Triumphant may be an understatement

The Hiding Place, originally published in 1984 and rereleased more recently as an audiobook, kept me hooked for the whole 10 hour run-time. It definitely put the “difficult” activities I was performing while listening (taping and painting a bedroom) into perspective.

“Surely there is no more wretched sight that the human body unloved and uncared for.”

Corrie ten Boom spent the first 50 years of her life pleasantly and quietly. Her father’s family owned a watch business in Haarlem, and she worked alongside him repairing watches and, in what seemed to be her father’s true calling, caring for needy and/or helpless neighbors. Christianity kept her family strong, even in hard times, and highlighted the importance of ministering to those less fortunate.

So maybe it should be no surprise that her father and the rest of the ten Booms became very involved in the Dutch resistance against the Nazis. They sheltered Jewish neighbors, illegally distributed ration cards, and helped wherever they could. Eventually they were caught, and sent to a concentration camp for political prisoners.

Corrie tells their story, focusing mostly on the contributions of her father, her sister Betsy and herself. She details the ways in which they helped, and the ways in which they were punished by the Nazi soldiers. Throughout their wretched time in the concentration camp, their faith in God kept them focused and strong. Betsy in particular chose to continue preaching his word to the other women in the camp.

I found this to be a very moving story, although some parts seem a little…glossed over? Shined up, maybe, as Corrie talked about her faith and how it brought light to the darkness. It’s hard to imagine life in a concentration camp seeming rosy in any way, but Corrie’s depiction of their Bible readings comes close. Then again, I’m a godless heathen, so your mileage may vary. I did find a lot of the details fascinating — not the gory ones, but rather the descriptions of life in Holland in the 1940s, and Corrie’s family’s watch business.