The Hiding Place

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Summary: The most dramatic proof that suffering makes us grow.
Review: Being a psychologist, I am always looking for ways to better understand how it is that we can suffer the most horrifying atrocities imaginable and come out the other side with even more faith than before. Corrie ten Boom's story -- her true story -- is proof that the human spirit is capable of growing even under the most painful, frightening circumstances. Anyone who has even a trivial interest in the events of World War II or in the power of faith should read this book. Its credibility speaks for itself; Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie lived through the horrifying experience of being held both in German prison and concentration camp, and this story of their experience is priceless. There are lots of accounts of concentration camp life out there, but this one really is special. It tells the reader to look closely at the blessings that are always around even if they are disguised as something else. More importantly, it reminds the reader that no person is eve! r really alone unless they wish to be. This book changed my life.

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Summary: A Personal Look at History
Review: Corrie ten Boom is an unbelievable author; she does a great job of making the reader feel like they are in the book with her. The book tells the story of her life which took place in Europe during World War II. Her family was Dutch and yet they could not turn their back on the Jews who saught refuge from the German soldiers. It was incredible to read about her life from the beginning when she was an infant through her old age. I am a fourteen year old high school freshman, and this interesting book made an impact on how I view life. Corrie ten Boom's story shows that miracles really do happen. I have always known my Christian faith was strong, but to see these characters being literally saved by their faith numerous times, makes my faith in the Lord even stronger.I also enjoyed the way she described each of the characters with great detail. Miss ten Boom had a very large family for the majority of her life. She lived in a three story house with her mother, father, two sisters, one brother, and three aunts. Their house was located above their watch shop. Miss ten Boom had a very close relationship with one of her older sisters, Betsie. After her older brother, Willem, and her other older sister, Nollie, got married her mother and all three aunts passed away. Miss ten Boom then lived in the large house with only her sister, Betsie, and her father, Casper ten Boom. She and Betsie never did get married. What a colorful family she had.
She described the German soldiers as flat characters. All she saw in them was evil that could have been turned into love if they could have known God. She and Betsie were very strong Christians and they prayed for the soldiers so that they would be forgiven for their hatred. Miss ten Boom was a very loving person, and in the book every time a Jewish person would come to the door she would let them in and give them a place to stay. She also had many round characters and described them perfectly with everything that she knew about them. This book has an interesting mix of happiness, sadness, suspense, and mostly hope. It made me not want to put the book down for a second. I recommend this book to any age person.

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Summary: A beautiful,moving,emotive book.
Review: I have read a number of autobiographys,and expect to read more still.
I think i shall be hard-pressed to find another one as beautiful as Corrie's.

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Summary: A veritable laugh riot
Review: I was walking my dog and reading The Hiding Place and I thought why I am being sad. I should be glad and happy because the story is happy if you think about it you know. So I started laughing at the awesome stuff that Corrie does and says when she's helping the Jews. In summation, it's better to laugh than to cry. At least, that is, to Joseph O'Brien.

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Summary: Sad, but Good...from a 13 year old reader
Review: My English class was assigned to read this book, and I wasn't too excited about it. I thought it would be a boring non-fiction book about somebody's problems in some war. Well, was I wrong! I read the first chapter, and I was hooked. I couldn't put it down!
This book is mainly about Corrie TenBoom, who lives in a strong Christian family that illegally helps hide Jews right on the break of World War 2. It's about how she goes through all types of trials, and how she depends on Jesus Christ to help her get through them, even though they seem impossible to get through(raids, jail, and even death).
Corrie is a person of many flaws, as all humans are, and she freely tells the reader of them as her story continues. But, even though some things seem hopeless, she still has determination and relies on God to help her get through all of her problems. A lesson we can learn from her very down-to-earth character is that even though we seem endlessly flawed, there's still hope to improve.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books that are exciting, and you don't mind sitting on the edge of your seat the whole way through the book. But, I wouldn't recommend it to people who get very emotional about those poor people being mistreated and unfairly.
This exciting book is not a boring old school novel, it's a book that you can learn from, so don't turn it down, if you are ever made to read it.

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Summary: lots of sadness, but filled of joy
Review: This story is heartbreaking - I cry every time I read it. But what makes it so wonderful is how much hope and joy and encouragement it holds as well. This story is told through the eyes of Corrie Ten Boom, who, with her father, sister, and a network of underground Dutch patriots, hide Jews in her home during the Nazi occupation in WWII. Corrie suffers tremendously for her actions, and it is within the confines of a concentration camp that some incredibly profound lessons are learned. One of the beautiful things about this book is how honest Ms. Ten Boom is about her faults and failings in herself and her faith. This is contrasted with the absolutely amazing faith of her father, and her sister Betsie. They trust God completely, and their reactions to the pain and suffering they experience are amazing, almost unbelievable. The Hiding Place is beautifully written, and has become a classic in Christian literature.