“I believe that God wants to try me”

Nothing has stirred my soul as much as those words penned by the young girl, who was a victim of the dreadful Holocaust. Anne Frank’s letters to Kitty, her diary, still motivates me even today as I open the book for the umpteenth time.

Frank has vividly described various moments – happy or sad, hilarious or serious, interesting or dull – paying attention to even the most minute details that makes it seem so real, that I could see them in my ‘inward eye’. Her optimism, even in the direst moments she spent in the Secret Annex, gives a strong message to see the bright side of life as the sun is always there behind the clouds on the gloomiest days. It is simply amazing how she could keep smiling and be happy and keep herself engaged in learning and doing new things given that they could be captured anytime. Her smile and energy is well reflected in the anecdotes she has written since the beginning - especially during the classes of Mr. Koophius and the dinner with Van Daans. She has observed human nature well and presents it beautifully, so that it can be well comprehended by the readers.

She once wrote, “Sometimes I believe that God wants to try me, both now and later on; I must become good through my own efforts, without examples and without good advice.”

That has been a motto for me to follow always. It is indeed a great book for the youth who are embarking on the journey to face the world beyond.

— The reader is a students based in Dubai.