Overview

Statement: banning of Anne Frank graphic adaption in Texas

None

Sept. 21, 2023 — A teacher at a school in Texas has been fired after discussing in class the graphic adaption of Anne Frank’s diary by Ari Folman and David Polonsky, from 2018. This is not Anne Frank’s diary itself, but a graphic adaptation of the diary.

According to the school, the passages about Anne Frank’s development from girlhood to womanhood and her curiosity about her sexuality are offensive.

Frank

As a 13-year-old girl, Anne Frank had to go into hiding from the Nazis. For two years she wrote in her diary about her life, feelings and thoughts from her hiding place, the Secret Annex, against the background of the persecution of the Jews. She also wrote about her development as a woman and her ambition to become a writer. She did this in a frank manner. Anne Frank's diary appeals to people worldwide.

Reaching young people

Graphic biographies or novels are very suitable for reaching young people. Banning books, in this case the graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary, because of certain passages is a missed opportunity to introduce young people to Anne Frank’s life story and the history of the Holocaust.