Book Review: The Hiding Place

Story tells tale of braveness during WWII

The+Hiding+Place+highlights+the+lives+of+a+family+during+Nazi+occupation+in+the+Netherlands.+They+created+a+secret+room+to+hide+people+from+raids+by+the+Nazis.

Kyle Gehman

The Hiding Place highlights the lives of a family during Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. They created a secret room to hide people from raids by the Nazis.

by Kyle Gehman, Editor-In-Chief

During World War II in the Netherlands there was a family that was forced to live in a life of secrecy from Nazi persecution because of their beliefs. Their story was then published and bought worldwide. However, this isn’t about Anne Frank, it’s about Corrie ten Boom and her family in Haarlem, Netherlands. This book about their story of hiding Jews during the war gets 4 out of 5.

The story goes on to talk about the ten Booms, a family who lives in a city outside of Amsterdam and are popular in the community due to their well-known watch shop and because of their reputation of being a caring loving family. However, when the Nazis invade and start to set up rules that go against their beliefs, they have to decide if they wish to risk their lives or not help their neighbors. Their story also includes an emphasis on the role that their Christian faith played in their decision and actions throughout their lives.

This book is a great and impactful read for anyone, especially if they are interested on the topic or time period surrounding World War II. It provides a much more detailed and different point of view from the story of Anne Frank. While her story is so amazing because it gives more of a child’s point view and of a Jew, this book is a much more thrilling tale about constantly trying to hide their actions from the Nazis and working with the underground. Reading it transports you into their lives and makes you think about what you would have done if you were put in the same situation. It is a powerful account of human sacrifice and the influence of faith.

This compelling book that will transport the reader into the lives of these people is a very interesting must read. It’s gives people better insight to what happened during the occupation and really humanizes all the struggles that Jews and non-Jews endured.