Corrie ten Boom and her family
became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in
a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help,
all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their
story.
Let me start off by saying that I have read many, many
Holocaust memoirs and this is by far one of my favorites. A huge thing that
makes this book stand out from others about this awful time in human history is
that Corrie ten Boom was not even Jewish- she was a Dutch Christian woman in
her 50s when Nazis occupied her homeland in Holland and changed her world
forever.
Corrie,
and the authors that helped her, give you some background about her family
members and allow you to get to know them and their personalities a little bit
before the main part of the war begins. I am happy that they did this because
it makes the reader feel closer to these people and connect with them first
instead of just rushing to the main events of the story.
I
also enjoyed Corrie’s perspective, as she is not coming from the point of view of
someone typically involved in the Holocaust. She did not feel that she was an adventurous
or brave person by any means but she proved this over and over again as she hid
and rescued countless Jews from an otherwise unspeakable fate. She suffered,
too, but did not falter from her beliefs in God.
I
love this book. I love Corrie’s strength and I love her heart. If you are
looking for an inspiring story that shows you that people can fully trust in
God, look out for each other, find light and hope in dark, miserable times,
then this is the one for you. If you only ever read one book about the
Holocaust, try this one. I promise, you will love it.
-Busy Brunette
