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ssindc 's review for:
The Hiding Place
by Corrie ten Boom
I ... am ... so ... glad ... that ... I ... read ... this. What's funny is that I don't even remember how it ended up on my reading list. The book is more than three decades old, and apparently it has sold millions of copies, and it's only one of many, many books about Corrie ten Boom (although the co-authors do a wonderful job of making the book feel like it is exclusively her voice).
So many thoughts: Initially, holocaust literature is never truly leisure reading, and much of this book shows Nazi Germany (and much of humanity) at its absolute worst. Be prepared. As WWII and the holocaust increasingly seems like ancient history (as fewer survivors remain), it's easier and easier to think of it as an epic, global, and macro event. But the best holocaust literature is always individual, personal, and micro. Corrie ten Boom's story is most remarkable in that she was not a persecuted minority, her story revolves around her accidental involvement (and ultimate success) in Holland's underground of benevolent humans determined to protect and shelter Jews against Nazi persecution. The most compelling aspect of her story was how "normal" if not tranquil and serene her life was before she took this risky plunge and how extraordinary and transformative it became afterward.
One word of warning. The last thing that many holocaust readers expect is a book deeply grounded in Christian faith and spirituality. But, ultimately, that faith is the source and purpose of ten Boom's remarkable story. This may be the most significant book about forgiveness that I've ever read (not that I fully embrace it, but it's difficult not to respect it).
As an aside, I've only been to Holland's Haarlem once (on a day trip from the Hague), and it's fixed in my mind as a tranquil yet vibrant, highly civilized river town dominated by bicycles. I'm glad I was not there during the Nazi occupation.
So many thoughts: Initially, holocaust literature is never truly leisure reading, and much of this book shows Nazi Germany (and much of humanity) at its absolute worst. Be prepared. As WWII and the holocaust increasingly seems like ancient history (as fewer survivors remain), it's easier and easier to think of it as an epic, global, and macro event. But the best holocaust literature is always individual, personal, and micro. Corrie ten Boom's story is most remarkable in that she was not a persecuted minority, her story revolves around her accidental involvement (and ultimate success) in Holland's underground of benevolent humans determined to protect and shelter Jews against Nazi persecution. The most compelling aspect of her story was how "normal" if not tranquil and serene her life was before she took this risky plunge and how extraordinary and transformative it became afterward.
One word of warning. The last thing that many holocaust readers expect is a book deeply grounded in Christian faith and spirituality. But, ultimately, that faith is the source and purpose of ten Boom's remarkable story. This may be the most significant book about forgiveness that I've ever read (not that I fully embrace it, but it's difficult not to respect it).
As an aside, I've only been to Holland's Haarlem once (on a day trip from the Hague), and it's fixed in my mind as a tranquil yet vibrant, highly civilized river town dominated by bicycles. I'm glad I was not there during the Nazi occupation.