(#18) / The Chosen / by Chaim Potok / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

The Chosen / by Chaim Potok

ISBN-13: 978-0449911549 / Ballantine Books

p. 284 / $10.00 (Amazon)

1969

Body of Content

Summary: Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders meet on the baseball diamond, when Danny hits a line drive that shatters Reuven’s glasses – requiring a rush to the ER.  As the story unfolds, these two unlikely rivals in sports become closer friends.  But their Jewish cultures stand in the way, as Reuven is an Orthodox Jew and Danny is a Hasidic Jew.  The story unfolds, additionally, as a story of two fathers – Mr. David Malter and Rabbi Reb Saunders – and how they interact with their sons.  The constant themes of the story relate these themes – of religion, of family life, of modernity – all set against the backdrop of American life during the Second World War.  With both fathers have plans and desires for their respective son’s life, the novel sees the two teenagers grow as individuals – to a place that may or may not reflect the wishes of their fathers.   

Critique: The novel is intended for a teenage audience.  And it tells a very moving story – both from the perspective of two faiths trying to understand each other – and of two fathers trying to understand their sons.  Some of the scenes in the later portions of the book talk about theology and religion in a way that requires a fair amount of knowledge on the reader’s part – to completely understand the issues and dilemmas that face the characters.

There are a few scenes when Reuven interacts with his professors regarding various ancient texts. While the flow of the scene is apparent to the reader, the vocabulary and methodology employed by the author – though respective of realistic dialogue in such a situation – leaves the reader with only partial knowledge of the dialogue transactions.

Reuven struggles with his professor – at one point – answering the professor’s question by elaborating on textual criticism, redaction methodology, source comparison, etc. – which would make sense only if a person holds an education from a linguistic or theological background.  Reuven’s use of the “historical methodology” within his religion courses points out how the main protagonist struggles with trying to understand his role as a Jew living in modern times.  While this theme is reemphasized throughout the novel, without significant theological knowledge, the particulars to and the depth of Reuven’s struggles may escape the reader’s eye.       

Teaser: Set in the tension of 1940s Brooklyn, two unlikely rivals dare to become friends.

Information about the Author: Potok’s other works include a sequel to The Chosen – a book titled The Promise (1969).  Other prominent works include My Name is Asher Lev (1972), Davita’s Harp (1985), and The Tree of Here (1993).  Potok was himself born in Brooklyn, the setting of The Chosen.  His parents moved to America from Poland and raised their family in an Orthodox Jewish manner (Wikipedia, 2011).

From an early age, Potok desired to become a writer – submitting entries into magazines while still a teenager.  He eventually elected instead to pursue an English major at Yeshiva University.  After graduating with an esteemed summa cum laude for his bachelor’s degree, Potok continued his studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America – eventually becoming an army chaplain in South Korea after the military conflict there.  It was not until his late thirties that Potok sat down to write his first manuscript – now back in America as a professor.  The author died in the summer of 2002 – at the end of 73 – having also married – and raised three children (Wikipedia, 2011).   

Supplemental Material

Genre: Historical Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Sociology – religion, culture, Judaism, urbanization, wartime

Booktalking Ideas: 1) Have you ever met someone from a different culture or religion who you knew little about? 2) Why did the author of the book choose the Second World War as the backdrop to his story?

Reading Level: Best aimed at the lower levels of high school – ages (14-16)

Challenge Issues and Defense: The novel tackles faith issues and intra-religion topics within Judaism. I do not know of any challenges issued at the book – though some may contest Zionism as a past controversial issue (though not so much within recent decades).

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: I am a bit nostalgic – as I first read this story as a sophomore in high school – and later, it was a book that I assigned (as a teacher) to my ninth-grade students.   

Last Thoughts

References:

Wikipedia. (2011). Chaim Potok [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Potok

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Michelle Tumes / Album – “Michelle Tumes (2006)”