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irreverentreader 's review for:
The Chosen
by Chaim Potok
I've never read this book before, but in the first fifty or so pages, I felt like I was having deja-vu. I can't figure out where such a feeling came from, but in a weird way it was like coming home to a friend I had not yet met.
The Chosen is a deeply solemn book that explores the intricacies of human relationships in a way that is both very real and very raw. The tension between Reuven and his father and Danny and his father is practically palpable on the page. Potok does a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life; the audience can feel their frustrations and understand their flaws. While Potok's writing itself leaves a little to be desired, for there are certainly very few beautiful sentences in this book, he more than makes up with it through his very thorough and interesting explanation of Jewish culture and the Zionist movement.
My one bone to pick is the distorted timeline in this book. We spend the first third of the book within one week and the last third within four years. In this way, the ending seemed rushed to me, and I would have enjoyed it more had the author spent a little more time on Reuvan and Danny's college years.
*Spoilers*
The ending of this book is absolutely killer though, and while I'm not sure how the author wants the audience to view what is revealed, Reb Saunder's approach to how he raised his son is truly messed up. How can anyone tell if their child at age four has "no soul", and who are you to make such a judgement call? Anyone who chooses to raise their child in silence is emotionally abusing said child, not saving them, and Danny turned out to be who he was not because of his father, but in spite of him. For anyone to think this was a remotely healthy or okay thing to do is beyond my understanding.
Unfortunately, we too see that although Danny has shed most of his family's tradition, he admits that in the future, he would also choose to raise his child this way, which just goes to show how difficult it can be to truly break the cycle of our upbringing. This book might have gotten only three stars if the author had been more explicit in his support of this method of rearing, but I choose to believe he made it controversial simply for discussion sake--that way I can still say that I loved it.
The Chosen is a deeply solemn book that explores the intricacies of human relationships in a way that is both very real and very raw. The tension between Reuven and his father and Danny and his father is practically palpable on the page. Potok does a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life; the audience can feel their frustrations and understand their flaws. While Potok's writing itself leaves a little to be desired, for there are certainly very few beautiful sentences in this book, he more than makes up with it through his very thorough and interesting explanation of Jewish culture and the Zionist movement.
My one bone to pick is the distorted timeline in this book. We spend the first third of the book within one week and the last third within four years. In this way, the ending seemed rushed to me, and I would have enjoyed it more had the author spent a little more time on Reuvan and Danny's college years.
*Spoilers*
The ending of this book is absolutely killer though, and while I'm not sure how the author wants the audience to view what is revealed, Reb Saunder's approach to how he raised his son is truly messed up. How can anyone tell if their child at age four has "no soul", and who are you to make such a judgement call? Anyone who chooses to raise their child in silence is emotionally abusing said child, not saving them, and Danny turned out to be who he was not because of his father, but in spite of him. For anyone to think this was a remotely healthy or okay thing to do is beyond my understanding.
Unfortunately, we too see that although Danny has shed most of his family's tradition, he admits that in the future, he would also choose to raise his child this way, which just goes to show how difficult it can be to truly break the cycle of our upbringing. This book might have gotten only three stars if the author had been more explicit in his support of this method of rearing, but I choose to believe he made it controversial simply for discussion sake--that way I can still say that I loved it.