The Hiding Place
A Dutch watchmaker's family hides Jews from the Gestapo, and pays for it in the camps.
The Verdict
The Holocaust from the rescuer's side, and a testament of faith that has never gone out of print. Corrie ten Boom's family of Dutch watchmakers hid Jews and resistance workers behind a false wall in their Haarlem home — until they were betrayed, and Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to Ravensbrück, where Betsie died. The book is plainspoken and devout, less concerned with the machinery of genocide than with the question of how to love in the middle of it. For many readers it is the gentlest possible door into the subject.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The rescuer's perspective on the Holocaust
- The role of faith under persecution
- An accessible, deeply human entry point
- Hope without denial
Look elsewhere if you want
- Analysis of the camps as a system (read Wachsmann or Levi)
- A secular or purely historical treatment
- Military or political history
Why We Rated It 4.6
Historical Context
The ten Boom family hid Jews and resistance members in Haarlem during the German occupation of the Netherlands. They were betrayed and arrested in 1944; Corrie and her sister Betsie were deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where Betsie died. Corrie survived and spent the rest of her life as a speaker and writer. The book was published in 1971.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0800794057
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is The Hiding Place a true story?
- Yes — it is Corrie ten Boom's account of her family hiding Jews and their imprisonment in the camps.
- What happened to her sister Betsie?
- Betsie died in Ravensbrück; her faith and final words are central to the book. Corrie survived and was released shortly after.