The Chosen (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
by Chaim Potok
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Book Summary Information
Author: Chaim PotokEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-08-27
ISBN: 0449911543
Number of pages: 284
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780449911549
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Chosen (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Book Review: A story of two fathers, and two sons
Summary: 5 Stars
This short novel is a story of two fathers and two sons; one son, Reuven, is a fairly conservative Jew, perhaps even Orthodox, but with a modern outlook. His father is a noted academic, Talmud critical scholar, and Zionist. The other young man, Danny, is the son of a Hassidic rebbe, who is the leader of a tightly-knit, isolated Russian immigrant community who came to United States fleeing antisemitic persecution.
Written clearly and straightforwardly, Reuven, narrating in first person, tells us about his experiences and interactions with Danny and how each other's father had a decisive influence over each child, even though the fathers themselves never personally met each other.
Potok captures the differences between the conservatives and the ultra-Orthodox without going into technical dissertations. Instead, Potok presents us with what each branch of Judaism does instead of jumping into long dogmatic compare-and-contrast narratives.
The result is enchanting. I only notionally knew about the different schools of Jewish thought and practice but in Potok's portrayal, the reader can see readily the differences and that these differences are anything but nuanced.
I find Potok's more effective than many primers in Judaism that I've read: Potok told me what each group thought of each other against the momentous event that lead to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Conventional wisdom would lead one to believe that all Jews wanted their own state in Palestine, yet one is surprised to learn that this wasn't the case. Many among the Ultra-Orthodox decried the founding of Israel on theological grounds. For, according to them only the Messiah could reestablish the People in the Land of Israel, whereas more secularized Jews either dismissed that idea or, better still, wanted to seized the initiative from God - with no disrespect intended to the Deity.
Potok's story transcends religious boundaries. It is the story about fathers and sons. I passed along the book to my eldest son who devoured it and enjoyed it. It also added to his level of awareness about other people's beliefs and chosen way of life. Get The Chosen. I recommend it!
Summary of The Chosen (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
"Anyone who finds it is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal."THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again....
From the Paperback edition.
Few stories offer more warmth, wisdom, or generosity than this tale of two boys, their fathers, their friendship, and the chaotic times in which they live. Though on the surface it explores religious faith--the intellectually committed as well as the passionately observant--the struggles addressed in The Chosen are familiar to families of all faiths and in all nations.
In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love. (This is not a conventional children's book, although it will move any wise child age 12 or older, and often appears on summer reading lists for high school students.)
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