Book Review: The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan

“To those who encountered Otto at the time, he seems to be a man purged by fire, walking through Amsterdam as though in a strange dream, searching for news of his children. Finding out that he was his family’s sole survivor must have sent him to a very dark place. Vince hypothesized that Otto’s grief had eventually turned into a mission to find the people responsible for the Annex raid, although his motive was not vengeance; he was seeking accountability and justice.”

Rosemary Sullivan, The Betrayal of Anne Frank

Review:

I think just about everyone who has read The Diary of a Young Girl has asked themselves, “Who betrayed Anne Frank?” There have been several investigations into the case over time, but the reality is that during World War II, the people hiding in the Secret Annex were only eight of thousands betrayed similarly. A neighbor could have betrayed them, the police, or even someone working near the annex. This book discusses the research and findings of a recent investigative team. 

Vincent Pankoke, a retired FBI agent, led the investigation, certain that modern technology would give the team an angle that previous investigations lacked. They made additional discoveries, and this book provides an updated list of suspects along with the evidence tied to them. One person, however, provided much more circumstantial evidence than others. 

I’ve been gearing up to read this book since it was published. I avoided articles discussing the book as much as I could. I think by doing so, I built up the reveal too much in my mind. This is by no means a definitive, case-closing answer no matter how well the evidence is presented. Unexpectedly, my biggest takeaway from the book was that the world isn’t owed an answer — that only Otto Frank and the people who risked their lives to hide the eight members of the annex deserved to know. According to this book, there’s ample evidence suggesting that they did have that answer and chose not to disclose it to the public. 

Even though the case technically remains open, this was a unique look at a different group of people, whether they truly are suspects or not. Given that a lot of them can be considered antagonists, it felt like a unique perspective. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The book provides a deep look into the investigation with complete dossiers on the suspects.
• Includes some general history about Amsterdam before and after the war.

What I didn’t like:

• This book sounds like it’s advertising a definitive answer, but it’s not. I wouldn’t have been any less likely to pick up this book even knowing I wouldn’t get a definitive answer.

Afterthoughts:

In putting together this post, I came across a Reddit article discussing how Dutch bookstores have pulled this book from their shelves, among other claims. The post is a few years old now, so I don’t know how things stand today. I wanted to include this, however, I stand by my review as I based it more on the general accumulation of information/history, and did not personally find their stance cut and dry. As with any book, it’s important to form individual opinions.

Where to buy the book: