerful and personal window into the experience of surviving the Holocaust. In his memoir, If This Is a Man, Levi describes his own ordeal as an Italian Jew imprisoned in Auschwitz.
Levi’s direct and thoughtful writing style conveys deep insights and intense emotion through his clear-eyed observation of everyday events.
Through stark descriptions of hunger, dignity, and resilience, Levi brings readers face-to-face with humanity at its most vulnerable and enduring. Anyone moved by Anne Frank’s diary may find Primo Levi’s reflections equally meaningful and unforgettable.
Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor best known for his profoundly influential book, Man’s Search for Meaning.
In this powerful memoir, Frankl recounts his harrowing experiences in Nazi concentration camps, observing how individuals managed to find purpose even amid extreme suffering.
Like Anne Frank, Frankl writes with emotional honesty, beautifully capturing humanity’s strength and resilience when faced with unimaginable hardship. Frankl’s insights provide a thoughtful exploration on the importance of finding meaning in life, even in its darkest moments.
Readers who appreciated Anne Frank’s heartfelt journal will find depth, wisdom, and inspiration in Viktor Frankl’s remarkable reflections.
Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker whose true story became famous in her memoir The Hiding Place. Set during World War II, the book tells how Corrie and her family secretly sheltered Jews in their home in Holland, at great risk to themselves.
When their activities were uncovered, Corrie faced arrest and imprisonment by the Nazis.
Her experiences surviving the difficult conditions of Ravensbrück concentration camp and maintaining a sense of hope and humanity amid cruelty and despair form the core of this powerful narrative.
Readers who appreciated Anne Frank’s honesty and bravery in the face of hatred and danger will find in Corrie ten Boom’s story another profound example of courage and compassion.
Etty Hillesum was a young Jewish woman whose diaries and letters from World War II reveal extraordinary courage, insight and resilience in the face of darkness.
Her collection, An Interrupted Life: The Diaries and Letters of Etty Hillesum 1941-43, brings readers intimately into her private world during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam.
At just twenty-seven, Hillesum writes openly about her inner struggles, spiritual growth, and the terrible realities unfolding around her.
Her thoughtful reflections on kindness, human dignity, and the strength found even amid suffering give readers a deeply personal and emotionally rich experience, similar to Anne Frank’s powerful diary.
Books by Gerda Weissmann Klein offer a personal look into the realities of surviving the Holocaust through the eyes of a young girl. Her memoir, All But My Life, recounts her teenage years spent under Nazi occupation.
Gerda describes her struggles with clarity and honesty, capturing the isolation, strength, and hope she experienced.
Readers of Anne Frank’s diary will notice similar themes of courage, humanity, and resilience in Gerda’s reflections, especially when she recalls friendships and small kindnesses that kept her hope alive.
The journey she describes from her hometown in Poland to liberation years later is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
Eva Schloss is an author who shares her powerful personal experiences of survival during the Holocaust. In her book Eva’s Story, she recounts her own childhood in Austria and the terrifying years spent in hiding after the Nazis invaded.
Eva and her family faced extreme dangers and losses, yet her story also speaks of hope, resilience, and courage in the face of tragedy.
Her vivid memories, including her friendship with Anne Frank before the war, offer readers an insightful perspective on a dark period in history.
If you’ve read The Diary of Anne Frank, Eva Schloss’s account provides another impactful view into the lives touched by World War II.
Readers who appreciate Anne Frank’s diary will find Zlata Filipović's Zlata’s Diary equally moving. Zlata Filipović is a young girl from Sarajevo who began keeping a diary at eleven years old, just before war broke out in her homeland in 1992.
Her entries capture daily challenges and simple comforts, as violence changes her family’s routine drastically. Zlata describes life under siege honestly and emotionally through the eyes of a child forced to mature before her years.
Readers experience the blend of innocence and wisdom that makes her diary memorable and deeply human.
If you enjoy Anne Frank’s powerful storytelling and personal reflections, Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala may speak to you as well. Malala is a young Pakistani woman who courageously stood up for girls’ education under Taliban rule in her homeland.
In this memoir, she shares the challenges and setbacks she faced as a girl determined to pursue education despite threats and violence. Her story shows how one voice can inspire the world, offering readers a personal look at bravery, hope, and resilience.
Ruta Sepetys is an author known for powerful historical novels that highlight overlooked moments from the past through young characters’ eyes. Readers who appreciated Anne Frank’s diary might connect strongly with Sepetys’ novel Between Shades of Gray.
This story follows Lina, a Lithuanian teenager torn from her home by Soviet soldiers during World War II. Forced into a harrowing journey aboard crowded cattle cars, Lina and her family face the grim realities of Siberian labor camps.
Despite hardships, Lina fights to maintain hope and preserves her experiences through secret sketches, determined to reveal the truth someday. Sepetys carefully blends historical accuracy and emotional authenticity to create an unforgettable tale.
If you enjoy Anne Frank’s diary for its raw emotion and human perspective during dark times, you might like Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Zusak is an Australian author known for telling powerful stories through unforgettable characters.
The Book Thief follows Liesel, a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. While her world falls apart, Liesel finds comfort and rebellion in stealing books and sharing their stories.
Narrated by Death himself, the book offers a unique and haunting viewpoint on the struggles, courage, and kindness people hold onto even amidst tragedy. It’s a story you won’t easily forget.
Readers who appreciate the emotional honesty and historical perspective found in Anne Frank’s writing may also connect with Irish author John Boyne. Boyne has a talent for exploring sensitive historical moments through deeply personal stories.
His novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas follows an unlikely friendship between Bruno, a naive German boy, and Shmuel, a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz during World War II.
Told through Bruno’s innocent eyes, the story captures the confusion and contradictions of war and prejudice. The narrative reveals the harsh realities of history in a way that is simple yet unforgettable.
Heather Morris is an author whose writing gives a heartfelt perspective on life during World War II, similar in spirit to Anne Frank’s diary.
Her novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, is based on the real-life experiences of Lale Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner forced to tattoo numbers onto fellow captives at Auschwitz. Through the harshness of his daily reality, Lale finds hope and love in an unexpected romance.
Morris takes readers through moments of darkness, courage, and quiet human resilience. Her storytelling vividly captures the complexity of survival, love, and compassion in difficult times.
Readers who admire Anne Frank’s diary might also appreciate Art Spiegelman. He is an author and illustrator known for his graphic novel Maus. In this powerful book, Spiegelman tells the true story of his father’s experiences as a Polish Jew during the Holocaust.
He portrays Jewish characters as mice and Nazis as cats, which creates a striking visual metaphor for persecution and survival. Beyond detailing events of wartime Europe, Maus also honestly explores the complex relationship between father and son.
Readers will find Spiegelman’s approach deeply personal and thought-provoking, offering fresh insight into themes of memory, trauma, and family bonds.
If you enjoy Anne Frank’s powerful insight into human courage amidst tragedy, consider Thomas Keneally. His book Schindler’s List tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a businessman who saved over a thousand Jews during the Holocaust.
Schindler initially seeks profit through his factories, but as he witnesses the brutality around him, he begins to risk everything for his Jewish workers.
Keneally uses real accounts and historical details that bring heartbreaking reality to Schindler’s actions and the lives he saved. This profound narrative highlights the strength and compassion ordinary people can show in the darkest times.