The Hiding Place

Inspirational and wonderfully engaging! It’s a classic for a reason!

This is my third time reading this, but somehow my first review.

What makes this a 5 star book for me isn't that it is a literary masterpiece, although the writing is fine. It's the story and the telling of it--this is among the most powerful WW II underground resistance stories once it's read all the way through.

Corrie Ten Boom, the first licensed watchmaker in the Netherlands, was over 50 when she began her cell to help Jews and resistance people to hide from the Nazis. While people were in the house they practised a drill so they could all make it here before Nazis entered the house:

<img src="https://jontrott.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/hiding-place.jpg"/> (that's Corrie much later). The most impressive time was when a number of people were cramped in that spot for several days when the Ten Booms, betrayed, were arrested.

Ten Boom and her sister ended up, after two prior spots, in the death camp, Ravensbrück; Corrie was released due to a clerical error (no spoiler since she co-authored the book) but in case you don't already know her story I'll stop here.

this book gave me a lot of anxiety, but I was fascinated by corries ability to constantly go back to god and rely on him

If I was going to describe this book in one phrase, it would probably be "Miracles do happen." There are so many things I want to say, but I am just going to list a few. The hiding place is a story of a truly amazingly faithful and strong Christian family living in holland who are "running" an anti-Nazi underground. If you ever want to see how real miracles are, read this book. Countless times, miracles from God came to rescue Corrie and her family, saving Corrie's life several times. To tell you how strong Christians Corrie and her family were, just picture laying in a cold, dark room packed tight against other women, laying on visibly lice infested straw mats as beds,fleas biting your legs and guess what the first thing that comes to Betsie(Corries sister) mind? She says to Corrie that they must thank god in all circumstances, that they should thank god for the fleas. This book did take me a lot longer to get through and got a little boring at times, but reading this story and trying to understand how this can actually be true kept me reading. I don't really know how to put a rating on this book so I am just going to slap 4 stars on it, but I would defiantly recommend reading this at least once in your life.

More captivating than most novels you'll read and exponentially more edifying and inspiring than the average "Christian living" book. I cried, I was on the edge of my seat, I worshipped and I finished the book thanking God for the life and legacy of the ten Boom family.

As always I LOVE THIS BOOK!! My second or third time through and I could never recommend it enough

I read this way too fast, sad but hopeful and so so good!

This book is so inspiring I believe EVERYONE should read it. It’s incredibly raw and real through all of life’s challenges. Full of courage, hope, and meaning.

From the point of view of learning about WWII I loved this book. It felt like Anne Frank from the perspective of those doing the hiding. I don't read a lot of biographies or non-fiction and felt like this one was fantastic. It read like a story rather than history. The one thing that I had an issue with was the excessive religion. I understand that it was probably the only reason they held on to any hope and managed to get through all of this alive but it felt like propaganda to me (as I am not personally religious, I felt like I was being preached to for a lot of the book.) Overall though, for anyone interested in history in general and WWII in particular, this book is absolutely worth a read.

Even a religious cynic like me can't help but admire the Ten Booms and the unwavering faith this Dutch family exudes after being arrested while protecting Jews during the German occupation of Holland. Corrie and her sister Betsie stand up to their almost unbearable prison conditions with their smuggled Bible tucked lovingly under their filthy clothing. They (especially Betsie) see God's hand in everything - including the fleas. Even while suffering, these sisters find ways to share their love and the hope that their faith brings them to their fellow prisoners. Corrie remembers herself struggling with her faith and marveling at Betsie's ability to find the good in all. But Corrie is pretty darn impressive too. A moving account of a monstrous time in history.

It's been a really long time since I've read a really substantial book. My students were supposed to read this for a book project, but it ended up being too long and would take far too much time for us to read in class. I read it instead, and I can't say how glad I am that I did. This spiritually reaffirming and shockingly human story of love, loss, family and forgiveness is inspiring. I will recommend this book to everyone I know.

Yes, I gave 5 stars to a non-fiction book :) This is a really good book, the best stuff is near the end, and it is easy to read because it reads like fiction. A lot of great messages.

The first time I read this book was in high school. In reading it again before introducing it to my high schooler, I realize what a brilliant historical document this is and how remarkable the Ten Boom family truly was. Some reviewers here have mentioned the book just being another tool for evangelism, but I would argue that faith can help get through the worst of times. I would also say that although though Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian and that was her approach in all of her interactions that she was very respectful of those of other faiths, including Judiasm and Roman Catholicism. She does have one particularly disturbing encounter with one group, but at the end of the day she still treated them with kindness and respect, as she also tries to do with the Nazi officers she encountered. I will keep my 5-star review based on content and who this memoir was about. My only critism would be that I do think that it is a bit sugar-coated. Although the co-authors were very candid in parts, I do think a lot was not shared - likely due to book length and sensitivity to the target audience.

This book goes into depth in the question of honesty, faith, truth, and forgiveness. Corrie's story is truly inspirational and in the same vane absolutely heartbreaking. I love this book and the message it brings to the world. Please read this book

the end of this book made me cry . because I was so happy it was over , I cried a river of joyful tears . how coincidental that I would want to hide from the hiding place !? actually, not very considering I don’t know a soul that enjoyed this book .

Sorry, I accidentally put one star but I have not read this yet! Please ignore it until I read this haha!