lyricallit 's review for:

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

3.0

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I cheated on this: I found a copy from our digital library loan system, but it's the Focus on the Family radio theater version. Now, Focus on the Family renditions are pretty true to the original. This is probably because they pick stories already with Christian themes, so they can't really be accused of putting Christianity into something that wasn't already in the source. Unfortunately, it means that I missed some of the details the book could explain that wouldn't be possible in the radio drama, such as a detailed description of the house. The story is interesting and a little advertised perspective of WWII. Corrie Ten Boom and her family lived in Holland during World War II. They saw the Nazi occupation and persecution of their people and thus joined part of an Underground operation to hide Jews. This is a side of the story rarely heard or told. Corrie's faith is a large part of the story, since it gives her courage & hope, even after she & her sister are sent to a concentration camp. I could see that - if read in a public school classroom - students might feel a bit overwhelmed by the faith. But arguably, she's not proselytizing, just stating facts - recalling her emotions and reactions. The lessons and morality she develops, though, are those for the masses. Her ability to find forgiveness during a period of fear, brutalization, and hate is astounding and a beautiful lesson for anyone - Christian or not. It will probably never compete with Anne Frank (although maybe I should re-read that for a more contemporary personal comparison), but its message and heart resound just as gracefully.