The Hiding Place

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• What were your initial thoughts on Corrie ten Boom’s portrayal of her family’s values and their role in the Dutch resistance? Did her perspective influence how you felt about the family’s experiences?
• Which part of the book resonated with you most, whether it was Corrie’s reflections on faith, her family’s compassionate actions, or her experiences in the concentration camps? Why did this particular part stand out?
• Considering The Hiding Place as both a memoir and a work of historical significance, how did the blending of personal narrative with the backdrop of World War II impact your overall impression of the book?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• The ten Boom family’s faith serves as a foundation that helps them face numerous challenges. Have there been times in your life when a particular belief or value helped you persevere through a difficult situation? How did this experience shape your outlook?
• Throughout the book, Corrie and her family extend compassion even to their oppressors. Has there been an instance where you showed kindness or understanding to someone who wronged you or someone else? What impact did that have on you?
• Corrie and Nollie differ in their approaches to truth-telling under extreme conditions, each motivated by their own understanding of faith. Can you relate to having to make a difficult moral choice? How did you resolve it, and did it affect how you view right and wrong?
• Corrie’s family members are pivotal in her resilience, providing strength and encouragement. Is there a particular person or group in your life who has offered you support during challenging times? How has this person or community shaped your ability to face adversity?
• Corrie faces the loss of family members, yet her faith provides her with a sense of peace. How do you relate to the theme of loss in the story? What strategies have you used to cope with grief or to find hope after a significant loss?
• In the book, both physical and spiritual “hiding places” are essential for protection and inner peace. Do you have a place, activity, or person that serves as a refuge in challenging times? How does this “hiding place” help you feel restored or safe?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• The ten Boom family’s actions place them among the Dutch resistance. In what ways does the book’s portrayal of the Dutch resistance challenge or reinforce your understanding of resistance movements during World War II? How does it compare to other accounts of resistance, such as those in The Diary of Anne Frank?
• The book highlights both the acts of compassion and the moral dilemmas that arose under Nazi oppression. How do the ten Boom family’s beliefs and actions reflect broader societal values of the time, and what messages might they offer for today’s world in terms of ethical courage?
• The Hiding Place presents faith as both a personal and communal refuge for the ten Booms and their Jewish neighbors. How does this spiritual dimension reflect or contrast with societal responses to persecution in other historical or modern contexts?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• How does the book’s nonlinear structure shape the reader’s understanding of Corrie’s journey and transformation? Consider how the book’s structure influences the impact of key themes, such as faith and resilience.
• In what ways does Corrie’s relationship with her family members, especially Betsie and her father, serve as a foundation for the story’s exploration of faith and compassion? Discuss how these relationships contribute to the characters’ arcs and how each family member’s beliefs influence Corrie’s moral choices.
• Examine the role of the Beje as both a literal and symbolic “hiding place.” How does the Beje evolve as a symbol from a family home to a refuge, and what does it represent in the context of spiritual safety and faith?
• How does the concept of ‘forgiveness’ unfold throughout the book, especially in Corrie’s encounters with former oppressors after the war? Analyze how forgiveness functions as both a personal and religious theme, influencing Corrie’s growth and her understanding of human compassion.
• Discuss the symbolic meaning of visions and dreams, particularly those experienced by Corrie and Betsie. How do these visions serve as divine guidance, and what role do they play in reinforcing the themes of perseverance and hope?
• The motif of moral dilemmas recurs in Corrie’s decisions, as when she lies to protect those in hiding. How does the text handle these ethical conflicts, and what does it suggest about the complexities of moral choice in extreme circumstances?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Imagine you are creating a blueprint or diorama of the ten Boom family home, capturing both its historical function and symbolic meaning as a hiding place. What specific rooms, symbols, or personal items would you include to show its role as a haven during the war? How would each choice reflect the faith, resilience, and compassion that the ten Boom family embodied?
• Build a playlist that reflects Corrie’s emotional and spiritual journey throughout the book, from her early life to her experiences in the concentration camp and beyond. Which songs or instrumental pieces capture her strength, her moments of doubt, and her ultimate faith? Share why each song or piece of music represents specific parts of Corrie’s path or the themes in the story.

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