This book was written by one of the brave people who helped hide the Frank family and the other 4 people who hid with them, as evidenced in the subtitle, "The Story of the Woman Who Helped Hide the Frank Family." This book lends an interesting perspective to the story for those who have read Anne's diary, as it tells the same story but from a different perspective. I liked learning more about Miep, and about her life before World War II, and how she met her husband Jan (called "Henk" in the original diary translations), how she came to work for Otto Frank, and etc. It was also fascinating to hear about what her life was like during the war - how much work actually went into supporting the 8 people in hiding - making sure they had enough to eat, keeping them safe, trying to keep their spirits up. This book also illustrates just how awful the last year of the war was for everyone in Holland, especially the "hongerwinter" (the "hunger winter") when food was so scarce that many people literally starved to death before the Allies were able to liberate them.
Miep Gies is someone I really admire. She embodies many of the qualities I value in a person, such as courage, perseverance, self-reliance, intelligence, and the ability to problem solve and think on her feet, etc. I wish I could be even half the person she was in her lifetime.
This book is an excellent accompaniment to Anne's diary, as supplemental reading. Highly recommended.
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