When We Flew Away is an honest, provocative look at what Anne Frank’s life may have been like before going into hiding. It’s a great book to accompany her famous diary, to use with a study of the Holocaust, or with creative writing students. Though fiction, it’s written after much research and feels like prequel to Frank’s diary.
It’s easy for us sitting here in our comfy Western lives to pass judgements about what people did or didn’t do as the Nazis cracked down on the Jewish people in Europe, but the truth is that their plans, while not held in total secrecy, were so horrible as to be unfathomable. When We Flew Away is the kind of book that allows us a glimpse into the heart and mind of those people. It allows us to see their struggles, their pain, their hopes and dreams and gives us the opportunity to understand them.
Mixed in with the story are bits of historical truths: bits of information unknown to the Franks and their contemporaries but the consequences of what they were experiencing at the time. These help to put the context firmly into place, no matter how knowledgeable the reader may be.
When We Fly Away has the potential to add new layers of learning to students of Anne Frank’s work. I hope you’ll read it yourself.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
