Anne Frank Day: The books to read after 'The Diary of a Young Girl' 

This year, Anne Frank’s birthday – June 12 – marks the 78th anniversary of the day she received a diary for her 13th birthday.

Over the course of two years, Anne documented the fears and experiences of daily life, while living in a secret annex of an old warehouse in Nazi occupied Amsterdam during the Second World War.

In the face of love, loss, death, war and personal demons, Diary of a Young Girl provides a candid account that is at once uplifting, sad, beautiful, funny and life affirming. It is a warm and stirring confession, that should be read time and time again for continued insight.

Writing powerful prose, such as: “How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world,” shows how Anne’s diary is a great affirmation to life's questions today, as she shows how ordinary people within such an ordeal can consistently stand by greater human values.

The diary abruptly stopped in August 1944 when her family were betrayed and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Only Anne’s father, Otto, survived and he went on to publish his daughter’s diary in 1947.

Its phenomenal significance can be attributed to the vital role it plays in documenting the history and anguish of the Holocaust. And even if you are yet to read it, you will most likely have heard the name, seen one of the many cinematic adaptations, or even visited the Anne Frank museum.

In honour of Anne Frank’s birthday, we have compiled a round-up of fiction and non-fiction books that document the Second World War history in an equally as poignant and heart wrenching way.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.