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skylarh 's review for:
The Chosen
by Chaim Potok
I read this book in 8th grade. I remember only the bare plot structure now, but I do remember how I fell in love with it and immediately tried to get my hands on the sequel. And I remember a rabbi coming to school to talk to us about Jewish culture in the context of this book, and having some conversation with him in which he said he remembered how Christians make the sign of the cross with the catchphrase "spectacles, testicles, wallet, and watch," which stuck with me and really made it hard for me when I later became a liturgical Christian, because while that's an amusing joke, it's actually the wrong order if you're an Anglican. To this day, I still am not comfortable making the sign of the cross, and it's all because of The Chosen.
Anyway, back to the book - thematically speaking, what I remember most about it was the tension that results from the two boys trying to find their own paths in life, one becoming more conservative than his father, one more liberal, and how well that story can speak to generations of people of all religions as they come of age. (Or did that happen in the sequel? I think it's all one book to me now.)
I want to read this again, but I'm afraid to, as I am with all books I remember loving deeply in my youth.
Anyway, back to the book - thematically speaking, what I remember most about it was the tension that results from the two boys trying to find their own paths in life, one becoming more conservative than his father, one more liberal, and how well that story can speak to generations of people of all religions as they come of age. (Or did that happen in the sequel? I think it's all one book to me now.)
I want to read this again, but I'm afraid to, as I am with all books I remember loving deeply in my youth.