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Thousands of Jewish refugees...
One extraordinary family.
An old watchmaker in Holland. His two daughters, Corrie and Betsie. Simple, ordinary people. Yet these three unlikely heroes became the center of a major underground operation: To hide Jewish refugees from the occupying Germans. These kindly, law abiding people broke every rule in the book to save the lives of the men, women and children being hunted by the Nazis. Their home became a hiding place, but the cost of their bravery was betrayal and in the dreaded Ravensbruck concentration camp, they had to create another hiding place for those around them.
AshtonHarrison
Posted Mon Nov 22 00:00:00 EST 2010
The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, is an autobiography that takes place in the harsh landscapes of Holland and Germany during WWII. It describes the trials and tribulation that people of all faiths had to endure during this time. More specifically it focuses on the Christian walk and demonstrates God's everlasting love, grace, and power. This is the story of Corrie Ten Boom being condemned to a Nazi concentration camp after speaking out against their human rights atrocities. Some of the major themes that stand out as Ten Boom stumbles with her faith are: learn to lean solely on Jesus' strength, God will provide, love everyone and lastly, there are no coincidences. Perhaps the most prominent of these would be 'love everyone' and 'there are no coincidences'. Corrie is perpetually challenged with loving others. It is easy to love the victims, but hard to love the antagonists. Corrie's father tells her when she is young: "Whenever we cannot love the old, human way, Corrie, God can give us the perfect way." (Ten Boom 45) As humans, our minds are often corrupted by our own selfish thoughts, misunderstandings, and influences. Only God's perspective is the perfect one. Only God can accurately judge and separate the good from the bad. When Ten Boom has trouble loving her captors she learns to lean on God and asks him for his perfect love. In the autobiography, Corrie expresses how hard it was for her to love the people that were so inhumanely cruel to her and to her sister. However, as her father also says in another passage :"Love is the strongest force in the world" (Ten Boom 44). Not even the blackest hatred can conquer the purity and wholesomeness of God's love. Another example of God's flawlessness is the other prominent theme: 'there are no coincidences.' Everything in each of our lives is perfectly fit together. Even when we make a seemingly fatal wrong decision, God uses it to His glory and works it into his master plan. An example from the book would be the fleas in Corrie's sleeping quarters. She is repulsed by them and complains to her sister who then encourages her to see the beauty and to praise God in everything. Later on the reader discovers that the guards refused to enter the barracks because of the fleas, giving them more freedom to preach. Even the smallest happening can make the biggest difference when we give our lives to Christ Jesus. He will use everything to his glory. There are no coincidences. The constant themes in the autobiography were both encouraging and uplifting. I loved how every theme connected and made a huge impact on Corrie in the end. It really gives some insight on my own life. If Corrie was able to forgive the wrong doings of the Nazi soldiers against her and her family, how is it that it is difficult for me to forgive the petty wrong doings of my peers against me. It just goes to show when we are not in unison with Jesus how self-centered we become. This book was over-all very well-written and had a great message. I don't think there is anything I did not like about the book except that I wish the author would have written more about her life after the war. I would recommend The Hiding Place to anyone twelve and older because younger children would most likely not be able to fully understand and appreciate the deeper meanings presented in the text. Other books I would recommend are The Book Thief and The Heavenly Man. I give this novel a perfect five stars for diction, syntax, and
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Dec 04 00:00:00 EST 2011
This story is the most inspirational story i've read in a long time. I won't do it justice with this review, it is a "must read" for anyone seeking a lift for their heart and soul.
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Sep 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011
This book is truly inspiring, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The story of the author's life shows that you can go through anything in life, no matter how hard, and there is still a positive in every situation. Personally, it gave me a reality check on the way I was living. I really loved the perspective Corrie Ten Boom gave us on the holocaust. Being able to read the circumstances of her decisions to make a hiding place for some of the poor Jewish citizens in Haarlem in her own home and then to treat them like family is something that I cannot even imagine. Getting a view from the inside, gives an opportunity to all of us who weren't there to comprehend their suffering, and how they turned their lives around afterwards, too. The only thing I did not like about this book is that since it is a true story, and it covers her whole life, the beginning in my opinion, is a little slow. The imagery she uses is wonderful but I felt it to be a tad unnecessary to the plot of the story. But, I must say, once the plot speeds up, it does not slow down until the last few pages. I think anyone, especially the youth in today's society should read this book, because it is a reminder of those who went before us to grant us the freedoms we currently enjoy and often take for granted. Like I said it could impact your life like it did mine. Overall, this book is breathtaking.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Aug 05 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Wow! This book illustrates the extremes of both good and evil. Narrow is the path to unconditional love and forgiveness which is through Jesus! I stand in awe!
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Aug 09 00:00:00 EDT 2011
I realized when reading this book the you can overcome tradgedies and Corrie ten Boom is the best example of that.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Dec 24 00:00:00 EST 2012
inspiring - changed my life - God is good.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Sep 16 00:00:00 EDT 2009
I Also Recommend:
This book was very good! like awesomely good! It's about a woman hiding Jews in her house during the holocaust and they get caught. She and her family is taken to prison and later put in a concentration camp. It is a very touching and inspirational story. If you want something to read in a cozy chair one rainy afternoon this is the book.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri May 14 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I Also Recommend:
The novel The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom is a memoir based on the events that occurred during the Holocaust and World War II in Holland. Corrie and her family are full of compassion towards individuals, and decide to use their home as a safety for the Jews in the area in order to bring them protection from the Nazis. Her family becomes involved in the "underground" as Jews begin to dwell permanently in their home. One particular day, a spy arrives at the ten Boom residence, and orders the family to a prison in the Dutch area. However, the Jew residents are safe and sound in the "hiding place." The ten Boom's stay at the prison was a rude wake-up call to the harshness of reality-with guards abusing inmates emotionally and physically. However, during this trial, Corrie's faith develops into a strong chain which can never be broken, and she does not lose hope. When she was released in 1945, Corrie used her gift of love to minister to those who were abused during the Holocaust.
Many themes were present in this work, but the most relevant theme was faith. In this novel, Corrie and her sister Betsie are forced to stay in prison for some time. Instead of dreading each day in the cell, they have grasped hope for the future, and believe that their God will help them through this rough situation in their lives. These sisters believe that faith will get them through each day, and they persevere until the end.
This book allowed me to gain a better understanding on the Holocaust, and to view this event in a different perspective than I have in the past. Also, the real events written about in these pages grasped my attention. They allowed me to behold real examples of the events which had taken place during this time period in order to step into the Boom's shoes. However, this book did have a lingering beginning which dragged on, and it took awhile for the book to get off to a decent start. Also, there were some dry spots in between where I had lost interest.
Every individual should read this book because it is a wonderful example of the past history of the world. It allows each person to grasp a better understanding of the Holocaust, and view it in a different perspective than they had before. Also, it allows for the growing of knowledge on this major event which has occurred and is still discussed today.
Night by Elie Wiesel is another great novel which is very relevant to The Hiding Place. It is also about the happenings of the Holocaust, and a boy's journey during the events which he had experienced. Overall, I would rate this novel a four out of five stars due to its powerful message, however it could have been more interesting. The Hiding Place is a great novel in which one should read to gain a better understanding of the Holocaust.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Mar 05 00:00:00 EST 2013
"The Hiding Place" is a book that recounts the life and times of Corrie Ten Boom who lived through the events of the Holocaust during World War II. Her family once lived in a home that was also a watch shop, in the city of Haarlem, where her dad repaired watches and clocks. Corrie's family had a few deaths before the invasion began due to uncurable illnesses. The story is a detailed account of how she and her family chose to live their lives. During the war, her family risked their lives to help Jews escape the Nazis, by providing them food and shelter. Often times they had to hide people in their closets, as the Nazis stormed homes in order to find illegal Jews. Every week the Nazis would add on rules and regulations with which they must follow eventually leading more and more Jewish citizens into captivity due to their faith. The Nazis often confiscated their radios and electronics so no one knew what was coming. Corrie and her family were always aware of the risks involved with hiding the Jews. But they also knew that it was important to do the right thing. Even though a soldier found out and beat Corrie and her sister to try to get them to tell where all the Jews were hiding, they didn't say a word. Before long, almost all the Jews were discovered and taken away to concentration camps for years. Corrie was very strong in prison, and she often read portions of the Bible to comfort her in her ordeal. She also enjoyed what little time she spent with her sister who was sick. In the end, Corrie was mistakingly realeased. She is the only one of her family to survive and tell this story of how faith overcomes evil. After the war was over, Corrie went to sixty different countrys to reach people for Christ and tell her amazing story for many people to hear for generations to come.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 2013
This my favorite book. It reminds me to be very appreciative of everything I have. I would like to see all our teenagers have to read this as this is one of our problems with them today.
It also gives me more appreciation of the Bible and of the freedoms we have.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Jan 26 00:00:00 EST 2013
The Triumphant True Story of Corrie ten Boom.
The biography of Corrie ten Boom's life during World War II is amazing. So much is packed into this profound book! From the very first chapter---no, the very first page!---I immediately connected with the story. It begins in the normal, happy days of Corrie's life, before the German invasion. I was actually surprised at how cheerful everything could be, and all the joy in the ten Boom household. This is the true story of her life.
Who was Corrie ten Boom?
She was the daughter of a watchmaker, and in fact, she was quite a skilled watchmaker herself. With her family being Dutch Christians, the Nazis did not come after the ten Booms---that is, not until later as Corrie and her family, gradually, secretly, became leaders in the Underground. They only did what was best for the forlorn Jews that entered into the ten Boom's house, even though it cost them everything.
When you first "meet" Corrie in the book, she is already a 45-year-old woman. She was at that time filled with such energy and sprightliness, and I believe it is that very outlook she had on life that helped her through the trials of Scheveningen Prison and Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. In the part of Corrie's life that this book talks about, she lives in the Beje (the name of the family's house) with her older sister, Betsie, and their elderly father. It was in their house that I recall a specific section in chapter one that forewarned of the terrors ahead:
...."It was a day for memories. A day for calling up the past. How could we have guessed as we sat there---two middle-aged spinsters and an old man---that in place of memories were about to be given adventures such as we have never dreamed of? Adventure and anguish, horror and heaven were just around the corner, and we did not know."
...."Oh Father! Betsie! If I had known would I have gone ahead? Could I have done the things I did?"
Through everything the ten Boom family endured, they found some way to honor God and actually be thankful for the awful predicaments they were put in. To think that sleeping in damp, flea-infested beds could open an obscure opportunity! As I read chapter after chapter, it seemed that wherever Corrie and Betsie were, strange and wonderful surprises happened. There were so many blessings in the midst of fright and violence, that I simply lost count of them all. I know the reason why these gifts were showered on them; it was their steadfast faith.
Imagine with me, could you have had the courage and wisdom to stand up to a Nazi and tell him:
...."The truth, sir, is that God's viewpoint is sometimes different than ours---so different that we could not even guess at it unless he had given us a Book which tells us such things."
Corrie's story really astounded me. And just as much, or even more so, Betsie's part of the story left me shocked by her selfless thoughts---I wish I could read more from Betsie's point of view.
Yes, there are gruesome parts in this book. Horrific deaths, torturing, fighting, and war. It's a lot to take in and think about. But you'll learn the meaning of The Hiding Place... and if Corrie ten Boom could find such a place in the midst of World War II... then so can we.
The Hiding Place now ranks as one of my favorite books, and I will always treasure it. It's not for young readers, but makes a great read for high school students or adults.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Sep 22 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Sup people i just reviewed this and now im writing this....BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM????????????? COULD I BE A RAPPER?????? ......no.one understans me........but me .....and my dog dog dog dog sog sog dodgdodbdddjdjkfofohhellsb,dbdhhnnmbn...........one with you people...y u not finished reading my post!!?!!?......slow reading people!
Hollla
2 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Goose315
Posted Sat Sep 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011
This book is about Faith and God's love. Despite all of the horror and evil around them, the ten Boom family never gave up hope and continued to help others to cope with the unjust treatment of people during World War II by sharing the word of a loving God. The Hiding Place is a book about a Christian family who risked their own lives to save as many Jewish people as they could from being hunted down by the Nazis during World War II. They knew that hiding the Jews in their home and later moving them through the secret underground network was against the laws of the land however, it was absolutely the right thing to do as Christians. Their faith drove them to care more about the people who were being persecuted than their selves. When the secret room was discovered and the ten Boom's were sent to concentration camps as punishment, the reader questions God's hand. We later learn that their faith was far more useful in the camps. I could not stand to read how awful the Nazis were. I do not understand why the German public didn't rebel and stop the madness. I was riveted by the graphic tales of the concentration camp life for the prisoners. I also could not stand that the Germans would disguise themselves to catch people going against the law. I think that was a little too far. I liked how the ten Boom's continued to risk their own safety and how they came up with clever codes to protect their Jews and themselves. When they built the secret room, it was amazing how small the room was, and how many people they could squeeze into it. You just knew that only God could have protected them for so long. It was moving to see how God worked through Corrie ten Boom as she became a prisoner and yet, she continued to help others in the camp by referring them to God. I also like how the history of World War II comes to life through this book. You should definitely read this book if you want a real personal view of what life was like for a Christian family during the Nazi era. This is a true story and it is written by Miss ten Boom herself. The Hiding Place is an encouraging book about unending Faith and love during unbelievable times. I haven't read any other of the ten Boom books but, I would like to. My overall rating of this book would be a 4.5.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011
This+is+a+great+nonfiction+story+of+what+faith+in+God+can+do.+I+highly+recommend+to+about+11%2B+and+every+adult+too%21+I+love+the+perspective+of+the+story+and+the+vivid+descriptions+that+bring+the+charactrs+to+life+for+me.+This+is+a+must+read+for+ever+Christian%21
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Jun 09 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Wonderfully+fabulous+with+exceptionally+spiritual+insights+and+inspirational+stories+through+a+very+dark+experience.++Couldn%27t+put+it+down%21
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Recently I read the memoir 'The Hiding Place' by Corrie Ten Boom. It tells of the journey of the well-respected Ten Boom family in Nazi-operated Holland as they work for the Dutch Resistance. I found it quite intriguing. The honest tone of the book was not blunt and unfeeling, yet it did not hesitate to tell the truth about the Nazi regime. This was a fantastic eye-opener. It was paced well and had sufficient backstory detailing the life of the narrator, Corrie, and her family before and after the Nazi invasion, but not so much of said backstory that it took up the majority of the story. I highly recommend this book, especially to mature readers. 'The Hiding Place' is certainly a worthwhile read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2013
I read a sample of this book and i absoultley loved it!!!! The book has so much mystery!! My friends and I loved this book!!!:)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Oct 06 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Corrie ten Boom is an inspiration!! This book was amazing and I'm so glad she told her story so that I could read it. Such a blessing!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Sep 20 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I read this as an school asignment and loved it!:)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This is one of the greatest books ive ever read g
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Thousands of Jewish refugees...
One extraordinary family.
An old watchmaker in Holland. His two daughters, Corrie and Betsie. Simple, ordinary people. Yet these three unlikely heroes became the center of a major underground operation: To hide Jewish refugees from the occupying Germans. These kindly, law abiding people broke every rule in the book to save the lives of the men, ...