The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
It’s been well over two weeks since I finished reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and I’m still asking myself how could I have missed this fascinating book about the holocaust. Corrie and her sister Betsie, both unmarried “spinsters” live at home in Holland with their father and a myriad of aunts. The family owns a watch shop, which later becomes a front as they begin to save Jews from the Nazi party. If you can find a more Christian family, I’d like for you to tell me, because the unwavering faith and love that this family has for God and all of mankind is unbelievable.
As the war breaks out, their simple life begins to change. Many of their Jewish friends are losing their shops, their families, and are soon disappearing. The Ten Boom house has always been a place of safe refuge for those needing a place to stay and the Jews are no exception.
‘In this household,’ Father said, ‘God’s people are always welcome.’
The family soon becomes a central place for the underground resistance. It all begins with the ration cards of which Corrie said,
” . . . Just get the cards if you possibly can.”
Fred stared at me a moment. “How many do you need?”
I opened my mouth to say, “Five.” But the number than unexpectedly and astonishingly came out instead was, “One hundred.”
And with that statement, Corrie and her family has no idea just how far they will go to help those in need. They made arrangements to hide Jews throughout the countryside and when spaces became full they soon had a household of Jews themselves. A secret room was built, buzzer’s installed, and drills performed around the clock so as to warn and protect themselves at all time. They weren’t alone in their efforts. Many people from all walks of life aided them. Of them, Corrie said,
We didn’t know, of course, the political views of all these people. But – and here I felt a strange leaping of my heart – God did! My job was simply to follow His leading one step at a time, holding every decision up to Him in prayer. I knew I was not clever or subtle or sophisticated; if the Beje was becoming a meeting place for need and supply, it was through some strategy far higher than mine.
Corrie and her family opened their home to all. But it had its risks and everything came crashing down when Corrie and her entire family are arrested on the grounds of sympathizing and aiding the Jews. It was in prison that her father died. Corrie was in solitary confinement and as the war front moved closer to Holland the Nazi’s transfered Corrie and her sister Betsie to a concentration camp inside Germany.
This was a real eye-opener for me. I had no idea that normal non-Jewish citizens were sent to concentration camps. There they faced horrendous living conditions and were forced to work. Although they were stripped naked and searched when entering the camp, Corrie miraculously smuggled in a small Bible and together with her sister began holding Bible readings to boost morale. While there Corrie’s faith began to waver, but Betsie never did.
I was particularly struck with this passage that begins with Corrie reading from the Bible and Betsie’s reaction:
” . . . ‘Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus -’”
“That’s it, Corrie! That’s His answer. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances! That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!”
I stared at her, than around me at the dark, foul-aired room.
“Such as?” I said.
“Such as being assigned here together.”
I bit my lip. “Oh yes, Lord Jesus!”
“Such as what you’re holding in your hands.”
I looked down at the Bible. “Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages.”
“Yes,” said Betsie. “Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!” She look at me espectatnly. “Corrie!” she prodded.
“Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.”
“Thank You,” Betsie went on serenely, “for the fleas and for -”
The fleas! This was too much. “Bestsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.”
“‘Give thanks in all circumstances,;” she quoted. “It doesn’t say ‘in pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are a part of this place where God has put us.”
And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.
Corrie and Betsie are incredulous that out of all the barracks in the concentration camp, their barracks are the only one that the guards will not enter, thus leaving them some degree of freedom. They find out later, it’s because of the fleas. Corrie really is grateful for those fleas.
It turns cold and conditions are bleak. Betsie’s health declines and she soon dies leaving Corrie alone. Through a clerical order, Corrie is released and returns back home to a very different home than the one that she left. After the war ends, Corrie fulfills Betsie’s last wishes and devotes all of her time and energy into forgiveness and healing.
You may read a history of the Boom family at the Corrie Ten Boom website here. The family shop and home has also been made into a museum for those of you who may visit Holland. There was a movie
Corrie passed away in 1983, on her 91st birthday after a lifetime of service to all those around her. The Hiding Place was a vivid account of those who are willing to risk their lives for those in need and aren’t scared to do what they know is right. Corrie was truly Christlike in all that she did. I highly recommend this memoir to all those who have not yet discovered it.
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Category: Book Reviews, Memoir/Biography, Nonfiction
Tags: book to movie, E-H Title, Genocide, Holocaust, Q-T Author, World War II
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Wasn’t this book wonderful? I read it a few years ago on my mother’s suggestion and was a little reluctant but it was such a powerful one. If my facts are straight, only about half of the people in the concentration camps were Jews (well, a little over half maybe).
on May 22nd, 2008 at 5:04 amI’ve read this a couple times. It is an amazing story.
on May 22nd, 2008 at 5:40 amI’m ashamed to say that although I know this story well, I have never actually read the book. I need to move it higher up the TBR list.
on May 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 amIndeed an amazing book.
on May 22nd, 2008 at 6:26 amWhat a beautiful review you’ve done for this tremendous book. It is a powerful book.
on May 22nd, 2008 at 7:51 amI agree with Nicola, what a lovely review. I’ve also read this a few times and I’ve always loved it!
on May 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pmI too read this a couple years ago. I’d forgotten about it till now. I do remember the talk of forgiveness, which was so moving.
on May 23rd, 2008 at 4:08 amThanks for reminding me about this wonderful book. We read it for book club last year and had such a great discussion. One of the ladies in attendance is actually from the Netherlands and had visited the Ten Boom home. It was really neat to hear her perspective on it. I think we sometimes forget the effects that a war has on a country for many, many years afterward. We haven’t had a war on our own land for almost 150 years so I think we can’t fully understand what it’s like.
on May 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 amHuh, I’m not surprised you missed it because I’ve never heard of it. It sounds like a book that should be included in the Holocaust section of school curriculums. Maybe they were concerned it was too religious? Hmm.
on May 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 pmI cannot tell you how many times I read this book in my teen years! I loved it, and then I tried to read as many books about Corrie as I could. She was definitely an inspirational woman.
on May 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 pmI loved this book and almost everything else written by Corrie Ten Boom. Her book In My Father’s House tells of her childhood. Fascinating!
on May 24th, 2008 at 3:11 amThank you all for your wonderful thoughts. I would like to read more of Corrie Ten Boom’s books. I’m looking forward to watching the film and will leave my comments when I’m done.
on May 24th, 2008 at 4:17 pmI haven’t read this book yet, but I live in Haarlem where the Ten Boom house is located. There’s a watch/jewelery shop downstairs and you can take tours of the house. Sounds like a good project for me this summer.
on June 4th, 2008 at 7:22 amI didn’t know you wrote a review of this book. It’s one of my favorites that I read for school. What she and her family did was amazing.
on July 18th, 2008 at 2:04 pmwell for one you said Nollie lived at the Beje… that is incorrect. Betsie was the sister who lived at the Beje with Corrie and her father
on May 16th, 2009 at 10:00 amEmma – Thanks for your comment! I see I referenced her as Nollie in the first part of the review and as Betsie in the second half of the review. Off to fix.
on May 17th, 2009 at 12:36 amI read this aloud to my children when they got old enough to handle it. We faked German and Dutch accents and all. I would have to pass the book to one of them when I started crying too hard. A life-changer for all of us.
on July 13th, 2009 at 3:20 pmFor Trish:
“Only about half the people in the concentration camps were Jews”. That is most certainly not true. The largest concentration of Jews in Europe was in Poland. They were almost all wiped out. Some who survived the war and returned were killed by Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians and others. Not only were the Jews murdered, but a whole way of life was wiped out. Let’s not forget on whose account Corrie and her family and many others suffered and why.
on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:04 am