Rating: 
Summary: A superb story
Review: 'The Chosen' is a story of friendship that considers and is impacted by the relevancy of an ancient faith in a modern world and the clash between the different ways of approaching such faith. The debates within the book hold particular interest for religions in which faith tends to also become a culture and lifestyle. Potok vividly presents both the joys and the frustrations associated with such religious culture. The story is beautifully told, the portrayal of Jewish culture fascinating and the issues discussed are challenging.
Rating:
Summary: A teen perspective
Review: I was in my mother's room one day, kind of bored, when she handed me the chosen. She told me it was a very beautiful story and made her cry and that I should read it. I was 16. I rolled my eyes. I am not a person who cries and I certainly didn't feel like reading some book that my mother thought was beautiful. But I was bored and had nothing to do and so I started reading it. The intersting thing about the book it that it starts very simply. To make a long story short I really liked the book and it had a pretty strong impact on me. Its the story of a boy living in New York. The captivating thing is that this boy is very different to us, he has a religion and culture that is strange to me as I have never been exposed to it in my life (Orthodox Judaism). He is very different from most people arround him, and in the book he shares with us his deepest feelings about this. The book had a very strong impact on me as it allowed me a glimpse of a different world, viewed from the eyes of a boy so different from me, but in many ways so simmilar. His loneliness, his difference echoed my own. I strongly reccomend reading this book as it gave me a perspective I didn't have before, it was a beautiful and captivating story and gave me a window into a new world.
Rating:
Summary: A great picture of Judaism in 1940's America
Review: This book was very good. It chronicles the teenage years and early adulthood of two Jews: Daniel (Danny) Saunders is the son of a very conservative Rabbi and Reuven Malter, son of a significantly more liberal Jewish father. Time period: June 4, 1944 (when the Allies captured Rome) to approximately May 14, 1948 (when the State of Israel was proclaimed). Setting: Williamsborg, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States of America In the novel, Danny and Reuven become friends and they frequently discuss books, ideas and, of course, the Talmud. The Talmud is an ancient collection of commentaries on the Torah (the first five books of the Bible in the Old Testament). More times than I can remember, the characters clash over the interpretation of some Talmudic passage and then they consult Medieval Jewish commentaries written on the Talmud. One of the interesting issues in the novel was the idea of Zionism and Israel. The conservatives forcefully oppose its creation, arguing that only the Messiah can reinstate Israel and to setup up a secular State (what the Zionists were arguing for) is apostasy. The pro-Zionist position is argued for by David Malter (Reuven's father), "My father sighed. 'Reb Saunders sits and waits for the Messiah,' he said. 'I am tired of waiting. Now is the time to bring the Messiah, not to wait for him.'" (page 207). While Reb Saunders (Danny's father) argues passionately against the Zionist cause, ""The land of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob should be built by Jewish goyim, by contaminated men?" Reb Saunders shouted again. "Never! Not while I live! Who says these things? Who says we should now build Eretz Yisroel? And where is the Messiah Tell me, we should forget completely about the Messiah? For this six million of our people were slaughtered? That we should forget completely about the Messiah, that we should forget completely about the Master of the Universe? Why do you think I brought my family from Russia to America and not to Eretz Yisroel? Because it is better to live in a land of true goyim than to live a land of Jewish goyim! Who says we should build Eretz Yisroel, ah? I'll tell you who says it! Apikorsim [Heretics who reject the teachings of the Rabbis] say it! Jewish goyim say it! True Jews so not say such a thing!" (pages 187-188). In the college that Danny and Reuven attend, there is incredible tension over the issue; only the Dean's threat to instantly expel anybody who starts a fight keeps the peace. The story is also one of dynasty, because for generation, the Saunders family have been Rabbis and Reb Saunders expects his son Danny to continue the dynasty. However, Danny is far more interested in psychology (especially Sigmund Freud) and hopes that his younger sickly brother will be take his responsibility instead. Reuven is quite skilled at mathematics and initially he plans to go into a career of teaching mathematics at the university level; one of his major interests is symbolic logic. However, by the end of the novel, Reuven decides to become a Rabbi and Danny a clinical psychologist. The closing pages where Reb Saunders talks about his son are very touching. He laments that he knew early on that his son Danny was tremendously gifted (Danny has great memorization speed and can read very quickly). However, he feared that Danny would become a mind in a body with no heart and become, as Reb's brother had, "It [his brother's mind] was proud, haughty, impatient with less brilliant minds, grasping in its search for knowledge the way a conqueror grasps for power. It could not understand pain, it was indifferent to and impatient with suffering." (page 264). However, his hard discipline and the suffering Danny endured eventually produced a great heart; he had become a tzaddik (a righteous man who has conquers his "evil inclinations," towards pride, power and oppression, and practices righteousness and humility, and who is, like God, always on "the side of the oppressed.)" The profound Jewish understanding of suffering, as seen in the later part of the Old Testament (especially in the Major Prophets and Lamentations) is manifested here. I now have some small measure of understanding for what it must be like to be a Jew in such a thoroughly Gentile (non-Jewish) land such as America (Jews comprise 1.8% of the population). Maintaining one's identity and faith is very difficult and one must constantly struggle to avoid being assimilated. Here there is a lesson for Christians, who in North America, are living in an increasing secular society. Christians must keep in mind that to be salt (see Matthew 5:13) light (see Matthew 5:14) is to be a postive influence IN THE WORLD to conform it to God's standards.
Rating:
Summary: A favorite novel of mine
Review: I have never read a book by Chaim Potok that I didn't love. This is the first of his many fine novels and explores two relationships... first, that between a Chasidic teenager named Danny Saunders and his more "mainstream" orthodox friend Reuven Malther, and secondly, between Danny and his father, a great Chasidic Rabbi. The setting of the novel is Brooklyn in the 1940s. Being strictly observant, the Rabbi looks upon Reuven's family as apikoros or, (roughly translated) as heretics. Of course Reuven and his family are far from secular Jews, indeed Reuven attends a yeshiva (an orthodox Jewish school) but in comparison to the Saunders family, the Rabbi views them as unreligious. Clearly, the Rabbi does not approve of any relationship between Danny and Reuven. The Rabbi is very cold towards his son but does that mean that the Rabbi is cold by his very nature or is there an underlying reason for his relationship with Danny? This is a beautiful novel that is not just about Judaism but about relationships and it should appeal to Jewish readers and non Jewish readers alike. Additionally, this book was made into a movie that was reasonably true to the text.
Rating:
Summary: Friendship that transcends all differences
Review: This is a story of friendship, a friendship that is formed between two Jewish boys (of differenct sects) under the most unusual circumstances. One boy, Danny, destined to be a tzaddik, a rabbi to the Hasidic community, is raised by his rabbi father who communicates to Danny only during study of the Torah. The other boy, Reuven, from a less strict Jewish sect, becomes more than a friend, actually more like a buffer or a liason between Danny and his father. Their friendship grows, is torn apart and then mended, leading to the emotional final chapter, as their true destinies begin to take shape. Chaim Potok has become one of my favorite authors. This is the third book of his that I have read this year, and, as a Christian, his novels give me great insight into modern day Judaism. His books are not only informative, but brilliant, heartbreaking, and compassionate. Everyone with any kind of religious bent at all, or even the non-religious, should read his work. I'll guarantee that you will be moved.
Rating: 
Summary: The Chosen
Review: This Book was about two kids growing up together and being two different types of Jews during the Holocaust. They started off hateing eachother and bye the end of the book they were best friends. They had a lot of ups and downs that they had to learn how to deal with along the way. This book remindes me of "The Diary of Anne Frank". It remindes me of this because Anne was a Jew in the Holocaust and had to go into hidding. During this book it talks about the differences the two boys have with there religions. They are both Jews but one is a stricter Jew then the other. I enjoyed this book, because it was very enjoyable. It made me think of the hardships people have with there religion. In this book there were two main characters, Danny and Reuven. Danny was a Hasidic Jew. Which was very strict. They wore skull caps and had ear locks. Reuven was an Orhodox Jew. They were normal Jews who acted like normal people. They wors Skull Caps and went to the synagaouge on every saturday. I recomend this book to a lot of people. But, if you don't like to read about this topic then this book isn't for you. On the other hand, if you like to read books about the Holocaust then this book is for you. If you are intrested in this topic then I recomend this book to you.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I think that this is a great book. I happen to live in the area it takes place in, so it has a special meaning. I am 14 years old and i also belong to a religious sect. Or rather, my family does. it is not our thing to go to college or anything like that so i appreciate the open-minded ness of Danny's father and i wish they were like that with me. i read the sequel i think it was called "the promise" and its every bit as good. i'm going to get the other books that chaim potok wrote as soon as i could. and if you haven't read it, read it. and remember, it is very, very real. i know.
Rating:
Summary: The Chosen
Review: The Chosen is a heartwarming book that examines relationships, freedom, and choice. Chaim Potok writes with a beautiful, flowing narrative, that is like sitting down and listening to someone tell you a story from the heart. The Chosen is based around the Jewish religion, and as such was quite a revelation to me, as I have never read a book on the Jewish religion before. Although the book was very informative about Jewish religion and sects, it avoided getting bogged down, and every bit of history was presented as a story in itself. Although The Chosen is a generally pleasant, easy to read book, it also contains deeper meanings throughout, which can help the reader to inhance their understanding of the storyline. The chosen is a book of true literary quality, and as such is doubly rewarding. The only drawback to the story is that it is not one that you can read a chapter per day. To truely understand the whole story, you need to read it in longer passages, to truely understand the direction, and the importance and meaning of each event. I would recommend it to anybody with a true appreciation lof a literary work.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Story
Review: I have read The Chosen by Chaim Potok. The Chosen is a very good book. The author was very discriptive about every character and place. He used very good adjetives. The Chosen was a book of understanding. It had very good concepts that our world needs to take under consideration. I learned something new every chapter! The Chosen took place in the late 1930's and early 1940's. It is about two jewish boys of different sects that become good friends but are torn apart by a very religious father. It tells how hard it was for Jews in America through the war and when Isreal was becoming a Jewish state. I enjoyed The Chosen so much I am reading the sequel and plan on reading more books by this author if they are all as good as this one!
Rating:
Summary: An engaging book
Review: Reuven Malter has lived all his life in the city of New York. The part of the city he lives in is heavily populated with Jewish sects. He had led a good life with little problems to worry about until an early June,s ball game. It was a Sunday afternoon and his team was scheduled to play the winning team of another neighborhood league with a reputation for having a wild offensive. The day he was hit with a baseball by one of the opposing team members, Danny Saunders. This marked the beginning of a beautiful relationship between Danny and Reuven even though they didn't share the same Jewish traditions and heritage. Something they also didn't have in common and plays a big part in the relationship between them and their fathers. The book then takes on challenging problems that friends encounter. This book is absorbing and will leave you wanting more. You will be able to relate to some of the reallife problems the book deals with. Although the book deals with a lot of Jewish heritage, it should not only intrigue adults but young readers too. The reallife problems and concepts of life are sure to make you want to read this book over and over again.
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