Anneke Visser

@annekevisser · 16 Jul 2023

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Review: Achterhuis aan de Maas by Willem van Tongeren

When you see the couple on Willem van Tongeren's beautiful cover of Achterhuis aan de Maas, you want to know who they are and what their backstory is, and you also want to know what kind of uniform the man is wearing. Unfortunately, you will not receive an answer to the latter. In any case, you get the feeling that the man likes to follow his own path and is not easily attracted to others. The title makes you curious about the story, but is also very well chosen. When reading the title, many people will immediately think of a world-famous book about Anne Frank's Secret Annex, but this story has a different course and end than the world-famous book. The subtitle clearly states who the book is about. The photos in the book complete the book.
Achterhuis aan de Maas by Willem van Tongeren tells the extraordinary story of the Frans & Mien van Wijnakker couple. Frans & Mien van Wijnakker housed at least ten Jews in their rectory during the Second World War, saving at least ten lives from the hands of the German occupiers. Frans, in particular, often took a risk. The story shows how risky it was to let people hide in your home, what was involved, what to look out for, what could happen if you were betrayed, how it was ensured that the people in hiding had actually found a good safe house and how they dealt with it if the occupant (s) didn't click.

Read more on https://surfingann.blogspot.com/2023/07/achterhuis-aan-de-maas-willem-van.html .

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