“the Beje was the center of an underground ring that spread now to the farthest corners of Holland” (125).
The Book
The first chapters introduce the ten Boom family and their
home, the Beje. You get a sense of their personalities, love for others, and
strong faith in God. By the time the main events of the book take place, three
ten Booms live in the Beje: Casper, father and skilled watchmaker; Betsie,
oldest child and caretaker of the Beje; and Corrie, youngest child and first
licensed woman watchmaker in Holland. Two other ten Boom children, Willem and
Nollie, live nearby and frequently return to the Beje.
When the Germans invaded Holland in 1940, Casper was 81,
Betsie was 55, and Corrie was 48. As the Germans implemented anti-Jewish laws,
the ten Booms discussed opportunities to help Jews. They began by storing
theology books and valuables and, in 1942, started hiding people. A secret
room—the hiding place—was built in Corrie’s bedroom and could hide several
people during a raid. Eventually, there were several permanent residents in
hiding, with others who stayed for a night or two. The residents of the Beje held
practice drills to prepare for a raid, timing their movements and rehearsing
answers to interrogation. On February 28, 1944, a raid occurred. Six people
scrambled to the hiding place and the five ten Booms; plus, numerous
underground workers were arrested.
After spending the night in the police station, they were taken
to The Hague (two hours away) and imprisoned. Corrie was confined to a solitary
cell because of influenza and she slowly recovered, despite the unsanitary
conditions. By April, only Corrie and Betsie were in prison; Casper died in
prison in March. Amazingly, all six in the hiding place survived the raid and
were rescued. In June, Corrie and Betsie were reunited on a transport train to a
prison in Vught. It was here that Corrie began to marvel at Betsie’s ability to
love the guards and maintain an attitude of grace. After a few months, they were loaded onto freight cars and taken to Ravensbrück, a concentration camp in
Germany. Through it all, Corrie struggled with misery and selfishness; while,
Betsie found ways to be grateful and spread the love of Christ. Betsie’s
example spurred Corrie to do the same. In December, just before she died, Betsie
implored Corrie, “…must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell
them that there is no pit so deep that [God] is not deeper still. They will
listen to us, Corrie, because we have been here” (227). On December 30, Corrie
was released from Ravensbrück, due to a clerical error, and arrived home in
January. She spent the remainder of her life fulfilling Betsie’s request to
share what they learned.
The easy-to-read memoir plays out as vignettes that propel the story forward catching the reader up in it. The focus is on the people, their interactions, and Corrie’s feelings. As narrator of The Hiding Place, Corrie punctuates the narrative with memories and is candidly honest in sharing her thoughts, temptations, and struggles with faith and love while imprisoned. This is what makes her so relatable. Christian readers will be encouraged when Corrie finds strength through God and joy in all circumstances. Throughout the book, the faith of the ten Boom family, love for your enemies, care for the vulnerable, and the power of forgiveness are underlying themes. Without them, this story would not have taken place.
The Place
My brother and I specifically visited Haarlem to tour the
Corrie ten Boom House. Ever since I first read The Hiding Place in high
school, I have looked up to the faith of the ten Boom family and drawn
encouragement from their testimonies. It was a special experience to walk in their home. After our tour we visited the Grote Kerk,
where the ten Boom family attended church, and the Grote Markt, the central
market square. Both are mentioned frequently in the book and provide insight
into life in the Netherlands.
