"The Hiding Place" is a 1971 memoir by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. The idea for the book came when the Sherrill's were writing another book on another hero of the holocaust and discovered ten Boom's story. The book tells the story of ten Boom's early childhood and most importantly, the story of … [Read more...] about The Hiding Places
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia ten Boom was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands on April 15th, 1892. As a child she grew up in her father's watchmaking shop and was eventually licensed as the first female watchmaker in the Netherlands. When the second world war began in Holland, ten Boom began sheltering Jewish refugees in her house in a secret room that she referred to as "the hiding place". Eventually, ten Boom and her family were arrested by the Gestapo and sent to prison. Corrie spent two years in a prison in Amsterdam before being transferred to a concentration camp with her sister.
In the concentration camps, Corrie suffered inhumane treatment from the guards and was repeatedly beaten. She finally escaped after the death of her sister due to a clerical error. Corrie returned to a Holland that was still occupied by the Nazis for several more months until the war ended later that year. With the use of her father's watch shop that was willed to her, Corrie set up a refugee house and rehabilitation center for concentration camp survivors as well as the homeless Dutch who had previously collaborated with the Nazis. In answer to the wishes of her sister, Corrie also set up a rehabilitation center in an old manor house for German soldiers affected by PTSD from the war.
In 1946, Corrie returned to Germany and forgave two of the guards who had been employed at her concentration camp who had since become Christians. In 1950, the shelter began accepting anyone in need of care and counseling. Over the next 20 years, Corrie traveled the world and worked as a public speaker in many different countries.
In the early 1970's, Corrie was approached by two authors who wanted to tell her story in the form of a memoir. The book, 'The Hiding Place' was published in 1971 and was so successful that it was made into a feature film in 1975. Corrie received many honors for her work during the Holocaust, including a knighthood by the queen of the Netherlands and a museum dedicated to her at the sign of her old watch shop.
In 1977, Corrie moved to California and a year later she suffered two strokes that rendered her unable to speak. She died on April 15th, 1983, her 91st birthday.
