Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by foreverfrantic
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
5.0
The Chosen first made it onto my favorites shelf in seventh grade. Its spot in my top three was solidified when I reread it for my senior year literature course. Having a lesson on the practice of Judaism before going into any literary discussion certainly bolstered my appreciation for the novel, but I enjoyed it just as much five years ago with my more limited, middle school knowledge.
Through the lives of Reuven and Danny, Potok incorporates the widely-accepted aspiration to achieve righteousness through commitment to God. The extreme separatism between the teenage boys' communities almost emphasizes the parallels between their religious interpretations, and they come to represent more than unlikely friendship. Their relationship leads to a development of empathy and understanding, through which Potok masterfully represents the congruity within world religion. Whether Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Agnostic, Hindi- everyone should have this opportunity to understand and appreciate religion as a whole, not just a sect.
Through the lives of Reuven and Danny, Potok incorporates the widely-accepted aspiration to achieve righteousness through commitment to God. The extreme separatism between the teenage boys' communities almost emphasizes the parallels between their religious interpretations, and they come to represent more than unlikely friendship. Their relationship leads to a development of empathy and understanding, through which Potok masterfully represents the congruity within world religion. Whether Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Agnostic, Hindi- everyone should have this opportunity to understand and appreciate religion as a whole, not just a sect.