What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom
At one time Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that there would ever be a story to tell. For the first fifty years of her life nothing at all out of the ordinary had ever happened to her. She was an old-maid watchmaker living contentedly with her spinster sister and their elderly father in the tiny Dutch house over their shop. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. However, with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, a story did ensue.
Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story.
Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story.
242 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
About the author
Corrie ten Boom
107 books1,483 followersCorrie ten Boom and her family were Christians who were active in social work in their home town of Haarlem, the Netherlands. During the Nazi occupation, they chose to act out their faith through peaceful resistance to the Nazis by active participation in the Dutch underground. They were hiding, feeding and transporting Jews and underground members hunted by the Gestapo out of the country. It is estimated they were able to save the lives of 800 Jews, in addition to protecting underground workers.
On Feb. 28, 1944, they were betrayed and Corrie and several relatives were arrested. The four Jews and two underground workers in the house at the time of the arrest were not located by the Nazis and were extricated by the underground 47 hours after they fled to the tiny hiding place (located in Corrie's room).
The ten Boom family members were separated and transferred to concentration camps. Corrie was allowed to stay with her precious sister, Betsy. Corrie's father (Casper), her sister (Betsy) and one grandchild (Kik) perished. Corrie was released in December of 1944.
These acts of heroism and sacrifice became the foundation for Corrie ten Boom's global writing and speaking career which began after she was released.
Ten Boom has received numerous awards for her writing and speaking. Notably, she was honored by the State of Israel for her work in aid of the Jewish people by being invited to plant a tree in the famous Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, near Jerusalem. She was also knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands in recognition of her work during the war, and a museum in the Dutch city of Haarlem is dedicated to her and her family.
On Feb. 28, 1944, they were betrayed and Corrie and several relatives were arrested. The four Jews and two underground workers in the house at the time of the arrest were not located by the Nazis and were extricated by the underground 47 hours after they fled to the tiny hiding place (located in Corrie's room).
The ten Boom family members were separated and transferred to concentration camps. Corrie was allowed to stay with her precious sister, Betsy. Corrie's father (Casper), her sister (Betsy) and one grandchild (Kik) perished. Corrie was released in December of 1944.
These acts of heroism and sacrifice became the foundation for Corrie ten Boom's global writing and speaking career which began after she was released.
Ten Boom has received numerous awards for her writing and speaking. Notably, she was honored by the State of Israel for her work in aid of the Jewish people by being invited to plant a tree in the famous Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, near Jerusalem. She was also knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands in recognition of her work during the war, and a museum in the Dutch city of Haarlem is dedicated to her and her family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 13,745 reviews
January 9, 2019
If you consider reading this book, be warned.
When John and Elizabeth Sherrill wrote the memoir of Corrie ten Boom, they clearly had an agenda.
The first half of the book was okay. That's the reason I gave it 2 and not 1 star.
The second half, set during the war years and Corrie's imprisonment in Ravensbruck, was all about worshipping God and Jesus, praying, miracles and prophecies.
Even for all the cruelties that happened, there was a higher divine plan.
At some point, In Ravensbruck, they were thanking god for being naked (in front of SS guards) because Jesus was naked on his cross too. And they thanked god for the fleas and the lice, so the guards wouldn't enter the barracks and they could read the bible and worship god. Obviously they were ignorant of the diseases caused by the vermin.
There was also a miraculous, never ending bottle of vitamins, that allegedly was smuggled into the camp by Corrie, together with her bible.
The authors made saints of Corrie and her sister Betsie, instead of writing a believable memoir.
And in the appendix to the book, you can put this book to work in your own life.
I can only recommend this to deeply devout people. This is not a biography, it’s a hagiography.
There are over 7.000 reviews of this book and I have never seen that much 5 star ratings. But only a handful of reviewers understood the ultimate purpose of the book :
"it's rather insulting to the millions of Jews and others who died that fervent prayer to Jesus is all that was necessary to avoid death" ; "made me feel the tone was rather subtly supremist"
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Just one of many examples of how this book turns a story about World War II into a platform for evangelical tripe."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"The unspoken theme is that they were saved because they were Christian, unlike the Jews. This is definitely the Disney version of WWII."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Its problem is that throughout it pushes religion. Honestly, when an author expects me, as a reader, to actually believe that any religious doctrine is the truth I feel like my intelligence is being insulted and it is downright offensive."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"it seems to be a bit whitewashed in the veil of faith in Jesus to solve all, in prayers that constantly come through and in the miracle of the never ending vitamins. Call me a sceptic, but I found the constant references to Jesus annoying."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4/10
When John and Elizabeth Sherrill wrote the memoir of Corrie ten Boom, they clearly had an agenda.
The first half of the book was okay. That's the reason I gave it 2 and not 1 star.
The second half, set during the war years and Corrie's imprisonment in Ravensbruck, was all about worshipping God and Jesus, praying, miracles and prophecies.
Even for all the cruelties that happened, there was a higher divine plan.
At some point, In Ravensbruck, they were thanking god for being naked (in front of SS guards) because Jesus was naked on his cross too. And they thanked god for the fleas and the lice, so the guards wouldn't enter the barracks and they could read the bible and worship god. Obviously they were ignorant of the diseases caused by the vermin.
There was also a miraculous, never ending bottle of vitamins, that allegedly was smuggled into the camp by Corrie, together with her bible.
The authors made saints of Corrie and her sister Betsie, instead of writing a believable memoir.
And in the appendix to the book, you can put this book to work in your own life.
I can only recommend this to deeply devout people. This is not a biography, it’s a hagiography.
There are over 7.000 reviews of this book and I have never seen that much 5 star ratings. But only a handful of reviewers understood the ultimate purpose of the book :
"it's rather insulting to the millions of Jews and others who died that fervent prayer to Jesus is all that was necessary to avoid death" ; "made me feel the tone was rather subtly supremist"
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Just one of many examples of how this book turns a story about World War II into a platform for evangelical tripe."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"The unspoken theme is that they were saved because they were Christian, unlike the Jews. This is definitely the Disney version of WWII."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Its problem is that throughout it pushes religion. Honestly, when an author expects me, as a reader, to actually believe that any religious doctrine is the truth I feel like my intelligence is being insulted and it is downright offensive."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"it seems to be a bit whitewashed in the veil of faith in Jesus to solve all, in prayers that constantly come through and in the miracle of the never ending vitamins. Call me a sceptic, but I found the constant references to Jesus annoying."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4/10
May 25, 2008
When I was adding every book I could remember ever reading to my Goodreads shelves, I automatically slapped three-star ratings on all the nonfiction books (unless I'd disliked them, or they were specially influential for me) without thinking much about it; I'm more apt to reserve four or five star ratings for fiction --and I'm miserly with the five star ones! But this was a case where, when I sat down to do the review, I decided to change the rating. Corrie's personal narrative of her World War II experiences genuinely are "amazing," in the true sense of the word --both in terms of what she and others went through, what they were called on to do, and the attitude that she and her sister were able to take toward it all. And while, other things being equal, I prefer fiction to nonfiction when I'm reading for pleasure, this book consists of narrative --"story," if you will-- that has the same intrinsic appeal as fiction (perhaps more, simply because it is true) and is every bit as gripping and engrossing.
Of course, Corrie's story is inseparably steeped with her deep Christian faith, and is impossible to understand apart from it. Obedient love for God and for other people created by God was the motivating force for Corrie and her family to do what they did, and for the spirit in which they did it. For a Christian believer such as myself, her story is an inspiration to the same type of self-sacrifice and loyalty, a testament to the ability of Divine empowerment to bring out extraordinary possibilities in "ordinary" people, and a record of God's saving and helping acts in the nitty-gritty world of daily life, such as Corrie's never-failing vitamin bottle. (Any attempt to explain all of these away as "coincidence," IMHO, stretches the long arm of coincidence out of its shoulder socket!).
Of course, Corrie's story is inseparably steeped with her deep Christian faith, and is impossible to understand apart from it. Obedient love for God and for other people created by God was the motivating force for Corrie and her family to do what they did, and for the spirit in which they did it. For a Christian believer such as myself, her story is an inspiration to the same type of self-sacrifice and loyalty, a testament to the ability of Divine empowerment to bring out extraordinary possibilities in "ordinary" people, and a record of God's saving and helping acts in the nitty-gritty world of daily life, such as Corrie's never-failing vitamin bottle. (Any attempt to explain all of these away as "coincidence," IMHO, stretches the long arm of coincidence out of its shoulder socket!).
November 17, 2008
Every human being should be required to read this book. I guarantee it will change forever the way you look at life.
The memoir is a true account of Corrie Ten Boom's experiences in German-occupied Holland during WWII (and afterward in prisons and concentration camps). The most amazing thing to me is that she was not Jewish. She was a Dutch Christian who freely sacrificed her own life, and the lives of those she loved most, to fight against cruelty and hate. I read the book aloud to my husband, taking a break at some point in each chapter just because I couldn't read for the tears. I can understand overcoming amid tragedy, but thanking God for the fleas that are eating your flesh? Praying for the guard who beats you? Two questions kept going through my head in the journey with Corrie: "Are there really people in the world who are this GOOD?" and "Why am I such a selfish, ungrateful, spoiled brat?"
I loved the paradox of a tragedy not told as tragedy. Unimaginably horrible things happen... and yet it's told as a wonderful story of forgiveness, faith, and gratitude for the constant miracles and mercies of God. Unbelievable. Probably my #1 recommendation for people who feel like they need an attitude adjustment - it certainly adjusted mine. Permanently.
And please don't say, "ANOTHER Holocaust book?" I hate it when people say that. As far as I'm concerned, I'll be terrified the day we STOP writing them.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Corrie... do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill the love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or, Corrie, we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel. God loves Karel--even more than you do--and if you ask Him, He will give you His love for this man, a love nothing can prevent, nothing destroy. Whenever we cannot love in the old, human way, Corrie, God can give us the perfect way."
"It is wrong to base faith upon wishes. There will be war. The Germans will attack and we will fall... Oh, my dears, I am sorry for all Dutchmen now who do not know the power of God. For we will be beaten. But He will not."
"Father held the baby close, his white beard brushed its cheek, looking into the little face with eyes as blue and innocent as the baby's own. At last he looked up at the pastor. 'You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.'"
"There are no 'ifs' in God's Kingdom. His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place. Lord Jesus, keep me in Your will! Don't let me go mad by poking about outside it."
MY FAVORITE STORY:
"One dark morning when ice was forming a halo around each street lamp, a feeble-minded girl two rows ahead of us suddenly soiled herself. A guard rushed at her, swinging her thick leather crop while the girl shrieked in pain and terror. It was always more terrible when one of these innocent ones was beaten. Still [she] continued to whip her... I was grateful when the screaming girl at last lay still on the cinder street.
"'Betsie,' I whispered when the guard was far enough away, 'what can we do for these people? Afterward I mean. Can't we make a home for them and care for them and love them?'
"'Corrie, I pray every day that we will be allowed to do this! To show them that love is greater!'
"And it wasn't until I was gathering twigs later in the morning that I realized that I had been thinking of the feeble-minded, and Betsie of their persecutors."
The memoir is a true account of Corrie Ten Boom's experiences in German-occupied Holland during WWII (and afterward in prisons and concentration camps). The most amazing thing to me is that she was not Jewish. She was a Dutch Christian who freely sacrificed her own life, and the lives of those she loved most, to fight against cruelty and hate. I read the book aloud to my husband, taking a break at some point in each chapter just because I couldn't read for the tears. I can understand overcoming amid tragedy, but thanking God for the fleas that are eating your flesh? Praying for the guard who beats you? Two questions kept going through my head in the journey with Corrie: "Are there really people in the world who are this GOOD?" and "Why am I such a selfish, ungrateful, spoiled brat?"
I loved the paradox of a tragedy not told as tragedy. Unimaginably horrible things happen... and yet it's told as a wonderful story of forgiveness, faith, and gratitude for the constant miracles and mercies of God. Unbelievable. Probably my #1 recommendation for people who feel like they need an attitude adjustment - it certainly adjusted mine. Permanently.
And please don't say, "ANOTHER Holocaust book?" I hate it when people say that. As far as I'm concerned, I'll be terrified the day we STOP writing them.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Corrie... do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill the love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or, Corrie, we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel. God loves Karel--even more than you do--and if you ask Him, He will give you His love for this man, a love nothing can prevent, nothing destroy. Whenever we cannot love in the old, human way, Corrie, God can give us the perfect way."
"It is wrong to base faith upon wishes. There will be war. The Germans will attack and we will fall... Oh, my dears, I am sorry for all Dutchmen now who do not know the power of God. For we will be beaten. But He will not."
"Father held the baby close, his white beard brushed its cheek, looking into the little face with eyes as blue and innocent as the baby's own. At last he looked up at the pastor. 'You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.'"
"There are no 'ifs' in God's Kingdom. His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place. Lord Jesus, keep me in Your will! Don't let me go mad by poking about outside it."
MY FAVORITE STORY:
"One dark morning when ice was forming a halo around each street lamp, a feeble-minded girl two rows ahead of us suddenly soiled herself. A guard rushed at her, swinging her thick leather crop while the girl shrieked in pain and terror. It was always more terrible when one of these innocent ones was beaten. Still [she] continued to whip her... I was grateful when the screaming girl at last lay still on the cinder street.
"'Betsie,' I whispered when the guard was far enough away, 'what can we do for these people? Afterward I mean. Can't we make a home for them and care for them and love them?'
"'Corrie, I pray every day that we will be allowed to do this! To show them that love is greater!'
"And it wasn't until I was gathering twigs later in the morning that I realized that I had been thinking of the feeble-minded, and Betsie of their persecutors."
February 7, 2018
Most people have started 2018 with parties and fireworks. I've started it by finishing a five star book!
I've read The Hiding Place a few times before but not in recent years. With so many Christian friends on Goodreads, it is the book that I see most often on people's 'favourite' shelf. During this re-read I was reminded that it deserves to be there.
Most of you will know the story; Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie are the unmarried daughters of Casper, a Christian watchmaker in Holland during the early 1900's. They could be running a successful and profitable business but, as Christians, are prone to charity and acts of kindness leaving them comfortable but not well-off. The scene is set by the author, Corrie, and a picture of a happy family life emerges. The everyday details and the author's humour are what make the book, indeed she is a marvellous story-teller and none of it is in any way monotonous.
During the Nazi occupation in the late 1930's, the ten Boom family adapt their business to harbour Jewish refugees as they become involved in the underground movement of the period. Corrie, in particular, devotes her time and attention to caring for and helping these persecuted people and takes great risks in the process.
Eventually, their happy family life, which had gradually been eroded by events on the horizon, is shattered as the entire family are captured and led off to Germany. Corrie and her sister Betsie end up in Ravensbruck, a notorious concentration camp. Here, Corrie faces up to her spiritual weakness as her physical body suffers:
Selfishness took on a life of its own...Oh this was the great ply of Satan in that kingdom of his:To display such blatant evil that one could almost believe that one's own secret sins didn't matter....I came to Paul's account of his thorn in the flesh...the real sin lay in thinking that any power to help and transform came from me. Of course it was not my wholeness, but Christ's that made the difference.
The breakthrough comes when Corrie, following the example of her never wavering sister who even praises God for the fleas, realises that all is not in vain and life has a purpose again:
But as the rest of the world grew stranger, one thing became increasingly clear. And that was the reason the two of us were here. Why others should suffer we were not shown. As for us, from morning until lights out, whenever we were not in ranks for roll call, our Bible was the center of an ever-widening circle of help and hope. Like waifs clustered round a blazing fire, we gathered about it, holding out our hearts to it warmth and light. The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the word of God. 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
What an incredible picture of true faith in the face of such hardness and suffering. Anyone going through trials will benefit from this book. Likewise those seeking to be content in all circumstances and to rejoice in the Lord always.
The Hiding Place is clean: there is no swearing or blasphemy, there is no sexual content, there are some graphic scenes relating to the treatment of prisoners and the suffering in the concentration camp. These are relayed factually without embellishment or sensationalism.
An incredible testimony of a family completely sold out for God whatever the cost.
I've read The Hiding Place a few times before but not in recent years. With so many Christian friends on Goodreads, it is the book that I see most often on people's 'favourite' shelf. During this re-read I was reminded that it deserves to be there.
Most of you will know the story; Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie are the unmarried daughters of Casper, a Christian watchmaker in Holland during the early 1900's. They could be running a successful and profitable business but, as Christians, are prone to charity and acts of kindness leaving them comfortable but not well-off. The scene is set by the author, Corrie, and a picture of a happy family life emerges. The everyday details and the author's humour are what make the book, indeed she is a marvellous story-teller and none of it is in any way monotonous.
During the Nazi occupation in the late 1930's, the ten Boom family adapt their business to harbour Jewish refugees as they become involved in the underground movement of the period. Corrie, in particular, devotes her time and attention to caring for and helping these persecuted people and takes great risks in the process.
Eventually, their happy family life, which had gradually been eroded by events on the horizon, is shattered as the entire family are captured and led off to Germany. Corrie and her sister Betsie end up in Ravensbruck, a notorious concentration camp. Here, Corrie faces up to her spiritual weakness as her physical body suffers:
Selfishness took on a life of its own...Oh this was the great ply of Satan in that kingdom of his:To display such blatant evil that one could almost believe that one's own secret sins didn't matter....I came to Paul's account of his thorn in the flesh...the real sin lay in thinking that any power to help and transform came from me. Of course it was not my wholeness, but Christ's that made the difference.
The breakthrough comes when Corrie, following the example of her never wavering sister who even praises God for the fleas, realises that all is not in vain and life has a purpose again:
But as the rest of the world grew stranger, one thing became increasingly clear. And that was the reason the two of us were here. Why others should suffer we were not shown. As for us, from morning until lights out, whenever we were not in ranks for roll call, our Bible was the center of an ever-widening circle of help and hope. Like waifs clustered round a blazing fire, we gathered about it, holding out our hearts to it warmth and light. The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the word of God. 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
What an incredible picture of true faith in the face of such hardness and suffering. Anyone going through trials will benefit from this book. Likewise those seeking to be content in all circumstances and to rejoice in the Lord always.
The Hiding Place is clean: there is no swearing or blasphemy, there is no sexual content, there are some graphic scenes relating to the treatment of prisoners and the suffering in the concentration camp. These are relayed factually without embellishment or sensationalism.
An incredible testimony of a family completely sold out for God whatever the cost.
July 3, 2021
4,5 Sterne, aufgerundet auf 5
Dieses Buch ist eines der Bücher, die man nach dem Lesen (und auch während des Lesens) erst mal verarbeiten muss. Dabei lässt es sich schnell und flüssig lesen; der Schreibstil ist sehr angenehm.
Aber der Inhalt geht tief. Das ist meistens so bei diesen Geschichten, die im Zweiten Weltkrieg und zur NS-Zeit spielen. Dennoch gibt es auch da Unterschiede.
Die Geschichte von Corrie ten Boom und ihrer Familie wird relativ ruhig erzählt, fast unspektakulär. Dennoch aber voller Emotionen; ich kann es kaum erklären.
Ich habe nur höchsten Respekt vor Corrie ten Boom und ihrer Familie, die zu Zeiten der Judenverfolgung so vielen Juden geholfen und bei sich versteckt haben im vollen Bewusstsein der Gefahr.
Ihr Glaube spielt hier auch eine sehr große Rolle. Auch davor habe ich Respekt.
Dieses Buch hat mich auf jeden Fall sehr bewegt, nachdenklich gemacht und es wird mir sicherlich noch einige Zeit im Gedächtnis bleiben.
Dieses Buch ist eines der Bücher, die man nach dem Lesen (und auch während des Lesens) erst mal verarbeiten muss. Dabei lässt es sich schnell und flüssig lesen; der Schreibstil ist sehr angenehm.
Aber der Inhalt geht tief. Das ist meistens so bei diesen Geschichten, die im Zweiten Weltkrieg und zur NS-Zeit spielen. Dennoch gibt es auch da Unterschiede.
Die Geschichte von Corrie ten Boom und ihrer Familie wird relativ ruhig erzählt, fast unspektakulär. Dennoch aber voller Emotionen; ich kann es kaum erklären.
Ich habe nur höchsten Respekt vor Corrie ten Boom und ihrer Familie, die zu Zeiten der Judenverfolgung so vielen Juden geholfen und bei sich versteckt haben im vollen Bewusstsein der Gefahr.
Ihr Glaube spielt hier auch eine sehr große Rolle. Auch davor habe ich Respekt.
Dieses Buch hat mich auf jeden Fall sehr bewegt, nachdenklich gemacht und es wird mir sicherlich noch einige Zeit im Gedächtnis bleiben.
July 11, 2021
If you haven’t read this book recently or ever, pick it up right now and read it. I know of no other book that demonstrates this well the depths of God’s love a grace to sinners nor his provision and kindness to use us for his kingdom.
Also you’re going to need some tissue.
Also you’re going to need some tissue.
April 18, 2008
By far one of the best and most inspirational books I've ever read. I've underlined so many parts of this book! I first read this with my first book club almost 10 years ago and read it back in October with my current book club -- still find it absolutely amazing and one I want to read and re-read.
One of my favorite themes of the book is stated by the author on page 31: "the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do." Goes along with my belief that all things will work together for our good. Not that only good things will happen to us, but that all things will work for our good. Even when our Father takes us, not to "the windmill ... or swans on the canal" but somewhere where we don't want to go and we howl and struggle all the way (p. 40). We can trust in Him that all things will work together for our good. Another favorite part is in the example of Betsie, the author's sister, who gives thanks in all circumstances, even for the fleas (p. 210). Several pages later, the author explains how even the fleas worked together for their good (p.220). Even when we may not always have the "whys", we can trust in Him that our experiences are for our good.
I found it amazing when Nollie is asked by if Annaliese is a Jew and she responds, "yes." Nollie's perfect honesty requires that she answer "yes" even when it may mean death for someone who has trusted them! Nollie has perfect faith that no suffering will come to Annaliese because Nollie obeyed Him in being honest in all things. Miraculously and sure enough, Annaliese is set free.
As a mother, I have always wondered how the Jewish people hid their children (crying babies etc.) from the Nazis when they were in hiding. I found it poignant and sad when the author noted that "even the youngest had developed the uncanny silence of small hunted things" (p. 114).
Above all, I love this book for its reminder to me of the eternal perspective. How true that He can give us His perspective when we feel trapped in the reality of filthy and cramped barracks, His way of seeing people who we cannot understand, His forgiveness for those who have hurt us, His love for those we think we cannot love, and His strength to replace our weaknesses. Which leads me to a final favorite quote and life-lesson I've learned: "When He tells us to love our enemies [or any other thing He has asked us to do], He gives, along with the command the love itself" (p. 248).
One of my favorite themes of the book is stated by the author on page 31: "the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do." Goes along with my belief that all things will work together for our good. Not that only good things will happen to us, but that all things will work for our good. Even when our Father takes us, not to "the windmill ... or swans on the canal" but somewhere where we don't want to go and we howl and struggle all the way (p. 40). We can trust in Him that all things will work together for our good. Another favorite part is in the example of Betsie, the author's sister, who gives thanks in all circumstances, even for the fleas (p. 210). Several pages later, the author explains how even the fleas worked together for their good (p.220). Even when we may not always have the "whys", we can trust in Him that our experiences are for our good.
I found it amazing when Nollie is asked by if Annaliese is a Jew and she responds, "yes." Nollie's perfect honesty requires that she answer "yes" even when it may mean death for someone who has trusted them! Nollie has perfect faith that no suffering will come to Annaliese because Nollie obeyed Him in being honest in all things. Miraculously and sure enough, Annaliese is set free.
As a mother, I have always wondered how the Jewish people hid their children (crying babies etc.) from the Nazis when they were in hiding. I found it poignant and sad when the author noted that "even the youngest had developed the uncanny silence of small hunted things" (p. 114).
Above all, I love this book for its reminder to me of the eternal perspective. How true that He can give us His perspective when we feel trapped in the reality of filthy and cramped barracks, His way of seeing people who we cannot understand, His forgiveness for those who have hurt us, His love for those we think we cannot love, and His strength to replace our weaknesses. Which leads me to a final favorite quote and life-lesson I've learned: "When He tells us to love our enemies [or any other thing He has asked us to do], He gives, along with the command the love itself" (p. 248).
March 26, 2017
Two stars. That's the best I can do on a book that came highly recommended and that I read with relish as I had just been to Amsterdam and surrounding areas, visited the Museum of the Resistance and the old Jewish Synagogue referred to in the book. So why two stars?
I just didn't believe a lot of what I read. Here's what I do believe. I think Corrie, her sister Betsy, her father and other family members were courageous, passionate, religious, pro-active and bold. They did what many in Holland did, but what many chose not to do. They put their lives on the line to help with a very unpopular cause. They risked their necks to hide jews, feed them, comfort them and resist the authority of their German invaders. In that I find them commendable. The father figure was an admirable man, a man of principle who lived truly an exemplary life and imparted his teachings to not only his family, but all who surrounded him. A man of peace, but of strong determination. A man of immensely strong faith which he passed along to his children. So far, so good.
So what's my squabble? The book was written a full 25 years after the facts, and I think it shows. Corrie was in her late 70's when the book was written, and it was written by two people who weren't there. The narrative at times becomes too convenient, too sugar coated. There were no fights amongst the throngs of people living in the beje. I think the old saying that "time heals everything" clearly applies to this book, as it seems to be a bit whitewashed in the veil of faith in Jesus to solve all, in prayers that constantly come through and in the miracle of the never ending vitamins. Call me a sceptic, but I found the constant references to Jesus annoying. I most certainly think we all believe in God when in the trenches, but I don't believe in the Santa Claus God who gave to Corrie, but perhaps withheld from others who were praying just as hard. It came across as preachy and childish all these years later. So many people were hurt, humiliated, beaten, and brutally murdered -- and I am sure just about each and every one of them prayed to their Jesus as well.
To end on a positive note -- the faith that this family had, the true faith in doing the right thing -- is admirable; when Corrie wrote "released" in her jail cell to signify the death of (blank), she showed a deep and profound faith in that death is not the end, only a fresh start in a better place. Her fortitude and strength were truly remarkable.
I just didn't believe a lot of what I read. Here's what I do believe. I think Corrie, her sister Betsy, her father and other family members were courageous, passionate, religious, pro-active and bold. They did what many in Holland did, but what many chose not to do. They put their lives on the line to help with a very unpopular cause. They risked their necks to hide jews, feed them, comfort them and resist the authority of their German invaders. In that I find them commendable. The father figure was an admirable man, a man of principle who lived truly an exemplary life and imparted his teachings to not only his family, but all who surrounded him. A man of peace, but of strong determination. A man of immensely strong faith which he passed along to his children. So far, so good.
So what's my squabble? The book was written a full 25 years after the facts, and I think it shows. Corrie was in her late 70's when the book was written, and it was written by two people who weren't there. The narrative at times becomes too convenient, too sugar coated. There were no fights amongst the throngs of people living in the beje. I think the old saying that "time heals everything" clearly applies to this book, as it seems to be a bit whitewashed in the veil of faith in Jesus to solve all, in prayers that constantly come through and in the miracle of the never ending vitamins. Call me a sceptic, but I found the constant references to Jesus annoying. I most certainly think we all believe in God when in the trenches, but I don't believe in the Santa Claus God who gave to Corrie, but perhaps withheld from others who were praying just as hard. It came across as preachy and childish all these years later. So many people were hurt, humiliated, beaten, and brutally murdered -- and I am sure just about each and every one of them prayed to their Jesus as well.
To end on a positive note -- the faith that this family had, the true faith in doing the right thing -- is admirable; when Corrie wrote "released" in her jail cell to signify the death of (blank), she showed a deep and profound faith in that death is not the end, only a fresh start in a better place. Her fortitude and strength were truly remarkable.
July 6, 2015
The Hiding Place is a story about how the depths of faith and spirituality can get a person through even the darkest nightmare. Corrie ten Boom and her family led the Dutch Underground during the Nazi occupation of Holland, aiding and hiding Jewish people in a secret room in their home above their watchmaker shop. Their efforts eventually cost them their freedom and in some cases, their lives. Corrie and members of her family are arrested and sent to a concentration camp. This is not exactly a new story; we have heard numerous inspirational stories of people who have suffered monstrosities beyond our imagination. What sets Corrie’s story apart from many, though most surely not all, is that her family had the capacity for allowing their faith to grow even more throughout these times of torment. They shared their love, their hidden Bible, and their love of God with all those who would listen. They looked at the smallest things as a gift. Most of all, they understood the true meaning of forgiveness and how it can set one’s soul free. Upon meeting one of her former S.S. jailers at a church service years after these events, Corrie struggled to eventually accept the hand held out to her by this man. “As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand, a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.”
What I struggled with the most in this account is the idea that Corrie and her sister Betsey attributed all of their strength to God alone. They did not personally take credit for any of their courage or capabilities. Corrie later states “If I had ever needed proof that I had no boldness or cleverness of my own, I had it now. Whatever bravery or skill I had ever shown were gifts of God – sheer loans from Him of the talent needed to do a job.” I don’t believe these gifts are taken away from us. I do believe she had these gifts all along and should congratulate herself on having the knowledge and strength to use these gifts in such a powerful way. Her feelings that these gifts were later absent were possibly a result of a bit of natural fear and vulnerability due to all she endured, not because something was given and then taken away from her. Despite the fact that I found this memoir informative and the ten Booms admirable, there was a bit something lacking in the storytelling. It fell a bit flat for me and was maybe due to the span of time between when these events occurred and when this story was written. It perhaps lacked a bit of the urgency and poignancy I have come to expect. On the other hand, it still remains a very interesting book. I gave this 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars for the heroism shown by the ten Booms and for my admiration of their undying faith and the inspiration they offered to hundreds of individuals during their time of need.
What I struggled with the most in this account is the idea that Corrie and her sister Betsey attributed all of their strength to God alone. They did not personally take credit for any of their courage or capabilities. Corrie later states “If I had ever needed proof that I had no boldness or cleverness of my own, I had it now. Whatever bravery or skill I had ever shown were gifts of God – sheer loans from Him of the talent needed to do a job.” I don’t believe these gifts are taken away from us. I do believe she had these gifts all along and should congratulate herself on having the knowledge and strength to use these gifts in such a powerful way. Her feelings that these gifts were later absent were possibly a result of a bit of natural fear and vulnerability due to all she endured, not because something was given and then taken away from her. Despite the fact that I found this memoir informative and the ten Booms admirable, there was a bit something lacking in the storytelling. It fell a bit flat for me and was maybe due to the span of time between when these events occurred and when this story was written. It perhaps lacked a bit of the urgency and poignancy I have come to expect. On the other hand, it still remains a very interesting book. I gave this 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars for the heroism shown by the ten Booms and for my admiration of their undying faith and the inspiration they offered to hundreds of individuals during their time of need.
September 4, 2021
The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian watchmaker and later a writer who worked with her father, Casper ten Boom, her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family members to help many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home.
The Hiding Place is a 1971 book on the life of Corrie ten Boom, written by herself and John and Elizabeth Sherrill.
The book begins with the ten Boom family celebrating the 100th anniversary of the family business; they sell and repair watches under the family's elderly father, Casper ten Boom.
The business takes up the ground floor of the family home, known as the Béjé.
Casper lives with his unmarried daughters, Corrie, the narrator and a watchmaker herself, and Betsie, who takes care of the house.
It seems as if everyone in the Dutch town of Haarlem has shown up to the party, including Corrie's sister Nollie, her brother Willem, and her nephews Peter and Kik.
Willem, a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, brings a Jewish man, who has just escaped from Germany.
The man's beard has been burned off by some thugs, a grim reminder of what was happening just to the east of the Netherlands.
In the next few chapters, Corrie talks about her childhood, her infirm, but glad-hearted mother and the three aunts who once lived in the Béjé.
She talks about the only man she ever loved, a young man named Karel, who ultimately marries a woman from a rich family.
Eventually, both Nollie and Willem marry.
After the deaths of Corrie's mother and aunts, Corrie, Betsie and their father settle down into a pleasant domestic life.
Then, in 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands.
The family has strong morals based on Christian beliefs and feel obligated to help them Jewish in every way possible. The Béjé soon became the centre of a major anti-Nazi operation.
Corrie, who has grown to think of herself as a middle-aged spinster, finds herself involved in black market operations, using stolen ration cards, and eventually hiding Jews in her own home. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش
عنوان: مخفیگاه؛ نویسنده: کوری (کورنلیا) تن بوم؛ موضوع اردوگاه اسیران - جنگ جهانی دوم، 1938م- 1945م - یادمانها - از نویسندگان هلند - سده ی 20م
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 12/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian watchmaker and later a writer who worked with her father, Casper ten Boom, her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family members to help many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home.
The Hiding Place is a 1971 book on the life of Corrie ten Boom, written by herself and John and Elizabeth Sherrill.
The book begins with the ten Boom family celebrating the 100th anniversary of the family business; they sell and repair watches under the family's elderly father, Casper ten Boom.
The business takes up the ground floor of the family home, known as the Béjé.
Casper lives with his unmarried daughters, Corrie, the narrator and a watchmaker herself, and Betsie, who takes care of the house.
It seems as if everyone in the Dutch town of Haarlem has shown up to the party, including Corrie's sister Nollie, her brother Willem, and her nephews Peter and Kik.
Willem, a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, brings a Jewish man, who has just escaped from Germany.
The man's beard has been burned off by some thugs, a grim reminder of what was happening just to the east of the Netherlands.
In the next few chapters, Corrie talks about her childhood, her infirm, but glad-hearted mother and the three aunts who once lived in the Béjé.
She talks about the only man she ever loved, a young man named Karel, who ultimately marries a woman from a rich family.
Eventually, both Nollie and Willem marry.
After the deaths of Corrie's mother and aunts, Corrie, Betsie and their father settle down into a pleasant domestic life.
Then, in 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands.
The family has strong morals based on Christian beliefs and feel obligated to help them Jewish in every way possible. The Béjé soon became the centre of a major anti-Nazi operation.
Corrie, who has grown to think of herself as a middle-aged spinster, finds herself involved in black market operations, using stolen ration cards, and eventually hiding Jews in her own home. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش
عنوان: مخفیگاه؛ نویسنده: کوری (کورنلیا) تن بوم؛ موضوع اردوگاه اسیران - جنگ جهانی دوم، 1938م- 1945م - یادمانها - از نویسندگان هلند - سده ی 20م
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 12/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
July 12, 2017
I have read this book before many years ago., but reading about it here on Goodreads reminded me how much I had been absorbed and overwhelmed by the courage and utter dedication of this young woman (the author) and I valued it highly. Although Corrie is a deeply commited Christian you don't have be of any particular religion to read and appreciate this book. She risked everything including her life during World War II to save as many Jews as possible from the Nazi regime in Holland. She and her older sister Betsie lived through terrifying times to achieve this and endured starvation, torture and humiliation when captured by the Gestapo. The first half of the book is more about her daily life as the daughter of a man widely acclaimed as a watch and clock maker and repairer and a member of a loving family. The second part is all about how they devote their lives to the rescue of Jews from the enemy. Corrie and her sister have a powerful faith in God and the story is inspiring but heartrending. This book is for me a classic and supremely special whatever your beliefs might be or not be.
October 13, 2018
I read this book in honor of my mother. "The Hiding Place" was one of her favorite books; I remember her telling stories about it and reading passages aloud when I was a kid.
"The Hiding Place" is the story of a Dutch family who helped Jews hide from Nazis during World War II. Corrie worked in her father's watchmaking shop and used the store as a front to help with underground activities. A secret room was built in the family's home that allowed Jews to hide when German agents visited the house. Eventually, Corrie and her family were arrested and sent to prison, and later to a concentration camp. Throughout the ordeal, Corrie relied on her Christian beliefs to give her hope and strength.
After finishing the book, I can understand why my mother was so captivated by Corrie's story. My mom was also strong in her Christian faith, and she had a longtime fascination with World War II, always trying to understand how such a tragedy could have happened.
I am not a true believer, but I can appreciate why "The Hiding Place" was so meaningful to my mother. It is a powerful story of love and family and faith, and reading about Good triumphing over Evil should be comforting.
However, reading this book in 2018 was quite disturbing, especially with reports of immigrant children being arrested and held in cages, and the continuing problems of racism, white nationalism, violence and war. Perhaps if I had read this book before Trump took office I wouldn't have been so upset by it. But that's the slyness about books — they'll surprise you, catch you at odd moments and show you connections you didn't expect.
I wish my mother was still here so we could discuss this book. We could talk about the news, and try to understand why such tragedies are happening again.
"The Hiding Place" is the story of a Dutch family who helped Jews hide from Nazis during World War II. Corrie worked in her father's watchmaking shop and used the store as a front to help with underground activities. A secret room was built in the family's home that allowed Jews to hide when German agents visited the house. Eventually, Corrie and her family were arrested and sent to prison, and later to a concentration camp. Throughout the ordeal, Corrie relied on her Christian beliefs to give her hope and strength.
After finishing the book, I can understand why my mother was so captivated by Corrie's story. My mom was also strong in her Christian faith, and she had a longtime fascination with World War II, always trying to understand how such a tragedy could have happened.
I am not a true believer, but I can appreciate why "The Hiding Place" was so meaningful to my mother. It is a powerful story of love and family and faith, and reading about Good triumphing over Evil should be comforting.
However, reading this book in 2018 was quite disturbing, especially with reports of immigrant children being arrested and held in cages, and the continuing problems of racism, white nationalism, violence and war. Perhaps if I had read this book before Trump took office I wouldn't have been so upset by it. But that's the slyness about books — they'll surprise you, catch you at odd moments and show you connections you didn't expect.
I wish my mother was still here so we could discuss this book. We could talk about the news, and try to understand why such tragedies are happening again.
March 31, 2024
A testament on how to never let go of God no matter how bad it goes. Corrie ten Boom and sister goes through the Nazi camps and the horrific tortures they endured they leaned on God to see them through. To get them through. Crossing off one day at a time trying to fi d something daily to be thankful for. To live through.
August 2, 2016
Okay, so the many five stars all around on this here book page were warranted. It’s a heartbreaking, painful read. It’s also full of faith, strength, kindness and perseverance. I’m very glad I gave it a listen. The narrator is terrific and emotive and has the ability to draw you into the time and place instead of taking you out of it!
Corrie ten Boom is a 40 something spinster at peace with her quiet life. She is a watchmaker in her father’s shop and lives with her older sister and their kind father. She never expected to become embroiled in an underground revolution but when German soldiers invade her homeland and friends and neighbors start to disappear because they are Jewish or lending Jewish families safe harbor, she can’t stand by and do nothing. As conditions become increasingly worse for the unfortunate people in her beloved town, she decides to put her life in danger in order to save those of others. Her family has a hidden room built and they take in the desperate. Eventually she is imprisoned, along with most of her family. She recounts the long, grueling days of hellish conditions in prison and in concentration camps. The sickness, the starvation and the everyday cruelties inflicted.
I’m not religious but these characters are and they walk with a strong belief and unwavering (for the most part) faith and a gratitude for everything, even ants and fleas, yet I never felt preached at. Their faith makes up a big part of who they were and how they managed to make it through the inhumane conditions. If you read this account, it will leave a mark on you for certain. It’s not a book I will easily forget.
Corrie ten Boom is a 40 something spinster at peace with her quiet life. She is a watchmaker in her father’s shop and lives with her older sister and their kind father. She never expected to become embroiled in an underground revolution but when German soldiers invade her homeland and friends and neighbors start to disappear because they are Jewish or lending Jewish families safe harbor, she can’t stand by and do nothing. As conditions become increasingly worse for the unfortunate people in her beloved town, she decides to put her life in danger in order to save those of others. Her family has a hidden room built and they take in the desperate. Eventually she is imprisoned, along with most of her family. She recounts the long, grueling days of hellish conditions in prison and in concentration camps. The sickness, the starvation and the everyday cruelties inflicted.
I’m not religious but these characters are and they walk with a strong belief and unwavering (for the most part) faith and a gratitude for everything, even ants and fleas, yet I never felt preached at. Their faith makes up a big part of who they were and how they managed to make it through the inhumane conditions. If you read this account, it will leave a mark on you for certain. It’s not a book I will easily forget.
March 17, 2012
This is the story of Corrie ten Boom, a self-described "spinster" watchmaker who lived with her father and sister and was pushing fifty when she became part of the Dutch Resistance helping to hide Jews from the Nazis. Eventually betrayed, she wound up in a Gestapo prison for a few months, then doing forced labor in the Vught Concentration Camp, which harsh as it was, was paradisaical compared to where she next wound up until released, the notorious Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. This is her first person account, written decades after the fact with the help of John and Elizabeth Sherrill. It got off to what I found a slow start in the first four chapters which tells of the life of her and her family before World War II. I thought it picked up in pace a great deal in the later chapters once it began to tell of her involvement aiding Jews in the Underground, and from that moment I was completely engrossed--and indeed the story, particularly before they were betrayed to the Nazis, sometimes surprised me with its warmth and humor. Her father, for instance, never really understood why all the Resistance people were calling themselves "Smit" and kept asking whether they were related to this or that Smit family he knew.
I picked up the book because it was recommended on the Ultimate Reading List in the "Inspirational Non-fiction" section. For "inspirational" read "religious" and almost always "Christian" and I indeed found it in the "Christian Inspiration" section. Some reviews complained about the religiosity, but it really didn't bother me--and I'm an atheist with little patience when I feel I'm being preached at. Perhaps it's just that I took this in stride as part and parcel of Miss Ten Boom. That faith was just as much as the foundation of her thinking and deeds as Hinduism was for Ghandi or Buddhism for the Dalai Llama. There's nothing smug or self-righteous in her tone. Nor did she come across as "goodie two shoes" to me--she sometimes understandably struggled with anger and fear. She's human--although in my book still a hero. I even saw one review that called her a "bigot." That couldn't be further from the truth. The Ten Booms saved many Jews, hiding them in their own home at great risk to themselves, tried to serve them kosher food when they could, celebrated the Sabbath with them and Jewish holidays. I saw no sign of bigotry towards those of other beliefs. Having a strong faith that a person takes seriously in deciding how to act does not make one a bigot. Anyone who mistakes that for bigotry has their own issues with anti-Christian bigotry in my opinion.
On the other hand, I do agree with one reviewer that I suspect that her Christian faith did "sugar coat" things more than a little and probably colored her recollection. I don't think Ten Boom ever consciously shaded the truth, but especially given this was recounted almost thirty years later when Ten Boom was in her seventies, I do wonder if time put a gloss on memories such as the vitamin drop "miracle." Anne Frank's account of hiding in an Amsterdam annex from the Nazis came directly from her diaries written very close to events. Viktor E. Frankl's story of his experiences in four Concentration Camps including Auschwitz, Man's Search for Meaning, was written by him in nine days within months of his liberation. Elie Wiesel's story of his time in Auschwitz, Night was written in his twenties within a decade after his experiences there. The Hiding Place doesn't have the freshness and intensity of those accounts. Also, though it tells an extraordinary story, it's not always extraordinarily well-written when I compare it to the other books mentioned above. I read Frankl's account just before this book, and read Wiesel's book for the second time less than two months ago. Those are powerful accounts that deserve the name literature. This doesn't, which is why I haven't rated it nearly as highly as those other two books. But it's still a often gripping, at times moving book.
I picked up the book because it was recommended on the Ultimate Reading List in the "Inspirational Non-fiction" section. For "inspirational" read "religious" and almost always "Christian" and I indeed found it in the "Christian Inspiration" section. Some reviews complained about the religiosity, but it really didn't bother me--and I'm an atheist with little patience when I feel I'm being preached at. Perhaps it's just that I took this in stride as part and parcel of Miss Ten Boom. That faith was just as much as the foundation of her thinking and deeds as Hinduism was for Ghandi or Buddhism for the Dalai Llama. There's nothing smug or self-righteous in her tone. Nor did she come across as "goodie two shoes" to me--she sometimes understandably struggled with anger and fear. She's human--although in my book still a hero. I even saw one review that called her a "bigot." That couldn't be further from the truth. The Ten Booms saved many Jews, hiding them in their own home at great risk to themselves, tried to serve them kosher food when they could, celebrated the Sabbath with them and Jewish holidays. I saw no sign of bigotry towards those of other beliefs. Having a strong faith that a person takes seriously in deciding how to act does not make one a bigot. Anyone who mistakes that for bigotry has their own issues with anti-Christian bigotry in my opinion.
On the other hand, I do agree with one reviewer that I suspect that her Christian faith did "sugar coat" things more than a little and probably colored her recollection. I don't think Ten Boom ever consciously shaded the truth, but especially given this was recounted almost thirty years later when Ten Boom was in her seventies, I do wonder if time put a gloss on memories such as the vitamin drop "miracle." Anne Frank's account of hiding in an Amsterdam annex from the Nazis came directly from her diaries written very close to events. Viktor E. Frankl's story of his experiences in four Concentration Camps including Auschwitz, Man's Search for Meaning, was written by him in nine days within months of his liberation. Elie Wiesel's story of his time in Auschwitz, Night was written in his twenties within a decade after his experiences there. The Hiding Place doesn't have the freshness and intensity of those accounts. Also, though it tells an extraordinary story, it's not always extraordinarily well-written when I compare it to the other books mentioned above. I read Frankl's account just before this book, and read Wiesel's book for the second time less than two months ago. Those are powerful accounts that deserve the name literature. This doesn't, which is why I haven't rated it nearly as highly as those other two books. But it's still a often gripping, at times moving book.
March 3, 2015
This is a profound book, and one that will not leave you unmoved. I was even inspired to write a poem before I finished reading it (it does contain a few spoilers for those who don't know Corrie's story):
Victory Song
by Melissa M.
May 16, 2010
Golden glimpses of the sun,
Bits of clouds between the bars.
Coughing blood, matted hair,
Questions, memories, leaving scars.
Making friends with tiny ants,
Spilling crumbs to bring them out.
Crossing days off on the wall,
Wondering what this is all about.
Planned by God, even this?
Yes, and rejoicing still,
Corrie ten Boom lying there,
Knowing that this is God's will.
Father died--no, was released
To Canaan's fairer land above.
Jews in hiding did escape,
This the outcome of God's love.
Will we sing in trials now,
Fight the sin and lonely days?
Will we bravely others reach,
And remember God's holy ways?
Lord, we ask for strength and grace,
Love for others true and strong,
Love for You above all else,
And to sing Your victory song!
Victory Song
by Melissa M.
May 16, 2010
Golden glimpses of the sun,
Bits of clouds between the bars.
Coughing blood, matted hair,
Questions, memories, leaving scars.
Making friends with tiny ants,
Spilling crumbs to bring them out.
Crossing days off on the wall,
Wondering what this is all about.
Planned by God, even this?
Yes, and rejoicing still,
Corrie ten Boom lying there,
Knowing that this is God's will.
Father died--no, was released
To Canaan's fairer land above.
Jews in hiding did escape,
This the outcome of God's love.
Will we sing in trials now,
Fight the sin and lonely days?
Will we bravely others reach,
And remember God's holy ways?
Lord, we ask for strength and grace,
Love for others true and strong,
Love for You above all else,
And to sing Your victory song!
September 18, 2007
I qualified the recommendation based on age because there are some difficult situations I think, for younger people. I have read many, many holocaust books, and this is by far my favorite. I wept and wept, not just for the suffering she endured, but mostly for the way in which she and her sister Betsie faced their suffering with such faith. For how they looked for opportunities to be selfless in a concentration camp, and how the women there were changed just by their example. I wept at my utter failure in faith. It made me reexamine everything I take for granted daily, and to thank God even for the fleas!
March 6, 2020
This book though. 333 😍💖
April 10, 2023
I wonder how many times I’ve read this book? How many times have I wished for Beth’s faith and compassion, Opa’s wisdom, or Corrie’s courage and compassion? How many times have I marveled at their peace in the face of incredible terror? I can’t remember, but if I had to guess, I’d put it as half a dozen easily.
It’s such a wonderful story of God’s provision and love. As I read it as an adult, I see more clearly that their faith didn’t spring up overnight. It was a quiet, daily, lifelong pursuit of the Lord and His ways. They saw incredible miracles, trustingly asked for miracles, but didn’t demand or even expect them. They were willing to obey despite the earthly consequences for they had their eyes on the heavenly reward. And that gave them an eternal perspective on the value of each life, Jewish or Nazi, giving, life, suffering, and death. It truly is beautiful even joyous against such a horrific background.
The first time I read it, I was very young, and would recommend it to even a young teen audience. The authors are very delicate. As a young reader, I fully understood that everyone’s lives were on the line, but I was not overwhelmed by a gruesome recounting of every horror of the camps. Then as I grew older, I understood in a deeper way what they suffered. Most uniquely there is the eternal focus of the heroes and heroines. That is what truly keeps this book appropriate for young readers. God’s truth and love permeate the book, and their suffering is always presented as suffering for Him and, as such, as worthy of reward. It’s a lesson that is important for all of us, but for a child or young believer it is vital. So read it and even reread it.
It’s such a wonderful story of God’s provision and love. As I read it as an adult, I see more clearly that their faith didn’t spring up overnight. It was a quiet, daily, lifelong pursuit of the Lord and His ways. They saw incredible miracles, trustingly asked for miracles, but didn’t demand or even expect them. They were willing to obey despite the earthly consequences for they had their eyes on the heavenly reward. And that gave them an eternal perspective on the value of each life, Jewish or Nazi, giving, life, suffering, and death. It truly is beautiful even joyous against such a horrific background.
The first time I read it, I was very young, and would recommend it to even a young teen audience. The authors are very delicate. As a young reader, I fully understood that everyone’s lives were on the line, but I was not overwhelmed by a gruesome recounting of every horror of the camps. Then as I grew older, I understood in a deeper way what they suffered. Most uniquely there is the eternal focus of the heroes and heroines. That is what truly keeps this book appropriate for young readers. God’s truth and love permeate the book, and their suffering is always presented as suffering for Him and, as such, as worthy of reward. It’s a lesson that is important for all of us, but for a child or young believer it is vital. So read it and even reread it.
January 15, 2022
I haven't read the Hiding Place in over 10 years and I have forgotten how wonderful this book is. The story of Corrie Ten Bloom and her family and what they did when Germany took over Holland during WW2. The Ten Bloom risk their lives to save Jews. They helped them and hid them in their beloved home. When they were found out all were arrested and sent to jail and then to extermination camps. Corrie lost a lot of her family during this time but as her sister Bestie and Corrie continued to preach the Gospel for all who wanted to hear it to a prison guard to many prisoners. I love this book so much. I wonder to myself could I have been like those two sisters to sacrifice my freedom for those who needed me the most. One story that will touch me to this day is when a prison soldier of hers came and ask for forgiveness. Corrie had a choice to make to not forgive him and walk away or to do what God wanted for her and forgive him. She choose the latter and shook his hand. Could I have done that? Not many of us could but Corrie ten Bloom is an example of God grace for us to live everyday by. All needs to read this book, to see God grace in action and what God will do for us when we need him the most.
February 21, 2018
This book had such an impact on me. How would I respond if I was faced with such intense trials and persecution? Every Christian should read this book, so powerful and encouraging! <3
April 13, 2018
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom was actually a very good book, much to my surprise. I expected it to be very boring, very depressing, and very preachy. At times it did drag a little - especially at the beginning - and it was sad, but it could be called preachy, and the hope won out in the end. It won out through much of the book, actually; I never felt truly depressed. I just knew God was there. Corrie and Betsie both showed their belief in this truth in the way they dealt with difficult situations.
The story starts with a recount of important moments throughout Corrie’s childhood and young adulthood. It gives a history of her family’s business which is a watch repair shop. It gives a good viewpoint of where Corrie’s thought processes, opinions, and beliefs come from. Parts of it didn’t seem important at the time, but I became convinced later that it was important - because it all turned Corrie into the woman she grew into, the woman who lived through what she did.
At last the book arrives at the Nazi occupation of Holland. This is when the story really starts to pick up. In their own quiet way, the ten Booms stand up to the Nazis - first by keeping their radio from being confiscated … and slowly through becoming involved in the Resistance and saving people. They become deeply involved in the Resistance. The book gives us many examples of them risking their lives to save a few people.
After having helped many people escape Holland and kept many hidden in the special room behind Corrie’s bedchamber, the ten Booms are found out and raided by the Nazis. Though the people in their ‘Hiding Place’ stay safe, she and her father and sister and a few others are taken away to a prison camp where most of the remainder of the story takes place.
There, Corrie’s father and sister Betsie both die - her father shortly after they arrive and her sister just days before they are released. Over many months in prison and in concentration camps, Betsie and Corrie both minister to others. They are a support and guide to the women there - hosting a Bible study and prayer meeting of sorts, encouraging and lifting up others whenever they can.
I wonder if Betsie was a little white-washed in Corrie’s mind by her death, as she seems like one of those too-good-to-be-real characters - another Elsie Dinsmore, if you will. But she was definitely very noble - if a little too optimistic for her own good, methinks.
Corrie was the narrator and the main character, of course, and I found myself liking her more than other characters. She had a lot of common sense and gumption.
Later I found out that she was just released because of an error and the rest of the women in her group were killed shortly afterwards. Well, of course we know it wasn’t an ‘error,’ exactly. It was God!
The point of this book is, of course, that God is there even when things are dark - even when it seems like there is no life, there is no hope. He is our hiding place in time of trouble.
This book can teach you so much … about history, about people, and most of all, about God. It’s really an incredible work - and the fact that it’s a true story makes it even more impressive.
The author was very honest about the tough things she went through and the things she saw others go through. And yes, it was horrific … but the message of seeing God in it all was incredible! I wish everyone who had to go through anything traumatic or horrific could read this book. It would do them a world of good!
Since these are real life people, not characters, and since this is a real life story, not a plot, I won’t critique this book on those points. The writing style was excellent - it was plain and truthful while getting the point across without preaching.
My mom got emotional about this book. I did not. Not much upsets me. But it was very emotional what with everything they had to go through and then how it all wrapped up. I can see how some people might cry when they read it.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
Kellyn Roth, Reveries Reviews
The story starts with a recount of important moments throughout Corrie’s childhood and young adulthood. It gives a history of her family’s business which is a watch repair shop. It gives a good viewpoint of where Corrie’s thought processes, opinions, and beliefs come from. Parts of it didn’t seem important at the time, but I became convinced later that it was important - because it all turned Corrie into the woman she grew into, the woman who lived through what she did.
At last the book arrives at the Nazi occupation of Holland. This is when the story really starts to pick up. In their own quiet way, the ten Booms stand up to the Nazis - first by keeping their radio from being confiscated … and slowly through becoming involved in the Resistance and saving people. They become deeply involved in the Resistance. The book gives us many examples of them risking their lives to save a few people.
After having helped many people escape Holland and kept many hidden in the special room behind Corrie’s bedchamber, the ten Booms are found out and raided by the Nazis. Though the people in their ‘Hiding Place’ stay safe, she and her father and sister and a few others are taken away to a prison camp where most of the remainder of the story takes place.
There, Corrie’s father and sister Betsie both die - her father shortly after they arrive and her sister just days before they are released. Over many months in prison and in concentration camps, Betsie and Corrie both minister to others. They are a support and guide to the women there - hosting a Bible study and prayer meeting of sorts, encouraging and lifting up others whenever they can.
I wonder if Betsie was a little white-washed in Corrie’s mind by her death, as she seems like one of those too-good-to-be-real characters - another Elsie Dinsmore, if you will. But she was definitely very noble - if a little too optimistic for her own good, methinks.
Corrie was the narrator and the main character, of course, and I found myself liking her more than other characters. She had a lot of common sense and gumption.
Later I found out that she was just released because of an error and the rest of the women in her group were killed shortly afterwards. Well, of course we know it wasn’t an ‘error,’ exactly. It was God!
The point of this book is, of course, that God is there even when things are dark - even when it seems like there is no life, there is no hope. He is our hiding place in time of trouble.
This book can teach you so much … about history, about people, and most of all, about God. It’s really an incredible work - and the fact that it’s a true story makes it even more impressive.
The author was very honest about the tough things she went through and the things she saw others go through. And yes, it was horrific … but the message of seeing God in it all was incredible! I wish everyone who had to go through anything traumatic or horrific could read this book. It would do them a world of good!
Since these are real life people, not characters, and since this is a real life story, not a plot, I won’t critique this book on those points. The writing style was excellent - it was plain and truthful while getting the point across without preaching.
My mom got emotional about this book. I did not. Not much upsets me. But it was very emotional what with everything they had to go through and then how it all wrapped up. I can see how some people might cry when they read it.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
Kellyn Roth, Reveries Reviews
March 7, 2018
Slow in spots but overall, a good, sad book.
March 12, 2018
A breathtakingly moving account of a family's commitment to service of their fellow man during World War II.
November 20, 2019
"There's more work to be done..."
Corrie ten Boom's story is incredible, but her faith makes me even more awestruck. She endured so much, including the loss of her father and sister while imprisoned in a concentration camp. Yet, through it all, she held on to the only sure foundation she had left: Jesus Christ. Betsie, her sister, loved everyone: including the people who would whip her. She bore no hatred for anyone. What a wonderful person! I also bear a great admiration for their father, who was faithful until the end. A great man indeed.
Though Corrie struggled to trust and hope, she did not struggle in vain. Her story still lives on today, in the hearts of her readers, who were impacted by her story.
Betsie's dying words, "But there's still more work to be done.." hit hard for me. There IS more work to be done - the spreading of the gospel and the love of Christ. Even in her death, her words live on.
Corrie ten Boom's story is incredible, but her faith makes me even more awestruck. She endured so much, including the loss of her father and sister while imprisoned in a concentration camp. Yet, through it all, she held on to the only sure foundation she had left: Jesus Christ. Betsie, her sister, loved everyone: including the people who would whip her. She bore no hatred for anyone. What a wonderful person! I also bear a great admiration for their father, who was faithful until the end. A great man indeed.
Though Corrie struggled to trust and hope, she did not struggle in vain. Her story still lives on today, in the hearts of her readers, who were impacted by her story.
Betsie's dying words, "But there's still more work to be done.." hit hard for me. There IS more work to be done - the spreading of the gospel and the love of Christ. Even in her death, her words live on.
September 3, 2021
I read this in school. It was really a good book.
May 25, 2023
The part in this story that gets me every time is when Corrie encounters a familiar German guard at a church service. This guard was at Ravensbruck, the concentration camp where . He came up to Corrie after she shared at message at the church service, not recognizing her.
"How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!"
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more?...And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.
"How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!"
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more?...And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.
September 1, 2012
What makes this particular book different from other (better) stories about the Holocaust is that it's from the perspective of a Christian woman who was interned. While it's extremely important for us not to forget that one group of people was specifically targeted (Jews) it's also important for us to realize that this horrible thing went beyond that. This horrible thing didn't just affect "them"/"those other people" (oh isn't that sad?, what's for dinner?") but it affected the whole world. But non-Jews sometimes need more than an abstract reminder of how the Holocaust affected us all. Perhaps this first person narrative might bring it home.
It's not that well written but it's interesting and informative and I enjoyed it.
It's not that well written but it's interesting and informative and I enjoyed it.
April 13, 2017
"And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself."
This book breaks your heart in different ways - breaks your heart for the pain people suffered, the raw truth of the war, and for the inexpressible goodness of God, for there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.
Recommended. (Have tissues handy!)
This book breaks your heart in different ways - breaks your heart for the pain people suffered, the raw truth of the war, and for the inexpressible goodness of God, for there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.
Recommended. (Have tissues handy!)
January 25, 2011
It would be fair to say that the most famous story of the Holocaust is the story of Anne Frank. Yet, in many ways, we are taught the incomplete story of the Frank family and thier hiding mates. While we know in great detail about the risk that the Frank helpers took by hiding and protecting their friends, the helpers seem to get short shift. While everyone knows of Miep, not that she seemed to have wanted it, many forget that Victor Kugler (Mr. Kraler in the diary) and Johannes Kleiman (Mr. Koophuis) were imprisoned for aiding the Franks. Mr. Kleiman was released after about six weeks, and Mr. Kugler was transfered a few times, actually escaped and went into hiding. While neither was at a conceration camp, Nazi prison camps were not nice places, and Mr. Kraler was actually housed with prisioners who had been given the death sentence. The risk and scarifcie that helpers and rescusers took to help thier friends or complete strangers should be remembered regardless of the age, sex, or beauty of said helper. This is difficult because it seems that many people, regardless of the country France, the Netherlands, Germany, helped because it was the right thing to do, and do not want to be overertly singled out. The stories, however, are important and should be known. Anne Frank should be taught in such away that students know the before and after as well as the diary, that they know the truth about the denist, for instance.
The Hiding Place is about another Dutch family during the Holocaust. Unlike most stores set in wartime Netherlands, regardless of being fact or fiction, it takes place in the town of Haarleem. I've been there. It was a very cold and wet day. I want to go back so I can see Corrie's house, the Beje. The fact that the story takes place outside of Amsterdam or Rotterdam (which was violently bombed by the Germans) is good because not only does it present the rescuers but another city's experience as well.
The ten Boom family at the time of WW II consisted of Corrie, her two older sisters (Betsie and Nollie), her older brother Willim, her father Casper and the various child of Nollie and Wilhelm. While the reader gets an idea of what the ten Boom family was like prior to the outbreak of WW II (there is a particularlly chilling story about a worker from Germany), the book of the bulk concerns thier experience, in particular Corrie who was interviewed, during the war. Corrie and her father were clock and watch repairers, Betsie took care of thier house, Nollie and her husband were teachers, and Willim was a preacher in the Dutch Reformed Church then later he ran, with his wife Tine (a nurse) a nursing home. As a whole, the family was deeply religious.
The whole family was also involed with the Dutch resistance, passing messages, obtaining food coupons, and hiding people. Corrie, Betsie, and her father seemed to have almost stumbled into it, for a lack of a better word. They did it because helping people was the right thing to do.
And they paid for it. Eventually the whole family was arrested, some members were arrested twice, and Corrie and her sister Betsie were the last to be released. The second part of the book is focused on Corrie's experiences during her imprisonment, including her struggle with faith, which seems to be a selling point for this book. Actually, it is a bit refreshing because Corrie is by no means a saintly Christian and she doesn't try to make herself one.
Part chroncile of war time experience, part struggle with faith, this book is worth reading.
The Hiding Place is about another Dutch family during the Holocaust. Unlike most stores set in wartime Netherlands, regardless of being fact or fiction, it takes place in the town of Haarleem. I've been there. It was a very cold and wet day. I want to go back so I can see Corrie's house, the Beje. The fact that the story takes place outside of Amsterdam or Rotterdam (which was violently bombed by the Germans) is good because not only does it present the rescuers but another city's experience as well.
The ten Boom family at the time of WW II consisted of Corrie, her two older sisters (Betsie and Nollie), her older brother Willim, her father Casper and the various child of Nollie and Wilhelm. While the reader gets an idea of what the ten Boom family was like prior to the outbreak of WW II (there is a particularlly chilling story about a worker from Germany), the book of the bulk concerns thier experience, in particular Corrie who was interviewed, during the war. Corrie and her father were clock and watch repairers, Betsie took care of thier house, Nollie and her husband were teachers, and Willim was a preacher in the Dutch Reformed Church then later he ran, with his wife Tine (a nurse) a nursing home. As a whole, the family was deeply religious.
The whole family was also involed with the Dutch resistance, passing messages, obtaining food coupons, and hiding people. Corrie, Betsie, and her father seemed to have almost stumbled into it, for a lack of a better word. They did it because helping people was the right thing to do.
And they paid for it. Eventually the whole family was arrested, some members were arrested twice, and Corrie and her sister Betsie were the last to be released. The second part of the book is focused on Corrie's experiences during her imprisonment, including her struggle with faith, which seems to be a selling point for this book. Actually, it is a bit refreshing because Corrie is by no means a saintly Christian and she doesn't try to make herself one.
Part chroncile of war time experience, part struggle with faith, this book is worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 13,745 reviews