Customer Reviews

The Hiding Place

5 star:		(262)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

This book stands so far above the pack that five stars is not a high enough rating.

Of all the books I've ever read, this is the one that has remained in my mind and my heart for many years. Corrie Ten Boom is a real life super-hero. This unforgettable lady survived the horrors of life in a concentration camp and went on to write a book that has reached out and touched hearts and souls around the world. I do not know or care if this book is "well written" because it is what she has to tell you that matters. You will weep as you read this book, you will look at your world with new eyes and you just may find the light of your faith rekindled. If you want a book that touches your very soul and just may change your life, read this one.

I've been aware of this book for a number of years, and finally read it when my friend Ann said I was missing a great story. Now, after reading it, I'm encouraging everyone to do the same.

The story begins in 1937 when a Dutch family is preparing for the 100th birthday of the family shop, Ten Boom: Watches. Flowers are being delivered and friends are calling to help celebrate the day. The conversation centers around Germany and the Jews who are coming to Holland for asylum. The Ten Boom's and their guests could not have foreseen what was to come. Their world had changed.

This is the autobiographical story of Corrie Ten Boom and how she and her family worked for the Dutch underground movement during World War II. The family were Christians and took a very strong stand against the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Corrie's father, a kindly, religious man, summed up his thoughts on the Nazis by saying, "I pity them Corrie. They have touched the apple of God's eye."

Corrie and her sister, Betsie were two ladies aged 45 and 52 years of age, respectively. They are the unlikely heroines of this story. Never married and rather innocent of the world, they proved the old saying that "you can't tell a book by its cover." Both sisters risked everything they had including their lives to save people they didn't even know.

In today's world of "me first", it's so encouraging to read a story of a family that truly lived their faith and practiced the Golden Rule.

I don't typically read books of faith and that is what I perceived The Hiding Place to be. So, in beginning The Hiding Place, I had preconceived notions of what the book had to offer. I was very wrong. Boy, was I wrong.

This book doesn't preach. Plain and simple. It doesn't tell you what you should or shouldn't do. In its style, this book embraces objectivism and humanism. But all that is beside the point.

From the liner notes, I knew that the main character and her family had helped the Jews during WWII and were caught and imprisoned, so the book was not about the destination, but the journey - and what a beautiful journey it was. Similar to other reviews - I was inspired (not converted yet, but inspired). I can recognize and appreciate the fact that the ten Boom family were exceptional in their courage and their faith - and I cannot deny that it was their faith that gave them the strength to overcome all they encountered. Never at any time, however, did I feel like I was being preached to. Quite the contrary, I felt like I had the opportunity to look through a window into something quite wonderful that left in me a feeling of awe. These people were quite amazing.

I would compare the book to The Good Earth in its simple, straight forward view of a simple life turned outrageous. The message was one of human (and spiritual) strength. If you like to read, you'll probably enjoy this book.

The ultimate "Hiding Place" is within God. Such a short and simple statement, that holds great power. This simple fact was divinely revealed during the Holocaust for Corrie Ten Boom and her family, and in this book, HIDING PLACE, she shares what happened.

Corrie, a native of Holland in her early 50's, became involved in the underground movement to hide Jews and others persecuted by the Germans. Holland was invaded by the Germans which made it very difficult to hide the refugees, as well as hide Corrie's role in their protection. While hiding several refugees in a false room in her bedroom, Corrie and her sister Betsy, as well as their aged father are taken prisoner by the Germans.

Corrie is ill, while Betsy has suffered from an ailment since childhood and has always been frail. They are separated and do not see each other for quite some time.

While being moved to another prison, the sisters are reunited and Betsy, by example only, helps Corrie cement her faith in God as well as learn to rely on him and trust solely in him.

Again and again, Corrie is able to hide her small bible that a kindly nurse was able to slip to her. She hid it through numerous, supervised showers and naked inspections. God's Hiding Place was in action.

Fleas that disgusted the guards became another thing to thank God for, as they created a "Hiding Place" for Corrie and Betsy as they revealed God's word to other captives and were able to give new life and hope in God.

The sisters endure many humiliations and hardships that no human being should ever have to even dream about. Throughout all, their faith in God is strengthened and the book gives example after example of how this faith is met by God.

I wept while reading this book, and I was ashamed that I complain about small things: Whether or not my neck hurts today, or I'm put out because my favorite TV show isn't on. I fear that I would have died a very bitter person if I were in that circumstance. If I am faced with tribulation, I hope that I would not, but that I would instead remember and be inspired by Corrie's story.

Recommended
Yes

Pros
Honestly and humbly, reveals God's power in the worst of circumstances.

Cons
None

The Bottom Line
Get this book and read it. Buy multiple copies and give them to everyone. We should all be so humble and take refuge in the Hiding Place.

This story has to be the best story I have ever read. It's the kind of story that grabs you. It was amazing to see how God works in people's lives. When I started reading it, I became interested and couldn't stop reading until I was done.

The story takes place during world War 2, and it is about two wonen named Corrie Ten Boom and Betsie. They were Christian wonen and loved God with all their hearts. At this particular time, Hitleer was persecuting the Jews because he thought they were a pest to the human race.

During World War 2, Corrie took Jews into her house and let them stay there. She had many ways of hiding them from the Nazi guards. She would hide the Jews in the walls whenever the guards came near the house. jAt the risk of her life and her family's lives, would hide them because they felt it was the right thing to do. As the story goes on, she gets caught hiding some Jewish people in her house, and both she and her sister are shipped to a concentration camp. While she was there, she saw many horrors. It was amazing what the guards would do to the jewish people. The Nazis were very cruel to Corrie and her sister, and put them through many hardships. It was only by God's grace that they made it out in good shape. God never left them even through all the terrible times they experienced.

I just finished reading this book;
And I can confidently say it is the most powerful story
I have ever read. In short; the example Corrie and her Sister Betsie and their family set- is one of true courage and faith in
the goodness of God. If you are having complaints about your life for whatever reason; read this true story and it will help you continually put your life into perspective; and serve as a teaching tool of how to be thankful to God for every single thing (even the fleas! lol!)

I would reccomend everyone to read this book; it is humbling and exemplary of how the Christian faith is to be lived; even through the most horrifying experiences- God wants us to think like survivors- Like Corrie and her family did.

The Hiding Place is an incredible book about Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie ten Boom's lives in World War II. Through all her struggles, her faith in God and Jesus was never lost.

The beginning of this book is about the Pre-war years in the Beje, their old, lovely house in Haarlem, Holland. When the Germans invaded Holland, many Jews were scared and worried about their future. Many ventured into the Beje to speak to Corrie ten Boom's father who was a great figure in their community who believed deeply in religion. Corrie decided that is was only right to help these "orphans" and found "safe" houses for them. Soon Jews steadily made their way to the Beje for guidance.

In this way the ten Booms got involved in the Holland underground at the risk of their lives. Soon her family's house became the underground headquarters in their sector of Holland.

Corrie provided for these guests through her many connections in the underground, whether it be a retired meterman or a policeman. Through another friend they built a fake wall to conceal the Jews in an emergency. Yet, the web of contacts had become so huge that it was inevitable they would be caught.

And so it happened that Corrie, her three siblings, her father, and other people that were in the Beje were caught late in February 1944. From then on Corrie and Betsie discovered jail, death, punishment, hunger, cruelty, and, most importantly, their faith in God.

I have almost nothing bad to say about this book. The beginning left a little bit to be desired but all in all this was an incredible book that was impossible to put down. You MUST read this book if you are interested in WWII or the Resistance. If you like books about this subject click on my name for more suggestions.

A few years ago, when I was dealing with Anxiety attacks, I thought my life was bad and it couldn't get any worse. My counselor suggested I read this book to show me that no matter how bad things got, I always had a Hiding Place from suffering... that place was with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Corrie Ten Boom writes of going through an ordeal that most people couldn't imagine in their worst nightmares. Yet, through it all, she kept and even gained strength by trusting in the Lord.

For anyone who is going through a tough time in their life, this book is for you. After reading this book, I realized my problems were very small and I was comforted knowing at anytime there was someone I could turn to for love, re-assurance and eternal salvation. My Lord Jesus Christ....my "Hiding Place".

What I have learned in this book has directly and indirectly been used throughout many years of my life. No other story has affected me like The Hiding Place. It has been such an encouragement; and how blessed I am to know about the ten Boom family and Corrie's testimony! Her books and videos have had a profound impact on me and countless others.