The Hiding Place by Corrie, ten Boom, Elizabeth and John, Sherrill Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Hiding Place
Book Review: Review: The Hiding Place
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently finished reading "The Hiding Place." The real life story of Corrie Ten Bloom, the book deals with her imprisonment during World War 2.
Bloom, incidentally, became Holland's first licensed female watchmaker, which I found to be very interesting. The reason she and many of her family members and friends were arrested was because they tried to help those of the Jewish faith and others who were being pursued by the Nazis.
Although the Bloom family suffers great losses and cruelty for their kindness, one thing rings strong through the entire book and that is their strength in their faith. It has been awhile since I have read a book where faith was so integrated into people and I found it refreshing amidst such a tragic backdrop.
For me, "The Hiding Place" started a bit slow and it took me awhile to get really interested in the story. But I did and one thing I enjoyed was the family timeline in the back of the book. After reading the story it put it back into a perspective I had missed. Some of the traumatic events were fast, furious and short spanned and I suppose because of the severity of the concentration camps, etc, I assumed the time lapse was longer.
Out of five stars, I give this a four. However, the courage and faith of those involved in the story, is off the scale.
Book Review: Timeless, a Classic, Re-read for fresh insights
Summary: 5 Stars
Readers know from the outset Corrie Ten Boom survived to help write the book but it's such an intriguing journey to get there. The authors include numerous jewels along the way, stories that stick with the reader long after the book is back on the shelf: the train ticket held by her father until the perfect time, the test of faith by not lying about family hiding under the kitchen table, the fleas having a purpose, the heartbreak of the love of her life marrying someone else, rebuilding the radio while in prison, the astounding respect and love for her father and sister while incarcerated.
Each chapter utilizes powerful imagery to flesh out an application of Eternal Truth ready for internalizing.
The lessons may be applied to every day life since these were not merely `characters' but most obviously real people, with extreme trials to maneuver in life and in death. Ordinary becomes extraordinary, utilizing compelling subject matter with a page turning writing style exhibiting firm faith in the Lord. It's one of those classics that affords readers immediate application to their own circumstances since they can identify with her and her family on so many levels.
Finally a work like this inspires and uplifts. I found myself continually discovering the answer (Grace) on almost every page to such questions as "Why did God let this happen?" and "How did she do it?". The Hiding Place is a classic I enjoy re-reading every few years. I'm amazed at the fresh perspective I have each time. It's timeless.
One of my favorite poetic verses from Corrie Ten Boom, who quoted it often (it was by Grant Colfax Tullar), is the following:
"My life is but a weaving betwixt my God and me;
I do not choose the colors He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unfold the pattern and explain the reason why.
For the dark threads are as needful in the Weaver's skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned."
Book Review: INCREDIBLY MOVING SAGA OF HEROIC DUTCH FAMILY DURING WW II...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an absolutely extraordinary book. Never have I read a book in which the spiritual beauty of the author so resonated throughout the story. The purity of heart that manifests itself in this inspiring saga of a heroic, Dutch family in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II is stunningly beautiful.
This is the true story of the Ten Boom family who, during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands, upon seeing what was happening to their Jewish neighbors and friends, asked themselves this age old question "If not us,...who; if not now,...when?" They answered it, ultimately at great cost.
The Ten Booms were devoutly Christian and lived a simple life. The patriarch of the family ran a watch shop that had been in his family for a century. Some of the family members, the author among them, worked there, selling and repairing clocks and watches. They also lived in the house in which the shop was located.
When the Nazis occupied their country, the reality of what it meant slowly dawned upon them, as they saw the treatment given to their fellow Dutch citizens of the Jewish faith. Moved by their plight, the author at the age of fifty, together with other members of her family, including their father who was nearly eighty, became active in the Dutch underground.
When it became clear to the Ten Booms that Jews were being targeted for deportation and death, they had a false wall constructed in the author's bedroom, thereby creating a secret room. There, they would hide the terrified Jews who were staying with them, in the event of a Nazi raid upon their home.
Eventually denounced by someone to the Nazis, the Ten Booms were arrested and their home raided and torn apart by the Gestapo, in their search for the Jews they believed to be hiding there. At the time of the raid, the Ten Boom home was filled to capacity with Jews in hiding. So well concealed was the hidden room that had been created by the erection of the false wall, that these poor, terrified Jews managed to escape detection.
The Ten Boom family did not fare so well. It was upon their arrest that they learned first hand of man's inhumanity to man, and their faith was put to a test that they had never dreamt possible. It was faith, however, that sustained the author in what was to be her darkest hour of deepest despair. To find out what happened to the Ten Booms, read this book. It is the story of an incredible family, who had the courage to put their convictions to the test.
This book is a masterpiece. The reader is sure to be captivated by the goodness and spiritual beauty contained within its pages.
Book Review: This is a gem...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful story and it begs the question: Could I have been that brave and compassionate? A story of true Christians. Book Review: Fan-tas-tic.
Summary: 5 Stars
Great, great book. Inspiring, heart wrenching. Great message about God's faithfulness, but should in no way be boxed in as Christian literature. A great historical book no matter what your faith. Loved it.