Review: The Hiding Place: 25th Anniversary Edition

The Hiding Place: 25th Anniversary Edition by Corrie ten Boom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I read this to discern when to let my 11 and 10 year old read it. They just went through WWII history.

Corrie ten Boom lived in the Netherlands when the Nazi's occupied and sent Jews and collaborators to German concentration camps. Her father hid Jews and worked in other ways in the underground against the Nazis. They were caught and sent to the camps. Corrie's father and sister died there, but she was released and spoke widely of her experiences until her death in America in 1983.

This book is well written, interspersing story with lessons learned about how God works in our lives. The forward lists some of these lessons:

- handling separation
- getting along with less
- security in the midst of insecurity
- forgiveness
- how God can use weakness
- dealing with difficult people
- facing death
- how to love your enemies
- what to do when evil wins

There is an interesting exploration of lying and deception to preserve life before the Nazi threat. Corrie is upset in the moment that some of her friends or family will not lie, but she seems to learn the lesson that God will protect the truth-teller for maintaining the ninth commandment. My view differs: the Nazis did not have the right to the truth. Corrie when put upon by them did not need to feel guilty for withholding the truth from them. (This is not explored in depth, and I haven't read Corrie's other books, so I'm not sure I understand her perspective completely.)

That's a minor aside. Overall, this is a wonderful read to gain some historical perspective in our times. Corrie relates her father's wisdom endearingly, her own struggles honestly, her lessons learned from the Lord winsomely.



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