The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
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The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Going into this book, I knew a little about the Ten Boom family, especially Corrie. I found her story fascinating. My kids watched the Torchlighters episode featuring Corrie Ten Boom, and I previously read the Christian Heroes book about her. I pre-read the book for my kids, and that was the first real introduction I had to Corrie and her story. I was public-schooled, so of course I was very familiar with Anne Frank. However, I had never heard the name Corrie Ten Boom until 5 years ago, in my early to mid 30’s. How I wish I had known this name earlier.
This last year, I picked up The Hiding place. It’s Corrie Ten Boom’s story written by Corrie herself. The book tells of the “hiding place” in her home she had for the jews her family was helping to rescue, and comes back full circle during her time at the concentration camps when she realizes that her personal hiding place is Jesus, giving “The Hiding Place” two different, but powerful, meanings.
The description says… “"Every experience God gives us . . . is the perfect preparation for the future only He can see."--Corrie ten Boom
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.
Here is the riveting account of how Corrie and her family were able to save many of God's chosen people. For 35 years millions have seen that there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. Now The Hiding Place, repackaged for a new generation of readers, continues to declare that God's love will overcome, heal, and restore.”
Obviously, I went into it knowing this would be a heavy read. I had 2 goals in picking up this book.
Pre-screen the book for my children to see what age would be appropriate for them to start this book.
Read it for myself, as I have yet to read The Hiding Place
The books recommended age is 13+, so please take that into consideration.
The Hiding Place - Part 1 Overview
I learned so much about Corrie from these early chapters that were not discussed in other works about her life. We learn about her family in great detail, her early years growing up in the Beje, and some of her many adventures. Her family seemed like such a loving, bright spot in the early chapters that you almost forget about the horror they will face. Corrie tells of her mother, Mama, her sisters Nollie and Betsie, and her doting father. We see the love they have for each other, the unbreakable bond they share, and how Papa leads his family. In the day and age of silly fathers, we see a strong, Christian man who was dedicated to God and his family above all else. It’s absolutely refreshing. We see Papa lead Bible study, prayer, and reading each morning and night, even after his children are adults.
We don’t read about much violence in these early chapters until they have a Hitler Youth come work in the watch shop that Papa owns. This young man is violent toward Christoffles, which gets him fired. Around the same time, we read about the air raids in Holland, and how it scares Betsie and Corrie. We do read about a few deaths in the family, 2 aunts and Mama, and how it impacted the family. We see several siblings married off, and eventually how the remaining 3 members in the household interact. Corrie starts slowing telling of how the Nazi occupation of Holland starts, and how those changes effected their daily lives. She and her family worry about members of their community disappearing, people being put into the back of trucks, and the stars worn by members of their neighborhood. We get a real first hand account of these changes happening slowly, then more and more building up to what is to come for the Ten Boom family.
We learn of her brother Peter orchestrating an underground network to help the local Jews. The Ten Boom family starts taking in Jews to help them as well, trying to hide them from the Gestapo. Their bravery in such circumstances is something you don’t read much of in contemporary novels.
The Hiding Place - Part 2 Overview
The second half of the book focuses on Corrie’s time in prison and in the different camps she was a prisoner at.
This is the harder part of the book to get through, but also the part that I couldn’t put down. I spent the better part of a day reading through this entire section. Hour upon hour, I couldn’t rest until I knew what happened to Corrie and her family.
Obviously, we’re going to see and hear about death through Corrie’s eyes. However I want to focus on one main point; throughout all of this, Corrie turns her eyes (and ours, as readers) back to Christ and Scripture. Time and time again, Corrie defaults back to the Word, the suffering of Christ, and prays when she’s struggling.
We even see her and her sister’s compassion for the Nazi’s who continually abuse them. Her faith is not only inspiring, but as a Christian, she is a model of prayer. I long to be like Corrie in my own thinking. While reading this with your kids, really focus in on that point. That’s what Corrie was trying to tell us in this story; God was in control.
Points of Concern
For a book about the Holocaust, Corrie takes a gentle approach, even when talking about sickness, death, and abuse.
We hear her talk about sickness often, especially because her sister Betsie becomes gravely ill. She talks briefly about the sickness, diseases, and such at different points of the story.
The guards get physically abusive at times. I didn’t find this overly graphic and suited for the 13+ age recommendation.
Corrie talks about the smoke stacks a few times, and the time she realized what it was. Again, it was presented gently but it may be hard for sensitive children. She also speaks of the men being shot.
I didn’t find any concerning cursing in this book. I’m sure there was cursing, but Ten Boom took care not to repeat the words in her retelling.
Readers will come face to face with death in this book, from beginning to end. Spoiler alert; we hear about the deaths of her parents, sisters, and friends. Presented gently, Corrie again focuses on Christ through each death. We also see how she got through each death in her thinking, prayers, and powerful testimony.
The second half of the book faces a LOT of suffering and death. But we also see how she rose above each hurdle through prayer and Scripture. She is a model Christian throughout this entire ordeal and someone I wish I had read about earlier in life.
Final Thoughts
I’m sure if Corrie were alive today, she’d tell you that she wasn’t the main character in this story; Christ was. This was not just a retelling of her life, but a beautiful story of how God delivered her at her worst times and points of suffering. This book changed the way I looked at the Holocaust, suffering, and death as a Christian. I’d put it on a list of books that every Christian needs to read.
I marveled at how Corrie stood firm in faith, at her bravery, her sacrifice, and her resilience. I hope to have an ounce of the faith she had during her life.
Scriptural Points for Discussion
How did God use Corrie’s suffering to help others?
Corrie tried very hard to see the best in each situation. How can you do the same in your life?
Betsie praised God for fleas. Could you praise God for things or situations that may seem bad in the moment?
The first thing Corrie asked for in prison was a Bible. What would have been the first thing you would have asked for? What does that tell you about Corrie’s mindset?
How hard do you think it was for Corrie to grant forgiveness to the Nazi?
In what ways did God use the Ten Boom family?
How did the Lord protect the Ten Boom family throughout their lives?
What does the Lord’s protection and provision for the Ten Booms tell you about him? This should lead into a conversation about sovereignty.
Corrie said her hiding place was in Christ. What does that mean? Is your hiding place in Christ?
How has Corrie’s life story impacted you spiritually? What have you learned that you didn’t know before about the Holocaust?
