Plymouth-Canton Schools Teach Edited Version of Anne Frank Diary

A newly released unabridged edition of "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" has become the center of a statewide debate after a Northville woman complained that the book is too graphic for her daughter's seventh-grade class because of a scene in which Frank discusses her female anatomy.

Parent Gail Horalek filed a formal complaint with the Northville school district and is hoping to have the book banned at the school.

Currently, there are several versions of Anne Frank’s diary available. The first version was edited by Frank’s father, Otto Frank, and released in English in 1952. This edition removed several pages of content relating to Anne’s emerging sexuality and her distaste for her mother, according to the International Business Times. The book has since been re-edited to include other additions following Otto Frank's death in 1952.

Jeanne Farina, assistant superintendent for instructional services for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, said the district uses the edited version of the book. 

"We use the original version in 7th grade and we also have some excerpts from that text that we used in 8th grade," she said. "The other is not part of our approved curriculum."

Plymouth-Canton Schools came under scrutiny last year, after Superintendent Jeremy Hughes pulled Graham Swift's Waterland from an advanced-placement English class without following district rules, because he was "personally shocked and offended" by the book after one parent complained about the novel.

The district formed committees to review whether Waterland and Beloved by Toni Morrison should be kept in the curriculum. The challenge of both books made national headlines. 

Parents have conflicting opinions on Horalek's actions on Plymouth-Canton Patch's Facebook Page. 

Laura Cameron wrote that its not the same version that she read in school, and the content should require parental permission. 

"Parents should just be made aware of the content so they can discuss the issue together," she commented. "They are your children after all, don't you care what goes in their brains? We are forcing sexuality too early. If they do hear it in the hallway, so be it, don't need to force it on unsuspecting victims."

Adina St. John disagreed, saying that a list is sent home at the beginning of the year, which gives her time to research material and talk to her child's teacher. 

"'The Diary of Anne Frank' isn't some graphic smut book aimed at teens," she wrote. "It's a classic for a reason. God forbid we expose our kids to something that might make them think a little bit."

"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" is a first-person account of a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her family as they live in hiding in Nazi-occupied Holland for two years before finally be captured by the Gestapo.