Review by Booklist Review
The story of Corrie Ten Boom is told in astounding detail in Loftis' (The Princess Spy, 2021) latest. Corrie, Tante Kees to those closest to her, was the daughter of a celebrated Dutch watchmaker, a skill at which she excelled in her own right, and heiress to the family business. When WWII dawned, she transformed the family home into a refuge for Jews during Gestapo raids. These refugees were never discovered, even when the Ten Boom home was raided and Corrie and her family taken first to prison and then to Ravensbrück, the Dutch concentration camp. Family photos, letters, notes, and floor plans of the Ten Boom home, which was known as the Beje, are used to paint an intimate, detailed portrait of life in a Nazi-occupied Dutch city, the realities of harboring Jewish friends and neighbors, and life in German prisons and concentration camps. The extraordinary bravery of Corrie Ten Boom is eclipsed only by her ability to find faith and hope in utter darkness. Perfect for readers of biography and history.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The courageous life and deep religious faith of WWII Dutch resistance member Corrie ten Boom (1892--1983) are recounted in this immersive biography from bestseller Loftis (The Princess Spy). Known as "Tante Kees" to friends and family, Corrie was the daughter of a prominent watchmaker in Haarlem and was heir apparent to her father's business. After the German invasion of the Netherlands, the ten Boom family, members of the Dutch Reformed church, opened their shop and home to dozens of Jewish refugees and resistance workers. Drawing on Corrie's full collection of letters, photos, and notes, Loftis recounts how she brought in an architect to build a secret compartment, known as "the Angels' Den," behind a false wall in her bedroom--it could hide as many as six people during Gestapo raids. Corrie, her father, and her sister Betsie were arrested in 1944; only Corrie survived their imprisonment. Throughout, Loftis emphasizes how Corrie's faith maintained her through the war, and afterward took her on speaking tours "of more than sixty countries telling her story of love, forgiveness, and grace." This is a well-researched and often captivating portrait of a remarkable woman. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Historian Loftis (The Princess Spy) brings to life the first major biography about Corrie ten Boom (1892--1983) while also illuminating the Nazi resistance movement in the Netherlands. Corrie, her father's apprentice, became a gifted watchmaker, but her career was derailed when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. Her family, characterized as having strong Christian values, began sheltering Jewish families and distributing ration cards. They lived in constant fear of raids and capture and were ultimately betrayed by a Dutch informant. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, were sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious concentration camp for women, where the SS inflicted monumental cruelty. Corrie and Betsie took solace in each other and in scriptures. Betsie died at Ravensbrück late in 1944. In her early 50s at the time, Corrie, through an error in paperwork, was released a week before all women over the age of 50 were sent to the gas chambers. Corrie devoted her life after her release to providing witness about the Holocaust, as well as extending a ministry that emphasized forgiveness. She was honored as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" by the Yad Vashem Authority in 1967. VERDICT A haunting and inspiring tale of moral courage. Recommended.--Barrie Olmstead
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A fresh account of anti-Nazi resistance. During World War II, Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) became a national hero in the Netherlands for her actions, which saved the lives of hundreds of Jews. Arrested late in the war, she and her family suffered terribly in concentration camps, and several of her relatives died. A devoted Christian whose faith never flagged, she combined charity work with her profession as a watchmaker before the war and continued her good works until her death. Unlike many survivors, she publicly forgave her oppressors, even the worst of the concentration camp guards. After the war, she set up rehabilitation centers that supported survivors but also welcomed countrymen who were unemployable due to their support of the Nazis during the occupation. Ten Boom's bestselling 1971 memoir, The Hiding Place, was made into a 1975 film, and her many Christian-themed books, as well as biographies by other writers, are still in print. Loftis, bestselling author of nonfiction spy thrillers, wondered if there was anything he could add. Fortunately for readers, he turns up diaries and letters from others in ten Boom's circle as well as a trove of photographs that enable him to tell a detailed, moving story. Despite the heroism of the Dutch resistance, three-quarters of Holland's Jews were killed, a higher percentage than in Belgium and France. Reports of genuine heroes like ten Boom are not in short supply, but they are nonetheless inspiring stories about a small minority whose sacrifices, although worthy of acclaim, played a marginal role in the Allied victory or in mitigating the Holocaust. This is a solid addition to the literature about these heroes. The author also includes an informative section at the end titled "The Rest of the Story," which chronicles "the accomplishments of those not necessarily connected to the ten Booms, but central to the overall Dutch World War II story." A story of unbelievable suffering and courage that deserves to be told. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
