Rating: 
Summary: beautiful
Review: the chosen is a story about two young men who deal with the demands of their father. in addition to enlightening me on the traditions and customs of jews, it presented a quiet hope for the intelligence and decency of human beings. the characters in this book are smart and sensible. part of the reason the chosen is such a powerful book is that the characters seem like real people. all aspects of the chosen align and form a pitch-perfect note that only truly great art can accompolish. it is something that mozart did with music, and da vinci did with painting. the chosen does that with literature. i am in 7th grade now and i read this book when i was in 5th grade, so that should show you something about the reading level. the words and language may be hard for people my age to understand, but everything in this book is written with a clear and thoughtful intention. Potok doesn't throw in a bunch of meaningless fancy talk to show off how great of a writer he is, but it is not simple or hackneyed either. it is a book that has universal appeal for everyone with a mind of their own...
Rating:
Summary: Compelling and exceptional
Review: I am not Jewish nor was this book required reading. In fact, theboys in this book.... But I found this book deeply moving andsatifying. I am not going to change my Faith because I read it, andit seems to me that it is encouraging that belief is held as deeply asis illustrated by the characters in this very fine work. I am goingto read the sequel because I want to know what comes next in the livesof these intelligent, admirable characters. This is one of the bestbooks of fiction I have read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story. But...
Review: I love this story. I love the warmth, the compassion, the wisdom demonstrated by all four of the main characters. But I do want to note that Potok's depiction of women is flat, cursory, repressed. Women are mothers (or mother substitutes, in the case of the housekeeper) or sisters. They serve food, marry, and get pregnant. There's a half-sentence in which Reuven, the narrator, says he is "dating" and finding it fun, but doesn't romance... rate more than a few words in the world of a normal 19 year old?
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Summary: The Chosen Prince of the Hasiddic Jews
Review: This book takes you to a world you aren't familiar with, even though it is in Brooklyn, New York. It is about a community of Hasiddic Jews in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. These are people who continue to dress as their ancestors did in Poland and Russia many generations ago. The men wear dark suits in all weather, hats, long beards, and "side curls" or "ear locks", hair hanging down past their ears. They separate themselves from others by their noticeably different appearance. In The Chosen, we get to meet them. This is a much better way to meet them than by reading about the murder of an Australian Hasiddic Jew visiting Crown Heights, a tragedy that happened not many years ago. The whole Hasiddic movement was born in Poland as a response to incredible cruelty shown to the Jews by their Christian neighbors. The Jews needed a Messiah - quick! In The Chosen, we meet a modern day "tzaddik", closest thing to a Messiah that this community can have. He is a wise man, a community leader and rabbi, who enjoys the unquestioned belief and adulation of his community. The tzaddik in this book is Reb Saunders. His son Danny is "the chosen", the crown prince of this community, next to inherit the mantle of "tzaddik" after his revered father is gone. Danny Saunders is Americanized though. He is a very good baseball player, and he is interested in secular knowledge like the writings of Freud. The question becomes - is Danny Saunders going to continue the tradition and become tzaddik or will he become an American. Danny is brought up in silence. His father rarely talks to him. This is a drastic way to bring up a child. It is done to bring Danny into contact with loneliness and suffering, so he can be a more compassionate tzaddik when his time comes. If you like learning about cultures unlike your own, you will probably enjoy this book a lot. It takes place in the late 1940s but the Hasiddic people are alive and well today, in Crown Heights and in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, among other places. They look, of course, just the same as always.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book for open-minded people...
Review: I have recently read the book, The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. I found this book to be very entertaining and informing. I learned about Judaism and the Jewish culture. This book helps you to realize how valuable a friend is. It tells of how friends can help you through life and have fun as well. I also learned a lot of things about the Jewish religion. I would recommend this book to people that are open-minded. You have to be willing to learn about different customs in order to enjoy this book. Also you must look beyond the text of the book into the meaning. This is a deep and powerful book. I hope you decide to read this, and enjoy it!!!
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Summary: enter into the magical world of American Judaism ...
Review: To write a summary of this book would do it injustice. Moreover, giving away the plot takes away the fun. Potok has a gift for sketching out what the magical world of Judaism looks like. While I was reading the dialogues, I could almost hear the characters with accents (like Danny's father, Reuven's father, their Talmud teacher Reb, etc.). I do sympathize with those who do not know some of the Jewish terms (e.g. tzaddik, Torah, Mishnah, Talmud, etc.). It would have helped to have a glossary, but an attentive reader would be able to figure out from the context what the terms meant. The story is not merely about Judaism; it's about friendship and parenthood. What does it mean to have a "soul"? But none of these values or principles makes sense unless it is embedded in the narrative of two rather different Jewish boys growing up as best friends.
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Summary: The Chosen Friendship
Review: The readers sit, captivated by the novel, The Chosen. This summer I was one of those readers. I think that the reasons for this captivation are the two boys' friendship, the changing of their understanding of religion, and the phases of growing into men. All of the reasons above come together in friendship because their friendship changes, as they understand religion and manhood. These changes in friendship are especially hard for Rueven because he has to understand Danny and Danny's father. These misunderstandings between Rueven and Danny's father make the conflict very exciting. One of the major arguments that make the boys' friendship very tense is about Zionism. This argument is between Rueven and Danny's father. The book is also very powerful because as you go through it you begin to understand the politics that are going on at that time. Rueven starts talking about Zionism and how so many people want it. Reb Saunders, Danny's father, becomes very angry, and comes back with a speech that ends with, "True Jews do not say such things!" (199). This makes Rueven think about what a true Jew is; although Rueven is very religious. It also makes Rueven think about their contrast in thoughts before speaking to Reb Saunders again. Their friendship changes as well because Danny doesn't want his father to get so angry, but he secretly agrees with Rueven on Zionism. This is an example of a religions and political phase changing a friendship phase in their lives. The Chosen is a coming of age book. The main point the author, Chaim Potok, is trying to get across is the change from boyhood to adulthood and how this change affects the boys' friendship and their friends. The book changes from a childhood story to a deep moving story about two men. This is done by starting out with a childhood activity: playing baseball. As the book progresses the boys' conflicts become more sophisticated and their ideas about religion change as well. An example of a younger conflict is Rueven not wanting to become friends with Danny although Danny is truly sorry for what he did. This is resolved by Rueven's father who knows Danny. He tells Rueven to befriend Danny and finally Rueven gives in. An example of an older, more sophisticated conflict is about Danny. He should become the next rabbi, but he wishes to go to college instead. Reb Saunders does not want him to go, and Danny does not want to see his father angry with him. He decides to go to college, convinced by Rueven and his own inner feelings. This is a conflict only an older and more mature boy would have. Through these changes the boys' friendship really changes. When Rueven is in the hospital he really grows from a boy into a teenager. He does this by learning that Danny is not an enemy. As they grow into men their friendship goes through phases of talking and not talking. This is because Reb Saunders forbids Danny to talk with someone who is in favor of Zionism. I think that when they are not talking they grow and learn more. This is because they have to learn to keep their friendship alive in silence. The Chosen is an amazing book for many other reasons as well, such as the politics, Danny's regular reading periods with Rueven's father, and Rueven's father learning to deal with his health. The ones I have discussed are the ones that I think hold the book together. I think that Chaim Potok did a very good job at getting his message of how boys grow up and the different phases of their feelings that help them grow into men across. The story really draws you into the book so you are living with the boys, trying to help the along. I really enjoyed this book and I would greatly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: boring and waaaayyy too much detail
Review: like most people, i was forced to read the book for school...let me just say, if you have insomnia, i recommend this book...itll put u rite to sleep
Rating:
Summary: ONe of the BEst books I've ever read
Review: I had never heard of this book but I decided to get it because it was one of the books on my 8th grade reading list; and my mom said it was good. Even though a book about 2 boys' friendship may sound boring, as it did to me, this is a verrry good book. I could hardly ever put the book down. Not only was it a great book it also taught me a lot about Judaism. I had no idea of the bad sentiment between the Hasidim and non-hasidim Jews.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece!
Review: This book was recommeded by a Rabbi, and I cannot thank her enough. Potok takes you through the friendship of two Jewish boys, one Conservative, the other Hasidic, and examines the joys and sorrows of their friendship during the 1940's. The friendship of the two boys is tested by WWII and the differences in their beliefs. A must read.
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