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In My Father's House : The Years Before the Hiding Place
Concentrating upon her family and their life in Holland before the war, this inspiring and revealing book describes in moving detail living above the family watch shop in Harlem and her memories of the family together before their lives changed for ever with the advent of war and persecution. Corrie believed that this life helped prepare them for carrying out God's work later and gave her the strength to survive the war, brutal hardship and persecution and begin her worldwide ministry. This much loved book is being re-issued in B format with a contemporary cover.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
223 people are currently reading
5414 people want to read
About the author
Corrie ten Boom
105 books1,681 followersCorrie ten Boom and her family were Christians who were active in social work in their home town of Haarlem, the Netherlands. During the Nazi occupation, they chose to act out their faith through peaceful resistance to the Nazis by active participation in the Dutch underground. They were hiding, feeding and transporting Jews and underground members hunted by the Gestapo out of the country. It is estimated they were able to save the lives of 800 Jews, in addition to protecting underground workers.
On Feb. 28, 1944, they were betrayed and Corrie and several relatives were arrested. The four Jews and two underground workers in the house at the time of the arrest were not located by the Nazis and were extricated by the underground 47 hours after they fled to the tiny hiding place (located in Corrie's room).
The ten Boom family members were separated and transferred to concentration camps. Corrie was allowed to stay with her precious sister, Betsy. Corrie's father (Casper), her sister (Betsy) and one grandchild (Kik) perished. Corrie was released in December of 1944.
These acts of heroism and sacrifice became the foundation for Corrie ten Boom's global writing and speaking career which began after she was released.
Ten Boom has received numerous awards for her writing and speaking. Notably, she was honored by the State of Israel for her work in aid of the Jewish people by being invited to plant a tree in the famous Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, near Jerusalem. She was also knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands in recognition of her work during the war, and a museum in the Dutch city of Haarlem is dedicated to her and her family.
On Feb. 28, 1944, they were betrayed and Corrie and several relatives were arrested. The four Jews and two underground workers in the house at the time of the arrest were not located by the Nazis and were extricated by the underground 47 hours after they fled to the tiny hiding place (located in Corrie's room).
The ten Boom family members were separated and transferred to concentration camps. Corrie was allowed to stay with her precious sister, Betsy. Corrie's father (Casper), her sister (Betsy) and one grandchild (Kik) perished. Corrie was released in December of 1944.
These acts of heroism and sacrifice became the foundation for Corrie ten Boom's global writing and speaking career which began after she was released.
Ten Boom has received numerous awards for her writing and speaking. Notably, she was honored by the State of Israel for her work in aid of the Jewish people by being invited to plant a tree in the famous Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, near Jerusalem. She was also knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands in recognition of her work during the war, and a museum in the Dutch city of Haarlem is dedicated to her and her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
March 17, 2023
Corrie ten Boom is an amazing woman of God. She has endured more than most should in her life. In My Father’s House tells of her family and their lives before WW2 and The Hiding Place. It is simply told in stories and remembrances significant to Corrie and beautifully demonstrates how God worked within this family and in Corrie to prepare them for ministering to people in the concentration camps. It is evident how devoted to the Lord the ten Boom family was and how much they wanted to do for others to teach them about Christ. I will forever remember Corrie ten Boom as a wonderful example for how to live for God.
“...there are years of preparation, years of experience, which God uses in ways we may never know until we meet Him face to face.”
“...there are years of preparation, years of experience, which God uses in ways we may never know until we meet Him face to face.”
September 4, 2017
This little book is a touching and inspiring prequel to The Hiding Place, it show how the ten Boom family were all raised in the love of God and also love for all their fellow men.
The house in which Corrie ten Boom was raised was bursting at the seams with family, mother, father, children and aunts. However the house seemed to be elastic and if anyone needed a home there was always room for another person. Everyone was welcomed in with such love and kindness.
The ten Boom family were members of the Dutch Reformed Church but most importantly they were true children of God. Every decision, large and small was made by the family after asking God to guide them. They had an extra Person in their home, God was, to them just another member of the family and they prayed to Him as they would chat to each other. It was this deep and true faith that gave them the courage and strength that they showed during the dreadful years of the war. They suffered so much for helping the Jewish people to hide from the Germans. It is not easy to speak openly about your faith in the way that Corrie and her family did, to complete strangers that the met.
Little could Corrie have imagined that one day she would be travelling the world, telling thousands of people about her life and teaching them about the love of God?
A small book with little vignettes of the life and times before and at the beginning of WWII.
The house in which Corrie ten Boom was raised was bursting at the seams with family, mother, father, children and aunts. However the house seemed to be elastic and if anyone needed a home there was always room for another person. Everyone was welcomed in with such love and kindness.
The ten Boom family were members of the Dutch Reformed Church but most importantly they were true children of God. Every decision, large and small was made by the family after asking God to guide them. They had an extra Person in their home, God was, to them just another member of the family and they prayed to Him as they would chat to each other. It was this deep and true faith that gave them the courage and strength that they showed during the dreadful years of the war. They suffered so much for helping the Jewish people to hide from the Germans. It is not easy to speak openly about your faith in the way that Corrie and her family did, to complete strangers that the met.
Little could Corrie have imagined that one day she would be travelling the world, telling thousands of people about her life and teaching them about the love of God?
A small book with little vignettes of the life and times before and at the beginning of WWII.
January 29, 2019
Don't think of this as just a book. Think about it as sitting down with an incredible person who has been through horrendous pain, and yet trusted God and was used by God in incredible ways before, after, and through it.
In My Father's House doesn't go into the details of what happened to her and her family during World War II. Corrie assumes that if you're reading this book, it's because you're familiar with her story, and therefore she mentions how she hid Jews and spent time in concentration camps only in passing, and only to make clear how her earlier experiences prepared her for those times.
This book did not meet my expectations; it exceeded them. I thought it would primarily be about Corrie's earthly father, and how as a loving believer, he laid the foundation for the ministry that Corrie would engage in. It does include that, but that's not what the book is about. I also expected that Corrie would use this dynamic with her father as an illustration of growing up in her heavenly Father's house, and how if we trust Him, we can have assurance of His love and plan no matter what we go through. And this is much more closer to the theme of Corrie's book, but even this doesn't quite capture it.
Corrie's book is how God works through everything, not just her earthly father, but literally everything, so that God would grow us into who He would have us to be. Even as she was cold and alone in prison cells, she was in her Father's house, and she could rest in Him. We often get so bent of out shape if the tiniest things don't go our way, but Corrie's story reminds us that God is always there and calls us to loving obedience and trust.
In My Father's House doesn't go into the details of what happened to her and her family during World War II. Corrie assumes that if you're reading this book, it's because you're familiar with her story, and therefore she mentions how she hid Jews and spent time in concentration camps only in passing, and only to make clear how her earlier experiences prepared her for those times.
This book did not meet my expectations; it exceeded them. I thought it would primarily be about Corrie's earthly father, and how as a loving believer, he laid the foundation for the ministry that Corrie would engage in. It does include that, but that's not what the book is about. I also expected that Corrie would use this dynamic with her father as an illustration of growing up in her heavenly Father's house, and how if we trust Him, we can have assurance of His love and plan no matter what we go through. And this is much more closer to the theme of Corrie's book, but even this doesn't quite capture it.
Corrie's book is how God works through everything, not just her earthly father, but literally everything, so that God would grow us into who He would have us to be. Even as she was cold and alone in prison cells, she was in her Father's house, and she could rest in Him. We often get so bent of out shape if the tiniest things don't go our way, but Corrie's story reminds us that God is always there and calls us to loving obedience and trust.
April 28, 2022
Wonderful pre story to The Hiding Place. Faithful family and father figure in her life. Over and Over the thread of God’s sovereignty and His working out everything thing for their good is seen.
“This is no time to look back. What challenges we have today! I remember what Father often said:
‘When Jesus takes your hand He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight He leads you through life. When Jesus leads you through life He brings you safely home.’l
“This is no time to look back. What challenges we have today! I remember what Father often said:
‘When Jesus takes your hand He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight He leads you through life. When Jesus leads you through life He brings you safely home.’l
March 29, 2023
Yes I finished this extremely quickly - and yes it’s that good. What a wonderful story teller Corrie ten Boom is!! She took me on a journey through her life and related things she learned as a very young child to things the Lord brought back to her and taught her in an entirely new way in the hardest years of her life. The way that she shared with any and every human about the love of Jesus - and the fruit that came from her life - is incredible. Highly recommend this book, especially if you just need something encouraging and easy to read.
May 9, 2013
I read this in preparation for rereading The Hiding Place for book club this month. I found it encouraging and uplifting to see how God prepared the ten Boom family to help Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland. One of the most amazing things was that 100 years earlier, ten Boom's grandfather was asked by his pastor to pray for the blessing of the Jews. Prayer meetings were held in their home decades before their home became a hiding place. The way the family members lived out their faith was inspiring--they used their gifts and were open to God's leading in their lives.
February 2, 2024
Who was Corrie in the 50 years before The Hiding Place? What were the things her parents did in raising her and her siblings, to be so filled with Christ’s love that they can rise to any occasion? What was her everyday life like, outside the heroics? How did she get to where she was? These are some questions I’ve always had, and this simple, powerful, fascinating little book satisfied my curiosity and was deeply inspiring and encouraging to me. Read this little book. ♥️
July 19, 2024
I just find Corrie Ten Boom’s reflections so comforting & inspiring. I loved reading about her years of more “normal” ministry lol. Ex: sharing the gospel through running “girls clubs” with fun activities and good conversation before the years of her insane Nazi rebellion & prison ministry. It was much more relatable! It felt like, oh! This is the work I’m trying to do. Family, workplace, & outreach type stuff.
September 18, 2023
Reading this book was like listening to a reminiscent grandparent recount glorious stories of God’s great faithfulness. I am baffled at how the Lord worked through the ten Booms’ obedience. This book has left me worshipful!
April 20, 2024
Entertaining read after knowing the story in the hiding place. Would recommend as it’s a collection of short stories.
June 17, 2016
An autobiography of a truly amazing person!
March 9, 2022
Reading this book was my first experience with the author. (Heard of Corrie ten Boom but knew nothing about her life.) It was an incredibly easy read and could very well be finished in a day or two. What I especially enjoyed was her passion and drive for the "backward" children, those with intellectual challenges and barriers. "A person doesn't spring into existence at the age of fifty; there are years of preparation, years of experience, which God uses in ways we may never know until we meet Him face to face." This single statement made the whole book worth reading.
August 27, 2017
Quotes:
"Some people say that children don't have spiritual understanding - that we should wait until a child can 'make up his mind for himself.' I believe a child should be led, not left to wander".pg 25
"The important lesson I learned from my Bible-school experience was that from these organized studies we learn the wisdom of the wise, but not much of the "foolishness of God". The best learning I had came from teaching... I learned to listen to the Holy Spirit when I prepared for the lessons, and when I talked with the children and young people, my "lessons" were more of a conversation with them than telling what I knew". pg 94
"I experienced the miracle that the highest potential of God's love and power is available to us in the trivial things of everyday life". PG 117
"God can give a straight blow with a crooked stick. He blesses in spite of our blunders". PG 164
"There was a lot of talk about "character building," until finally I asked, "Don't you think that we miss the purpose, when we tell the girls to be good citizens, but fail to bring them to Jesus Christ?" Pg 171
"The triangle represented the three stages of development: social, intellectual, and physical; the circle meant the spiritual development. We emphasized that when the triangle was within the circle, we were in the proper position in our lives as children of God". PG 169
"Seek your strength through prayer". Pg 174
"There are two ways to live: you can go your way or God's way; you can accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, and He will make you a child of God". PG 187
"Some people say that children don't have spiritual understanding - that we should wait until a child can 'make up his mind for himself.' I believe a child should be led, not left to wander".pg 25
"The important lesson I learned from my Bible-school experience was that from these organized studies we learn the wisdom of the wise, but not much of the "foolishness of God". The best learning I had came from teaching... I learned to listen to the Holy Spirit when I prepared for the lessons, and when I talked with the children and young people, my "lessons" were more of a conversation with them than telling what I knew". pg 94
"I experienced the miracle that the highest potential of God's love and power is available to us in the trivial things of everyday life". PG 117
"God can give a straight blow with a crooked stick. He blesses in spite of our blunders". PG 164
"There was a lot of talk about "character building," until finally I asked, "Don't you think that we miss the purpose, when we tell the girls to be good citizens, but fail to bring them to Jesus Christ?" Pg 171
"The triangle represented the three stages of development: social, intellectual, and physical; the circle meant the spiritual development. We emphasized that when the triangle was within the circle, we were in the proper position in our lives as children of God". PG 169
"Seek your strength through prayer". Pg 174
"There are two ways to live: you can go your way or God's way; you can accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, and He will make you a child of God". PG 187
April 15, 2016
A lovely book with much encouragement for witnessing, using time in prayer and wisdom, and God's love and grace being shown through blundering people. Even though I wouldn't quite go so far as the ten Boom family in how the women taught, I was still blessed by this book and the stories told.
A couple quotes:
"Children need the wisdom of their elders; the aging need the encouragement of a child's exuberance."
"How grateful I am to have lived in my Father's house! Yes, Lord, I thank You for this family. I looked at my friends, gathered for an afternoon tea and memories, and thanked the Lord for the family of believers all over this globe. How the love of God stretched in and out of the watchmaker's shop to all parts of the world--to mansions in California and hospitals in Kenya, from queens to prison guards."
A couple quotes:
"Children need the wisdom of their elders; the aging need the encouragement of a child's exuberance."
"How grateful I am to have lived in my Father's house! Yes, Lord, I thank You for this family. I looked at my friends, gathered for an afternoon tea and memories, and thanked the Lord for the family of believers all over this globe. How the love of God stretched in and out of the watchmaker's shop to all parts of the world--to mansions in California and hospitals in Kenya, from queens to prison guards."
October 4, 2017
I LOVED this book! Corrie ten Boom is so inspirational. I especially loved chapter 14, Even the Least of Them..., and also the last chapter. She encouraged so many people to trust in Jesus for salvation, and strengthened those who were saved but maybe timid in their faith. And she continues to do that through her books.
October 25, 2010
I just finished this book. I can't seem to get enough of this author. I love reading her stories. I love how she lived her life. She was so in tune to the Spirit of the Lord. I would love to have met her in person.
March 31, 2021
Corrie is a hero, not only because of the way she endured her holocaust suffering, but because of the way she lived her whole life in God's strength instead of her own. This book illuminates her father's far-reaching legacy and the literal and emotional power in her girls club law "first article: seek your strength through prayer." Although she was often impatient, blundering, and made the upperclass women cringe, Corrie has a legacy worth looking at.
....
"A person doesn't spring into existence at the age of fifty; there are years of preparation, years of experience, which God uses in ways we may never know until we meet Him face go face." -Corrie
...
If Corrie is a hero of yours and if you are built up by stories of how God sustains, uses, prepares, shepherds, and blesses his people, this book is for you.
....
"A person doesn't spring into existence at the age of fifty; there are years of preparation, years of experience, which God uses in ways we may never know until we meet Him face go face." -Corrie
...
If Corrie is a hero of yours and if you are built up by stories of how God sustains, uses, prepares, shepherds, and blesses his people, this book is for you.
June 6, 2023
This book really confronted me, what a great man her Father was.
It is sad father's like that are so rare today, I was moved throughout this book as to what fatherhood could look like.
I hope I am capable of being something like him.
It is sad father's like that are so rare today, I was moved throughout this book as to what fatherhood could look like.
I hope I am capable of being something like him.
December 11, 2020
Wow, what a full, beautiful life she lived dedicated to the Lord!
February 11, 2026
how I pray that my future family will be like hers
February 23, 2024
This little book is filled with truth and good perspective… I would call it challenging!
June 18, 2021
After reading “The Hiding Place,” I wanted to know more about Corrie Ten Boom’s family and upbringing. “In My Father’s House” was just that. The book covers the years before the Hiding Place but makes references to moments during that time. It covers how someone doesn’t just “spring into existence” that it takes years of preparation and experiences learned that later serve a purpose.
September 21, 2025
So interesting to hear more about her upbringing and the years before The Hiding Place. I love how all her books capture her voice, it feels like she is a friend speaking to you.
November 13, 2021
Corrie ten Boom is such a delight! This book tells the story of life in the ten Boom home before the war. The Beje in Haarlem was so full of life and joy and prayer and song. Opa Casper watched over all with prayer and wisdom. Tante Betsie and Tante Kees cared for all the people who came and went. It was such a warm and happy home full of true godly hospitality and selflessness. It is no wonder the Lord used this family to bring many to Christ across the Netherlands and the world.
April 3, 2021
4.5 stars
It was fascinating to learn about Corrie ten Boom's life prior to World War II - her childhood and growing up years, all the different things she experienced, though she never left her small corner of the world very much. I really love her frank and unvarnished way of writing and being. Some of my favorite parts of the book were learning about how her family took in so many foster children over the years and how they really became a part of the family and her involvement in Girl Guides (similar to Girl Scouts; also made me think of Awana Clubs). She poured her life into so many people younger than herself and didn't let the fact that she was single affect her contributions to others. It doesn't seem it had much impact on her thought process at all. One thing that also stood out was how she prayed as a very young child for the street she lived on and all the people on it. I found that revelatory! Why not take a moment to pray for your neighborhood, your town or city, your street even? You never know the way God will work through that over the years.
Favorite quotes: "A child is not fearless, contrary to what his parents may think at times. A child is often a bundle of unexpressed fears, unknown terrors, and shadowy worries. I was afraid of the doctor's office, my family's leaving me, and the mystery of death."
It was fascinating to learn about Corrie ten Boom's life prior to World War II - her childhood and growing up years, all the different things she experienced, though she never left her small corner of the world very much. I really love her frank and unvarnished way of writing and being. Some of my favorite parts of the book were learning about how her family took in so many foster children over the years and how they really became a part of the family and her involvement in Girl Guides (similar to Girl Scouts; also made me think of Awana Clubs). She poured her life into so many people younger than herself and didn't let the fact that she was single affect her contributions to others. It doesn't seem it had much impact on her thought process at all. One thing that also stood out was how she prayed as a very young child for the street she lived on and all the people on it. I found that revelatory! Why not take a moment to pray for your neighborhood, your town or city, your street even? You never know the way God will work through that over the years.
Favorite quotes: "A child is not fearless, contrary to what his parents may think at times. A child is often a bundle of unexpressed fears, unknown terrors, and shadowy worries. I was afraid of the doctor's office, my family's leaving me, and the mystery of death."
January 12, 2022
Many of us know Corrie ten Boom from her memoir, The Hiding Place where she shares her experience at a concentration camp for helping her family hide Jews during WWII. This book is interesting because it delves into her childhood and young adult life which prepares her for her assignment later in life. Before she led prayer and Bible study at Ravensbruck, she was teaching teenagers at her Christian clubs and camps. Before she was helping hide Jews in her home, she and her family were foster parents to many orphans. Her mother and father led Corrie in prayer to accept Jesus and taught each of their children the importance of Scripture memorization. Those Scriptures would later sustain Corrie the dark times she would face. This book shows us that we what we do now matters and will always influence our next decision.
April 3, 2023
This was another book I inherited from my dad's collection when he died. Though I've not read The Hiding Place, I've heard countless stories about Corrie Ten Boom, so getting the background story of her family's life prior to WWII was enlightening. While some of the thoughts felt pretty scattered, it was mostly an organized journal of sorts and I really got a feel for what it was like to live in the Ten Boom house. Their relationship with Jesus was one to aspire to, and the number of people in heaven due to this family is both awe-inspiring and a bit convicting. This was a quick easy read and included photographs of the family and the clubs that Corrie was instrumental in beginning. Though they lived a hard life (filled with poverty and loss), it was so filled with love that they didn't recognize it as hard. Very inspirational!
December 11, 2021
I enjoyed the Hiding Place and this book is just as good and not to be missed. Corrie is in her 50s when taken prisoner in The Hiding Place, and this book tells what happened before.
I have been struggling with teaching and wondering if I should leave it to people who are better at it. This book encouraged me. Corrie says her sister was a wonderful teacher but that she herself wasn’t. She recounts how she made many mistakes. And yet she persevered and reached many people. The teaching in her younger years prepared her for something that would come later. I am encouraged to keep pressing on. Maybe I don’t see results now, and maybe the only way to become a better teacher is to keep teaching. Maybe my end goal is not an individual class, but I can trust God does have an end purpose even if it be years in the future.
I have been struggling with teaching and wondering if I should leave it to people who are better at it. This book encouraged me. Corrie says her sister was a wonderful teacher but that she herself wasn’t. She recounts how she made many mistakes. And yet she persevered and reached many people. The teaching in her younger years prepared her for something that would come later. I am encouraged to keep pressing on. Maybe I don’t see results now, and maybe the only way to become a better teacher is to keep teaching. Maybe my end goal is not an individual class, but I can trust God does have an end purpose even if it be years in the future.
August 20, 2022
Corrie ten Boom may best be known for her memoir of her family protecting Jews during WW2 and her consequential concentration camp experiences, “The Hiding Place.” This memoir “In My Father’s House” also deserves widespread recognition. The focus of IMFH is about the years before WW2, from the turn of the century until 1940, in the ten Boom household. What an inspiration! What a model for living a Godly, faithful life. I am keeping this book by my side to pick up and read excerpts often for encouragement. I highly recommend.
June 6, 2024
I read The Hiding Place last year and it was one of the best books from last year. This is a really good supplement/ prequel. There's not too much overlap with Hiding Place. Corrie ten Boom shared more about all of her family members and the lessons she learned from them and the various antecedents she tells. It is also so interesting to get a picture of life and the world 100 years ago.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews