Book Review: The Chosen by Chaim Potok

The book is about a friendship between two Jewish boys in Brooklyn at around the end of World War Two. One boy, Reuven Malter, is the narrator and is a traditional, Orthodox Jew. The other boy, Danny Saunders is a Hasid and is a prodigy who loves psychoanalysis. They meet at a baseball game, where Danny hits Reuven in the eye when he is pitching, so Reuven is rushed to the hospital. Danny later visits him to ask for forgiveness. From then on, the two boys become best friends. The book also explores the boys’ relationships with their fathers. Danny’s father is Reb Saunders, who is a sixth generation Rabbi, and Danny is expected to take his place even though he doesn’t want to. Reuven’s father is David Malter, and he is more open-minded and accepting of modern America. A powerful book about family, friendship, and what it means to be Jewish in America.

This novel is not an easy read—you will have to work to understand this, especially if you are not familiar with the Jewish religion. I personally don’t know that much about the Jewish religion, so I learned a lot from this book. However, it was a bit overwhelming for me at times because of all the vocabulary. I had to write down words I didn’t know so I could look them up later on. The Chosen is worth the work though.

The book shows us two perspectives on being Jewish in America during that time period, and these perspectives are represented by the boys’ fathers. Danny’s father, Reb Saunders, is not willing to interpret Judaism in any other way than his own. He is not willing to embrace modern times because he is held back by tradition. Reuven’s father, David Malter, is tolerant of different perspectives on Judaism, and he adapts his religious beliefs to fit-in with modern times. At the end of the book, Reb Saunders becomes more open-minded, and this is the view Potok encourages.

You have probably guessed from the title of the book that The Chosen also emphasizes choice. No one in the book chooses to be Jewish on their own—that aspect of their life was chosen for them. Danny does not choose to take over his father’s position in the community when he dies—that role was chosen for him. Danny has other passions though, and he wants to choose a different path through life. His father does not support that until later, when he realizes that America is a land of choice, and Danny should decide for himself what he wants to do in life.

What I liked about this book was that even though it talked about the holocaust because it took place during World War Two, it wasn’t about the holocaust. This book asked what it meant to be Jewish in a rapidly changing America. If you’re a teacher, I recommend teaching this alongside holocaust literature such as The Book Thief or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas so your students can see what it was like being Jewish in different parts of the world during that time in history.

I think boys would enjoy this more than girls, but girls can still appreciate the book and identify with the characters. There’s not a lot of Young Adult books out there aimed at boys, and The Chosen is one of those few aimed at boys. I also think it would be great if both the parents and their teens read this book at the same time. In The Chosen, the fathers learn to see their sons as individuals, but they also make sure that they don’t forget where they came from. Parents can learn a lot from David Malter and Reb Saunders.

Overall, I give five out of five stars—it really was a great book with a lot to say. There’s a baseball scene in the beginning that is terrible, but I promise, once you get past that scene, the book improves dramatically.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Chosen-Chaim-Potok/dp/0449213447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395593122&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chosen