A review by candace_wiley
The Chosen by Chaim Potok

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Reading this as an AP Lit book, I wasn’t going in expecting to love it; in fact, I don’t know why it is so compelling. Maybe the honest way Reuven and Danny communicate with each other and the world, the Jewish perspective I have no experience with, or the analytical discussions and hardship of religious translation. Or, perhaps more simply, it is just good writing. It balances the perfect line of mundane and impactful, creating a realistic world that anyone can sympathize and indulge with. The whole component of “talking in silence” and fearing “a mind without a soul” was very interesting, and really emphasizes the dichotomy of human experience.