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Return to the Hiding Place
Unspeakable faith in the face of Nazi persecution didn't come easily for 18-year-old Dutch student Hans Poley. But after months in hiding at Corrie ten Boom's home, Poley found an inner peace and freedom that defied even the Nazi peril. Composed of his wartime journals and letters, the book also includes exclusive photos documenting Poley's life in hiding.
205 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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September 14, 2010In a television interview toward the end of Corrie’s life, the interviewer observed, “You must have a mighty great faith.” She answered by quoting her beloved father: “I do not have a mighty great faith, but I have faith in a mighty great God.”
January 19, 2021
The memoirs of one of the men who lived with the ten Boom family during the war, Return to the Hiding Place gives a different angle on the events of and figures in The Hiding Place. Hans Poley was not Jewish, but of an age to be deported to forced labor camps in Germany. He left Delft University when he would have been forced to sign a pro-Nazi statement, and went into hiding with the ten Booms. Later, he worked for the Dutch Resistance, eventually getting forged papers that changed his age so he could move freely. He was arrested and sent to a concentration camp before the raid on the ten Booms, but was released before the Dutch Hunger Winter.
Poley tells his story with some emotional distance. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to relive the horrors--not just imprisonment, but the constant fear of being hidden. What I appreciated most about his telling of the story was his recollections of the others with whom he hid, particularly Eusi, one of the more memorable persons in The Hiding Place. During Poley's imprisonment, he encountered a former member of the Dutch Reformed Church, who had been kicked out when he joined the Nazis. At a funeral, no one from the church would speak to the man. Since most memoirs of the war are about extraordinary rather than ordinary life, I appreciated the glimpse into the DRC and how at least one congregation handled Nazi complicity in its members.
Toward the end, Poley's story of his own shift toward forgiveness and reconciliation stood out. Unlike Corrie ten Boom, who personally confronted one of her captors, Poley had little personal resentment but much resentment toward Nazism and the whole of Germany. As he says, he couldn't forgive Nazism as an institution or ideology, but he could move forward with "the ministry of reconciliation" with individual Germans, and complicit Dutch. He tells this more simply, and with less of the supernatural, than Corrie ten Boom does, but the witness remains strong: "the intense hate, the anger, and the bitterness were gone. I learned to identify the Nazis and their regime as the origin of the atrocities....I tried earnestly not to pass my own feelings on to the next generation." (195) He doesn't gloss over the difficulties--at the time of writing, red and black still make him cringe, and he keeps Germany and its culture at arms' length, and "Deutschland über alles" still makes him shiver. However, he chooses moving forward over being borne back into the past.
It must have been heartbreaking to write this book. As a historian and as a Christian, I am grateful that Poley did write it. No stories should be lost. The memory of those slaughtered should be kept alive to be a blessing.
Poley tells his story with some emotional distance. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to relive the horrors--not just imprisonment, but the constant fear of being hidden. What I appreciated most about his telling of the story was his recollections of the others with whom he hid, particularly Eusi, one of the more memorable persons in The Hiding Place. During Poley's imprisonment, he encountered a former member of the Dutch Reformed Church, who had been kicked out when he joined the Nazis. At a funeral, no one from the church would speak to the man. Since most memoirs of the war are about extraordinary rather than ordinary life, I appreciated the glimpse into the DRC and how at least one congregation handled Nazi complicity in its members.
Toward the end, Poley's story of his own shift toward forgiveness and reconciliation stood out. Unlike Corrie ten Boom, who personally confronted one of her captors, Poley had little personal resentment but much resentment toward Nazism and the whole of Germany. As he says, he couldn't forgive Nazism as an institution or ideology, but he could move forward with "the ministry of reconciliation" with individual Germans, and complicit Dutch. He tells this more simply, and with less of the supernatural, than Corrie ten Boom does, but the witness remains strong: "the intense hate, the anger, and the bitterness were gone. I learned to identify the Nazis and their regime as the origin of the atrocities....I tried earnestly not to pass my own feelings on to the next generation." (195) He doesn't gloss over the difficulties--at the time of writing, red and black still make him cringe, and he keeps Germany and its culture at arms' length, and "Deutschland über alles" still makes him shiver. However, he chooses moving forward over being borne back into the past.
It must have been heartbreaking to write this book. As a historian and as a Christian, I am grateful that Poley did write it. No stories should be lost. The memory of those slaughtered should be kept alive to be a blessing.
November 5, 2018
I liked this book, kept me wondering what's next.
A family-owned house and watch shop turned into a hiding place for anyone that was
being sought by the Gestapo. Didn't matter if you were a Jew or not.
Religious turmoil, emotions, and different views by the people hiding in the secret rooms were a constant problem but somehow in the end
and after World War2, they became 'family' and close friends.
The true story has romance, intrigue, death, religious views and a lifetime of loyalty.
A family-owned house and watch shop turned into a hiding place for anyone that was
being sought by the Gestapo. Didn't matter if you were a Jew or not.
Religious turmoil, emotions, and different views by the people hiding in the secret rooms were a constant problem but somehow in the end
and after World War2, they became 'family' and close friends.
The true story has romance, intrigue, death, religious views and a lifetime of loyalty.
May 25, 2016
Unbelievably good book! Another part of the ten Boom family story. Well written, emotional and intense at times. Having been to the ten Boom house last summer we could visualize what he was describing. Amazing book. If you loved The Hiding Place, you will love Return to the Hiding Place. It gives a side of the story you didn't hear in Corrie's book. At times I read through tears--and I was reading the book aloud. I can't wait to watch the movie now!
December 30, 2018
So, I watched the movie Return to the Hiding Place first, so when I picked this up I was expecting it to be like the movie. It wasn't. At all. But I still immensely enjoyed it, more for it's historical value than for entertainment. It's like a supplemental read for The Hiding Place, except it focuses more on those who hid in the secret room and what their life at the Ten Booms was like. I really liked it, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys and appreciates history.
May 27, 2011
Great read! I thought it was almost as good as THe Hiding Place. It's written from th perspective of one of the actual refugees who hid in the hiding place.
February 23, 2023
I’ve read The Hiding Place so this was a nice companion, with more details on some of the Jews hidden at the ten Boom house and different details from the perspective of a young man working with the Dutch resistance under the guise of a pastor. His 6 months in a concentration camp take up just a few chapters.
March 1, 2021
“I agreed, halfheartedly,” Hans wrote. “My mother might be right about the innocence of this hiding place, but it did not strike me as very exciting, not with a war on our doorstep. But beggars can’t be choosers. After all, in May, 1943, I was an outlaw.”
Hans Poley was a Dutch college student in the early 1940s. When he refused to sign a declaration of Nazi loyalty – and since he was vulnerable to the forced labor draft and transport to Germany – Hans’ parents searched for a place for him to hide. His mother worked with Corrie ten Boom in a church ministry for children with special needs, and Corrie offered their home as Hans’ shelter. Hans’ mother was overjoyed to find such an innocuous place for him to hide. What safer place could there be than the home of an aged watchmaker and his two unmarried daughters?
So Hans took up residence with the Ten Booms. Many times he had to rush with other “outlaws” to the safety of the upstairs hiding place, but Hans would not be in the hiding place during the famous Gestapo raid on the Beje.
Hans was arrested on an undercover mission in early 1944, and was eventually sent to the concentration camp Amersfoort. His story is a hard one, and Hans is honest about his struggle with hatred of the Germans and the disagreements that sometimes popped up or even exploded inside the Ten Boom home.
But Hans’ story is also one of God’s faithfulness in horribly difficult times. Hans saw God at work in his life even while imprisoned, and he was grateful for the Ten Booms’ example and service, particularly Father ten Boom, called “Opa” or “Grandfather” by everyone who knew him.
“Return to the Hiding Place” is an inspiring look at one man’s risk and obedience in the face of evil, and it provides an insider’s perspective on the famous Ten Boom home. While we don’t face the same oppressive danger they faced, Hans reminds us that we all have to choose what – or Who – we will live for. And he reminds us that no matter what we face, as Corrie would so often say, “Jesus is Victor.”
“Everything that had been my life was fading before my eyes and heart: my love, my family, my future. Only one unshakable certainty remained: the promise of my Father in heaven that even in the valley of the shadow of death, He would be with me. So I turned to God as I had never done before…The peace that came over me conquered the other emotions…that were whirling inside. Whatever might happen now, I was His and in His hands, safe and secure. Nobody could hurt me anymore. I felt lifted out of my worries and agony and set up on a rock where no worldly power could reach me. I was untouchable. I was still cuffed to the central heating but I felt free, more free than I had ever felt before.”
Hans Poley was a Dutch college student in the early 1940s. When he refused to sign a declaration of Nazi loyalty – and since he was vulnerable to the forced labor draft and transport to Germany – Hans’ parents searched for a place for him to hide. His mother worked with Corrie ten Boom in a church ministry for children with special needs, and Corrie offered their home as Hans’ shelter. Hans’ mother was overjoyed to find such an innocuous place for him to hide. What safer place could there be than the home of an aged watchmaker and his two unmarried daughters?
So Hans took up residence with the Ten Booms. Many times he had to rush with other “outlaws” to the safety of the upstairs hiding place, but Hans would not be in the hiding place during the famous Gestapo raid on the Beje.
Hans was arrested on an undercover mission in early 1944, and was eventually sent to the concentration camp Amersfoort. His story is a hard one, and Hans is honest about his struggle with hatred of the Germans and the disagreements that sometimes popped up or even exploded inside the Ten Boom home.
But Hans’ story is also one of God’s faithfulness in horribly difficult times. Hans saw God at work in his life even while imprisoned, and he was grateful for the Ten Booms’ example and service, particularly Father ten Boom, called “Opa” or “Grandfather” by everyone who knew him.
“Return to the Hiding Place” is an inspiring look at one man’s risk and obedience in the face of evil, and it provides an insider’s perspective on the famous Ten Boom home. While we don’t face the same oppressive danger they faced, Hans reminds us that we all have to choose what – or Who – we will live for. And he reminds us that no matter what we face, as Corrie would so often say, “Jesus is Victor.”
“Everything that had been my life was fading before my eyes and heart: my love, my family, my future. Only one unshakable certainty remained: the promise of my Father in heaven that even in the valley of the shadow of death, He would be with me. So I turned to God as I had never done before…The peace that came over me conquered the other emotions…that were whirling inside. Whatever might happen now, I was His and in His hands, safe and secure. Nobody could hurt me anymore. I felt lifted out of my worries and agony and set up on a rock where no worldly power could reach me. I was untouchable. I was still cuffed to the central heating but I felt free, more free than I had ever felt before.”
November 17, 2021
During the time of Nazi persecution, a Christian Dutch family called the ten Booms welcome into their home various people who were hiding from the Nazis, both Jewish and not. 18-year-old Hans Poley was the first guest, hiding to avoid being sent to Germany to do hard labor in replacement of Germans who'd been sent to fight. Here he tells the story of his time at the ten Booms' house and his own arrest that took him to a prison, then a concentration camp.
Having read The Hiding Place earlier this year, it was really interesting to see the Beje and the ten Boom family from the perspective of one of their "guests." Not only does Hans Poley echo Corrie ten Boom's assertions about the incredible faith of her father and sister, he shows Corrie herself as more open and giving than she portrayed herself in some areas. For example, when her room was chosen as the location for the secret room in her book, she tried to protest it. According to Poley, however, she "readily agreed." I think we'd all be surprised to find out how others view us, compared to how we view ourselves, and in this case, Corrie ten Boom may have been a little hard on herself. Another small thing I noticed that didn't match up between the books is that both authors claim to be the one who gave Eusi, one of the most prominent long-term Jewish guests, his fake name, and I wonder if this, and any other possible discrepancy, is simply due to faulty memories.
Yet again I was struck by how incredibly selfless this family was, giving up their own comfort and safety to help so many others. And Casper ten Boom, Corrie's father, is even more inspirational to me after reading this. He repeatedly expressed a desire to help the Jewish people as if it weren't even a choice to make. If you've read The Hiding Place, you should consider reading this too. Overall, though, I recommend it to anyone interested in true Holocaust accounts, especially those from a Christian worldview.
Having read The Hiding Place earlier this year, it was really interesting to see the Beje and the ten Boom family from the perspective of one of their "guests." Not only does Hans Poley echo Corrie ten Boom's assertions about the incredible faith of her father and sister, he shows Corrie herself as more open and giving than she portrayed herself in some areas. For example, when her room was chosen as the location for the secret room in her book, she tried to protest it. According to Poley, however, she "readily agreed." I think we'd all be surprised to find out how others view us, compared to how we view ourselves, and in this case, Corrie ten Boom may have been a little hard on herself. Another small thing I noticed that didn't match up between the books is that both authors claim to be the one who gave Eusi, one of the most prominent long-term Jewish guests, his fake name, and I wonder if this, and any other possible discrepancy, is simply due to faulty memories.
Yet again I was struck by how incredibly selfless this family was, giving up their own comfort and safety to help so many others. And Casper ten Boom, Corrie's father, is even more inspirational to me after reading this. He repeatedly expressed a desire to help the Jewish people as if it weren't even a choice to make. If you've read The Hiding Place, you should consider reading this too. Overall, though, I recommend it to anyone interested in true Holocaust accounts, especially those from a Christian worldview.
January 12, 2026
I came here because the "Return to the Hiding Place" movie intrigued me. I LOVED the movie and wanted to see what of it was accurate. to my shock a lot more was accurate than I thought would be. I loved seeing the normal hiding place story, but from Hans' perspective, along with all the new stories of Mary and Eusi! (Whom I'd known from the movie ;))) Most especially though, I loved the true stories from the movie about the gun behind the books and trying to get rid of evidence down the drain toilet...if you know you know😉😋
So yes, I would recommend this book and the movie highly!
So yes, I would recommend this book and the movie highly!
May 6, 2018
This was interesting in that many of the events are the same as The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, but details were different in some places. It reminded me of reading the gospels: different accounts of the same events from different perspectives.
It is inspiring to read of the perseverance and endurance of people who resisted and survived the Nazi occupation of Holland.
It is inspiring to read of the perseverance and endurance of people who resisted and survived the Nazi occupation of Holland.
January 22, 2024
I didn't know this book existed. The Hiding Place and the story of the Ten Booms and a small part of the Dutch resistance during WWII told from a different angle. There are many similar stories that were never told...
Best quote: "I know not what my future holds, but I know WHO holds my future".
Best quote: "I know not what my future holds, but I know WHO holds my future".
September 14, 2025
Easy to read. I enjoyed reading about the Hiding Place from another view of someone who was there (the first person taken in by the ten Booms). His faith also sustained him like Corrie’s did and he discusses it in the book.
September 24, 2025
2.5/5
I am sure Hans Poley was a wonderful human being who was an asset to the world and a light shining in the darkness of the Nazi occupation. But this book fell flat. Quite possibly the most boring book I've read about this era.
I am sure Hans Poley was a wonderful human being who was an asset to the world and a light shining in the darkness of the Nazi occupation. But this book fell flat. Quite possibly the most boring book I've read about this era.
August 11, 2018
Very good read. Enhanced the story about the Hiding Place. The events are told through the prospective of the one who was being persecuted and events leading up to his forced hiding
January 23, 2019
This book gives more "sides" to the story, especially if you've read The Hiding Place. Their faith in God and the personal growth through trials is encouraging to read about.
April 10, 2020
The Hiding Place is one of my favorite books, so I was curious about this book from one of the people hidden in the ten Boom home. I was captivated by his perspective!
January 11, 2026
A good read from another perspective of one who was hidden.
December 31, 2025
Even knowing the broader story, this book felt fresh. What stood out most was the idea of an army of ordinary people acting on deep conviction. Hans Poley emerges as a man of remarkable character, marked by courage and a profound love for the Jewish people. I was struck again by how few Christian churches stood up for righteousness at the time. This book quietly but firmly reminds us that moral clarity often belongs to a faithful minority.
January 6, 2011
Good book but a bit slow moving. Left out a great deal of details that would have made it more interesting.
May 13, 2011
I believe this is everyone's almost favorite book if not their favorite. Its what Christianity is all about.
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August 3, 2011Very informative book giving many details about life in Holland during the Nazi advance during the war.
April 4, 2016
I enjoyed this sequel to The Hiding Place, even though it was a bit slow paced at times.
February 28, 2015
This book was a good follow up to the Hiding place. It added more information and was interesting from another point of view.
December 21, 2010
Great book, relating God's protection, strength, and comfort in trials.
June 23, 2014
Interesting to read the Ten Boom story from a different perspective.
December 13, 2017
o my! I have been a huge fan of corrie ten boom since high school. read most of her books. this book was the icing on the cake. good to hear the story of the 6 in the hiding place in the end. it was good to hear another story of a person who kept their faith doing the horrible ordeal. this book is a must read!
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