The Hiding Place A Graphic Novel. Corrie ten Boom. With Elizabeth and John Sherrill. Adapted by Mario DeMatteo. Illustrated by Ismael Castro. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: It was 1937, just three years before Hitler and his Nazis invaded Holland. It was the 100th birthday party of ten Boom Watches--our little watch shop in Old Haarlem. Although the party was for the shop, the affection of a city was for father. Casper Ten Boom. They called him Haarlem's Grand Old Man.
This book adapts Corrie ten Boom's autobiography The Hiding Place into a graphic novel of the same name.
Is The Hiding Place memoir worth reading? Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.
Is The Hiding Place movie adaptation worth watching? YES. Definitely.
Is The Hiding Place graphic novel memoir worth reading? Definitely. Especially, especially if it helps readers envision the times and events. Some readers respond more to graphic novels, find them easier to read, to digest. It may be "easier" to "hand-sell" (think Reading Rainbow) a graphic novel than a traditional book, a nonfiction memoir at that.
Does the graphic novel do a good job adapting the original? While I haven't read them close together in time to compare perfectly, as I was reading the graphic novel, I was reminded of scenes from the memoir. I don't recall any memorable, significant scenes from the memoir being left out OR being changed or altered. All the highlights, if you will, of the original can be found in the graphic novel adaptation. Memories not being perfect, however, I haven't examined the two close enough to say with absolute certainty that the two are essentially telling the exact same story.
I do recommend reading the original OR reading the graphic novel--or both. I do recommend watching the movie.
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