The Chosen

Title: The Chosen
Author: Chaim Potok
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 304
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: 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.
Thoughts: Such a great book.  It's very similar to My Name is Asher Lev, also by Potok, which I read (and loved) several years ago.  What I really liked about The Chosen was its exploration of our relationship with faith and God.  I don't want to give away much about the plot, but for me Danny's relationship with his father was a perfect metaphor for how our relationship with God can feel at times.  By the end of the book, I felt like I had truly learned something valuable, and actually feel like my faith is maybe a bit stronger because of it.  There's a lot more to the book (father/son relationships, dealing with differences between friends, etc.), but that was what has stuck with me.  The writing is great and it's a great story, so I'd highly recommend it.
Disclaimer: None.