The Hiding Place
by Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill
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Book Reviews of The Hiding Place
Book Review: Proof of God's faithfulness!
Summary: 5 Stars
Title: The Hiding Place
Author: Corrie ten Boom
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Chosen Books; 35th Anniversary Edition
ISBN: 0-8007-9405-2
January 2006, $12.99
Genre: Christian/Memoir
"Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century. In World War II she and her family risked their lives to help Jews and underground workers escape from the Nazis, and for their work they were tested in the infamous Nazi death camps. Only Corrie among her family survived to tell the story of how faith ultimately triumphs over evil."
~from the back cover of the 35th anniversary edition
In today's modern culture, where selfishness is touted as righteousness and the mere mention of suffering elicits uncomfortable squirms; where youth have lost any pretense of respect for the elderly and democracy is unraveling at the seams, the life of the ten Boom family stands out in sharp contrast to the ideals of our morally corrupt society. The ten Boom's unshakable faith and courage in the face of the cruelest world power in history is a testament to the absolute power of God's sovereignty and love in a world of hate.
This is a book that this hurting world so desperately needs. Travel with Corrie back into the heart of the darkness of Ravensbruck, one of the most infamous women's death camps in Nazi Germany, and discover how bright God's light can shine amidst the horror of Satan's most heinous machinery. In this book you will meet Betsie, Corrie's sister who traveled along side her with indomitable spirit through the hell of Ravensbruck, Nollie, another of the sisters who refused to tell a lie, and Casper ten Boom, Corrie's father of priceless wisdom who counted it an honor to die for the sake of God's people. These, and many more in the ten Boom family, have become examples of how we should live - totally dependent on God and thankful in all circumstances, looking to Him for strength and courage.
The story of The Hiding Place is as relevant today as it was during World War II. This book should be on every Christian's shelf, not gathering dust, to serve as a reminder that "there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still." It is the single most important message that can be delivered to the broken soul of humanity, and I can say that I have never read anything short of the Gospel that conveys this as poignantly as The Hiding Place.
Note: Book statistics are for the 35th anniversary edition of The Hiding Place. I highly recommend this newest edition because of some new features that have been added, such as a newly designed cover, forward by Joni Eareckson Tada, afterward by John and Elizabeth Sherrill, a ten Boom family tree, and a complete timeline of Corrie's life.
Part of: Stand Alone
Book Review: INCREDIBLY MOVING SAGA OF HEROIC DUTCH FAMILY DURING WW II...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an absolutely extraordinary book. Never have I read a book in which the spiritual beauty of the author so resonated throughout the story. The purity of heart that manifests itself in this inspiring saga of a heroic, Dutch family in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II is stunningly beautiful.
This is the true story of the Ten Boom family who, during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands, upon seeing what was happening to their Jewish neighbors and friends, asked themselves this age old question "If not us,...who; if not now,...when?" They answered it, ultimately at great cost.
The Ten Booms were devoutly Christian and lived a simple life. The patriarch of the family ran a watch shop that had been in his family for a century. Some of the family members, the author among them, worked there, selling and repairing clocks and watches. They also lived in the house in which the shop was located.
When the Nazis occupied their country, the reality of what it meant slowly dawned upon them, as they saw the treatment given to their fellow Dutch citizens of the Jewish faith. Moved by their plight, the author at the age of fifty, together with other members of her family, including their father who was nearly eighty, became active in the Dutch underground.
When it became clear to the Ten Booms that Jews were being targeted for deportation and death, they had a false wall constructed in the author's bedroom, thereby creating a secret room. There, they would hide the terrified Jews who were staying with them, in the event of a Nazi raid upon their home.
Eventually denounced by someone to the Nazis, the Ten Booms were arrested and their home raided and torn apart by the Gestapo, in their search for the Jews they believed to be hiding there. At the time of the raid, the Ten Boom home was filled to capacity with Jews in hiding. So well concealed was the hidden room that had been created by the erection of the false wall, that these poor, terrified Jews managed to escape detection.
The Ten Boom family did not fare so well. It was upon their arrest that they learned first hand of man's inhumanity to man, and their faith was put to a test that they had never dreamt possible. It was faith, however, that sustained the author in what was to be her darkest hour of deepest despair. To find out what happened to the Ten Booms, read this book. It is the story of an incredible family, who had the courage to put their convictions to the test.
This book is a masterpiece. The reader is sure to be captivated by the goodness and spiritual beauty contained within its pages.
Book Review: Timeless, a Classic, Re-read for fresh insights
Summary: 5 Stars
Readers know from the outset Corrie Ten Boom survived to help write the book but it's such an intriguing journey to get there. The authors include numerous jewels along the way, stories that stick with the reader long after the book is back on the shelf: the train ticket held by her father until the perfect time, the test of faith by not lying about family hiding under the kitchen table, the fleas having a purpose, the heartbreak of the love of her life marrying someone else, rebuilding the radio while in prison, the astounding respect and love for her father and sister while incarcerated.
Each chapter utilizes powerful imagery to flesh out an application of Eternal Truth ready for internalizing.
The lessons may be applied to every day life since these were not merely `characters' but most obviously real people, with extreme trials to maneuver in life and in death. Ordinary becomes extraordinary, utilizing compelling subject matter with a page turning writing style exhibiting firm faith in the Lord. It's one of those classics that affords readers immediate application to their own circumstances since they can identify with her and her family on so many levels.
Finally a work like this inspires and uplifts. I found myself continually discovering the answer (Grace) on almost every page to such questions as "Why did God let this happen?" and "How did she do it?". The Hiding Place is a classic I enjoy re-reading every few years. I'm amazed at the fresh perspective I have each time. It's timeless.
One of my favorite poetic verses from Corrie Ten Boom, who quoted it often (it was by Grant Colfax Tullar), is the following:
"My life is but a weaving betwixt my God and me;
I do not choose the colors He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unfold the pattern and explain the reason why.
For the dark threads are as needful in the Weaver's skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned."
Book Review: A book of Christian Faith
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family of watch makers. During WWII Corrie and her family hid Jews throughout Harlem and its vicinity. They were part of the resistance opertions with a large network. Hence, Corrie knew they would eventually be caught, but they continued their life saving activities in spite of the danger. The family was naive and unsophisticated in the ways of the world and they had to learn quickly. Part of their activities included obtaining many forged ration cards for the hidden Jews. When they were caught, they were charged with ration card forgery. Corrie, her sister Betsey and their father were arrested and sent to a horrible prison. The father died after being taken to a hospital, but the sisters were later sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp. Throughout their ordeal they were inspired by their strong Christian faith. Their faith in God and Christ allowed them to endure their privations longer. Betsy died of a lung infection in Ravensbruck, but Corrie survived and was discharged probably because of a clerical error. These two spinsters became unlikely war heroes.
While this is a book about the holocaust, it is also about Christian faith. Treatment at these prisons and camps was worse for the Jews interred there than for political prisoners like the Ten Booms. Still this family risked their lives for total strangers because it was the right thing to do. Because their goal was to do God's work, Corrie also ministered and cared for the traumatized German populace after the war. I read some of the other reviews. This was not a hard book to get into. In fact some parts were page turners. This is not an outstanding work of literature. It is an additional story of the holocaust, the story of the righteous gentile. These Christians who saved Jews at very great risk to themselves deserve special praise. Had more Christians followed their faith during this period in history far fewer Jews would have been exterminated. This book is an easy read and an acceptable book for Jr. high and early high school. Still it is an adult read as well. It is also a good Christian sunday school book.
Book Review: BLESSED BE FLEAS!
Summary: 5 Stars
Once you read THE HIDING PLACE, by Corrie ten Boom, you will never be the same again! Talk about getting your personal faith recharged, this World II account of the ten Boom's efforts to hide Jews from the Nazis, will certainly do it!
Death to Corrie as a child, puzzled her. What was death like? Her father's answer remains one that I cherish, "When you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?" "Just before we get on the train." Her father used that illustration to show her that God would give her just what she needed when she needed it most. Like a talisman, that memory carried her through the horrors of Ravensbruck.
One cold, damp, gray morning at roll-call in prison, a woman, who was ill, fell dead from a guard's bullet. At that moment, when Corrie felt she could endure no more, she heard the clear song of a bird. A small thing in so great a tragedy, yet it contained a spark of hope.
Another highlight in this book: Corrie's sister Betsie thanked God for the fleas in their barracks! I'll tell no more. Read to find out!
Probably, Corrie's darkest hour came while kneeling beside her beloved sister Betsie's emaciated form. Betsie told her with great enthusiasm of a vision she'd experienced the night before. The details of it seemed to Corrie too far-fetched to ever come true. However, it did come true, because Corrie carried Betsie's vision with her after the war.
It proved very difficult for Corrie to forgive the cruelty of the Nazis to her family, but God gave her the "ticket" to do so. What an incredible story of faith lived out in one individual's life!
I enjoyed this book so much that I saw the movie, and it's as good as the book! THE HIDING PLACE remains a re-read classic for me.
Betty L. Sheldon, author of OMNIPIECE