It was only fifty years after the end of WWII that Jacqueline van Maarsen, now 91 years old, decided to tell the very personal tale of her intimate friendship with Anne Frank. They visited the same high school in Amsterdam and were best friends when the Frank family had to go into hiding. After the war, Otto Frank visited the Van Maarsen family to share the sad news about his daughter and wife.

In the end, Jacqueline van Maarsen decided to write down the story of her friendship with Anne Frank. Translations followed, and Jacqueline bestowed the rest of her life to travel Europe and the US to teach about the Holocaust. Amongst others, she received the Bundesverdienstkreuz of Nordrhein-Westfalen and the ‘Champion of the Human Spirit Award’ in New York for her efforts.

In this book, she talks of her friendship with Anne Frank and the consequential stories survivors told her during her readings around the world. Stories that should not be forgotten!