Those of you who have read The Chosen...

[Nan in Mass]

Did you like the book? Why? My 15yo just read it and is completely puzzled about this and asked if I would ask the hive.

-Nan

[April in CA]

Good Morning, Nan!

My sons, ages 15 and 17, just finished reading this book for Tapestry of Grace literature. They both enjoyed the book and found it interesting. Older ds said that it is well written and effective in using the characters to communicate themes of growing up and forging important friendships while evaluating worldviews/opinions, both your own and those of others.

TOG's focus for this novel has been characterization and character analysis along with worldview analysis.

 

Hope this is helpful!

Blessings,

Arpil

[elegantlion]

I read the book a few years ago. As a parent I enjoyed it because it modeled two young men developing a positive friendship and respect for their differences. I also enjoyed how the boys took ownership of their education. If those are not new ideas in your household I can see how the book would be considered so-so.

[Jodi-FL]

once in college, and loved it because i had just been to israel and loved the inside look at the jewish culture. it made me understand so much more.

 

we read it in a book club 2 years ago, and the ladies didn't like it at all. they thought it was boring (they more enjoy romance novels, which i don't enjoy). but that's the beauty of the book--we can respect each other through our differences and still keep friendships that last forever.

 

i do think high school might be young to really think through the themes running through the book. at least for my high schoolers so far.

[In The Great White North]

I read it in high school and enjoyed it. It was presented a Bildungsroman.

[mooooom]

Beginning of 10th, I did not find that they were too young for it at all. For one thing it gave them a real feel for how little schoolwork they actually do :-)

 

Enotes has a really nice package of materials to go along with this book, including at least 9 criticisms - we read all of them and discussed. It's not very expensive to download a single book's worth - or subscribe for a month and download as much as you want...

 

Aside from my daughter complaining about the lack of women (which the criticisms all backed up as non-existent or flat), they all really liked it.

[laughing lioness]

I read it last year and loved it so much I read a couple more Potok books. I think he is fabulous. I blogged about it here http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2009/03/chosen.html though like a lot of my blog posts, it got a bit long and tangental.

[Ester Maria]

No, I thought it was mediocre at best, though "readable" thanks to the relatively okay plot and a few interesting things in the work.

I assigned it to my older (7th grade) this year, along with My Name is Asher Lev (which I actually found to be a better work).

[Mommyfaithe]

Loved all of Potok's works. I am Jewish (also a Christian), so the view into my own history is always fun. I think Chaim Potok is wonderful with words, but I can see where a kid would have to have some pegs to hang the references on and how a kid could totally not relate. i am like that with Jane Austen. Just can not relate.

 

~~Faithe

[MamaT]

I have read it twice. Once before my older boys read it in high school and last year before my then 9th grader read it. I really enjoyed the book, and so did my older two. My third son, not so much. He is my kid who would only read non-fiction if I let him.

[SusanAR]

I read The Chosen about 3 years ago and really enjoyed it-so much so, that I purchased The Promise to find out what happened:001_smile:. I also read In the Beginning. I thought the protagonist faced similar issues as Danny in The Chosen. Potok's books aren't action packed, but they are very thought provoking. You don't forget them.

I have recommended it to a few friends and plan to have my ds read it next year as a Sr.

[Lori D.]

Nan,

I pre-read The Chosen this past summer, and hope to get it into our literature schedule next year. However, after pre-reading it, I am convinced that it is definitely one to do WITH my boys. I'm pretty sure they would both find it a dull slog without us discussing it together and drawing out what is valuable about the book.

 

Yes, there are those "coming of age" and the friendship, and the choosing different path themes in the book -- but it is the extreme intenseness of the culture that made the book so interesting for me.

 

Quite frankly, the writing style felt very dull and, hmmm, well, immature (way too much "telling", hardly any "showing") -- the writing reminded me of a very sparse translation that is missing the nuance and color of adjectives, variety, and description that make a good translation so rich. Or what makes a good writer such a pleasure to read. (Perhaps I felt "let down" by the writing style of "The Chosen" because Isaac Singer's "A Day of Pleasure" was SO lovely to read in comparison!)

 

As a result of the (to me) dull writing, those themes don't really seem to be ultimately what one should get out of this novel -- you see those themes in many young adult works. Rather it is the culture, and the uniqueness of being able to maintain such a very different culture alive in "modern times" that made the book worth reading. Hmmm... maybe that was Potok's "reverse psychology" master plan all along??!?

 

At any rate, I greatly valued getting an "inside look" at the Jewish Talmudic system of learning / thinking, and the orthodox Jewish culture, and as a result, felt that The Chosen was ultimately VERY worthwhile. Just my 2 cents worth; feel free to disagree! ;) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Lori D.
added clarification

[teacalm]

Read this book since this is one of ds's assigned reading for his online lit class. I thought it was very well-written, good literature, and more like in the style of current reality show, where it's a moment-moment description of what takes place, where it happens, observations using all the senses, and such. It's dense reading so I can understand why ds did not enjoy it. But I like the theme of the story: friendship, tolerance, love, forgiveness in the family setting. I learned a lot about the ultra conservative Jewish sect, the Hasidic. For research, ds wrote about celebrating the Sabbath, and it made me want to prepare for worship in the same careful and reverent way.

 

I enjoyed it but ds tolerated it. Let's just say that I'm more enthused than he is.

[SusanAR]

This lecture of Potok might help with some of the more complex themes:

 

 

http://potok.lasierra.edu/Potok.unique.html

[Julie in MN]

Isaac Singer's "A Day of Pleasure" was SO lovely to read in comparison!)

 

 

Glad to hear, that, Lori. My ds (8th) is going to be reading A Day of Pleasure soon (via LL). I loved The Chosen so much that I wanted him to read it, but A Day of Pleasure seems to get better reviews for the younger audience. I'll probably at least read the first chapter aloud with him, to help him get a sense of the book.

 

I recently read In My Father's Court by Singer and, like Potok's books, it was a book I loved. It seems like somehow these authors remove all the riffraff and their books are just about earnest attempts at living life.

 

Julie

[Janet in WA]

Did you like the book? Why? My 15yo just read it and is completely puzzled about this and asked if I would ask the hive.

-Nan

I first read it when I was 14 years old -- not as an assignment for school, but just for pleasure. I loved it, and have reread it several times since. I found it a beautiful, poignant, moving story. My sons were less enthusiastic when they read it, and would probably agree with your son's puzzlement.

[Nan in Mass]

Thank you, everyone. Elegantlion, I think you might be right. I will give everyone's answers to my son to read and see what he says. He liked Gilgamesh better GRIN.

-Nan

[Kathleen in VA]

This lecture of Potok might help with some of the more complex themes:

 

 

http://potok.lasierra.edu/Potok.unique.html

 

Very interesting and helpful - thanks for sharing. I read The Chosen a few years ago and I loved it. I wish I could remember details, but I just remember it being one of those books that left me with a very wistful feeling when I had finished reading it. I didn't want it to end and I felt kind of sad putting it back on the shelf - like I had to leave a world I would rather have stayed in, at least a little while longer. Ds21 read it not long after and he had a very similar reaction. He is my sensitive child and he was very moved by the book. Reading Potok's comments makes me want to read it again. I think the culture confrontation theme he is addressing is what made the book resonate for me.

[Ester Maria]

I learned a lot about the ultra conservative Jewish sect, the Hasidic.

See, when you put it this way, it's quite clear you didn't really understand much, from the book alone I mean. It's the wording that's revealing you, though I get what your idea was. But the terminology is all wrong.

And it's not your "fault" nor you're not the first one who read that book (or Asher Lev for that matter) and then said something so simplifying that it's wrong (simplifications at some point inevitably become plainly wrong, and an author should keep that in mind when writing a culture-specific work for larger audience). Non-Jewish perception of this book is usually very much along those lines, from what I talked about with many people.

 

Ultra-conservative? No such thing within the Jewish world: those who are on the "conservative" side oppose very much those who are on the (ultra-)orthodox side.

Chassidism is not a sect, and strictly speaking it's hardly even a single "movement", though that would be the best word applicable. It in itself consists of many "sects" (again, in lack of better expression) and Potok and authors like him sometimes explicitly named which ones they're speaking of, and sometimes not, though they left enough clues for a Jewish reader to "get" it (Asher Lev, for example).

 

The whole issue of Zionism and its equally fervent opposition in "The Chosen" is also treated very poorly. Somebody outside of the Jewish context can hardly understand it relying solely on this book.

In the next book, "The Promise", the issue of textual criticism applied to the Jewish tradition and law is also treated incredibly poorly; it's one of the very complex topics (so is Zionism) in the Jewish world and you can get a very wrong glimpse of it by just glimpsing at it through Potok's book, if you're not Jewish and you don't know many things which a Jewish reader knows by default and Potok did not bother to elaborate, knowing them himself. You either have to know these things from before reading the book, either it leaves you puzzled or with very, very superficial understanding of anything.

 

That's why I don't think Potok is a good choice for people outside of the Jewish context who want to explore the Jewish culture, if they read him without getting informed on many things from other sources. Yes, it's an okay coming-of-age book (though there are much better ones around), but specifically to get to experience the culture from the inside, probably not the best choice. Though not that you have a big choice anyway.

 

All I'm trying to say is, things are often not what they seem like. I have to say my opinion was that Potok was a little bit too ambitious, taking too complex themes to incorporate into the general story and not treating them well enough (Zionism, textual criticism of Talmud, the issue of art, etc., depending on the work).

[Kathleen in VA]

See, when you put it this way, it's quite clear you didn't really understand much, from the book alone I mean. It's the wording that's revealing you, though I get what your idea was. But the terminology is all wrong.

And it's not your "fault" nor you're not the first one who read that book (or Asher Lev for that matter) and then said something so simplifying that it's wrong (simplifications at some point inevitably become plainly wrong, and an author should keep that in mind when writing a culture-specific work for larger audience). Non-Jewish perception of this book is usually very much along those lines, from what I talked about with many people.

 

Ultra-conservative? No such thing within the Jewish world: those who are on the "conservative" side oppose very much those who are on the (ultra-)orthodox side.

Chassidism is not a sect, and strictly speaking it's hardly even a single "movement", though that would be the best word applicable. It in itself consists of many "sects" (again, in lack of better expression) and Potok and authors like him sometimes explicitly named which ones they're speaking of, and sometimes not, though they left enough clues for a Jewish reader to "get" it (Asher Lev, for example).

 

The whole issue of Zionism and its equally fervent opposition in "The Chosen" is also treated very poorly. Somebody outside of the Jewish context can hardly understand it relying solely on this book.

In the next book, "The Promise", the issue of textual criticism applied to the Jewish tradition and law is also treated incredibly poorly; it's one of the very complex topics (so is Zionism) in the Jewish world and you can get a very wrong glimpse of it by just glimpsing at it through Potok's book, if you're not Jewish and you don't know many things which a Jewish reader knows by default and Potok did not bother to elaborate, knowing them himself. You either have to know these things from before reading the book, either it leaves you puzzled or with very, very superficial understanding of anything.

 

That's why I don't think Potok is a good choice for people outside of the Jewish context who want to explore the Jewish culture, if they read him without getting informed on many things from other sources. Yes, it's an okay coming-of-age book (though there are much better ones around), but specifically to get to experience the culture from the inside, probably not the best choice. Though not that you have a big choice anyway.

 

All I'm trying to say is, things are often not what they seem like. I have to say my opinion was that Potok was a little bit too ambitious, taking too complex themes to incorporate into the general story and not treating them well enough (Zionism, textual criticism of Talmud, the issue of art, etc., depending on the work).

 

Do you have any suggestions for supplemental resources that would help non-Jewish readers understand Potok better?

 

I understand your frustration, I think. I heaved quite the heavy sigh when I read Potok's statement about Christianity being iconographic. I suppose he is referring to Roman Catholicism and/or other "Orthodox" sects of Christianity - but there are many Christian denominations that eschew icons and take the second commandment very seriously and do not allow any pictures of heavenly/human beings - the Amish, for example. My church believes that images of God or Jesus or other spiritual entities violate the second commandment, so we have to be very careful about which "Christian" books come into our home. It is difficult to remain calm when one sees one's religion painted with such a broad brush and the distinctions between denominations/sects smeared beyond recognition. I see it all the time in the news, magazines, movies, etc. - quite frustrating indeed.

[mschickie]

I read The Chosen when I was a freshman in hs. I fell in love with Potok's writing. I have read all of his books. I have always felt a great respect for the more orthodox follwers of Judaism. I think I was able to take more away from the books because I grew up in Brooklyn. I knew the neighborhoods being discussed and could picture the people.

 

I aslo enjoyed the movie version of The Chosen but it was not as good as the book.