lisanussd 's review for:

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

5.0

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This was an astounding book. I am not sure that I would have been able to get through it if I hadn't listened to the book because there were some very detailed parts about how to dissect and analyze the Talmud. The theme, however, was how people reconcile their culture/beliefs throughout the generations and with people with differing beliefs. It speaks volumes to me that although both of the main characters were Jewish, they came from very different sects within the religion. The main characters were boys who start a friendship. Their friendship provides the backdrop for describing some Jewish history within New York and the events of the World War II. The book was compelling because the characters were intense and heartfelt and the subject is timeless. How do you make people stay within a cultural structure when they want to branch out? Finally the author is able to weave in the heartbreak and necessity of assimilation throughout the book within the context of Judaism in the 1940's.