Mat-Su library advisory committee debates whether Anne Frank graphic adaptation belongs in young-adult stacks

Members of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Library Citizens Advisory Committee and members of the public debated whether a graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary should remain in the library’s young-adult collection or be moved to the adult stacks.

The discussion focused on three issues: whether the adaptation accurately represents Anne Frank’s diary, whether graphic depictions of anatomy are appropriate for patrons under 16, and whether the format helps or hinders readership. Committee staff said the edition had been submitted for review and that five additional titles would be available for consideration at the committee’s next meeting.

Hugh Leslie, Parks, Recreation and Library Services manager for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, told the committee that the staff report before members addressed the graphic adaptation. “You have in your packet the staff report for Anne Frank’s diary, the graphic adaptation,” Leslie said, introducing the item and noting five new books that arrived after the agenda was set.

Public commenters were sharply divided. Mary Robinson, a Mat-Su Borough resident, told the committee she had expected the adaptation to be faithful to the original and pushed back on claims that the book includes transgender content. “I found nothing about transgender in Anne Frank’s diary, the graphic adaptation,” Robinson said. Jackie Go forth, another resident who challenged the book, said she believes the graphic adaptation “has been changed in order to sexualize it and change it for people who read it nowadays” and urged the committee to reshelve or remove the title from taxpayer-funded children’s sections.

Other residents disagreed. Jeanne Trishinski said the foundation established to preserve Anne Frank’s legacy approved the graphic adaptation and that later editions of the diary restored material that earlier editions had omitted. “This book was the only graphic novel that was approved by the foundation that was set up by Anne Frank’s father,” Trishinski said. Sarah Welton said graphic novels can help reluctant readers: “When you have these graphic novels, especially for people who have not gotten the bug to read, it is helpful in moving them into it.”

Committee members weighed accuracy, historical value and suitability for minors. Several members said the adaptation draws on original diary entries and was sanctioned by the Anne Frank Foundation; others said the format and some added interpretation make it historical fiction rather than a verbatim transcript. One committee member summarized the tension: the adaptation could encourage reading about World War II for young people but “graphic depiction of female genitalia is concerning” for readers 16 and under.

During a line-by-line review using the committee’s evaluation scorecard, members recorded varying answers on questions about condition, priority for the collection, factual accuracy and suitability for minors. The staff report noted moderate patron use; one committee member cited “moderate use” quantified in the report as about 13 checkouts. Several members recommended reshelving the title to the adult section; others recommended keeping it in young adult. No final binding vote or removal order was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Leslie also told the committee that five additional books—submitted after the agenda deadline, including Normal People by Sally Rooney and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison—will be on the next meeting’s docket for review. “We currently have 5. If there are more ... prior to the cutoff for your agenda, we will include any and all of those,” Leslie said.

The committee said it will tabulate scorecards and revisit the item at a future meeting; staff confirmed the forthcoming agenda will include the additional titles. The advisory committee adjourned after roughly an hour of discussion.