The Chosen

By: Chaim Potok

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Though they've lived their entire lives less than five blocks from each other, Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders exist in very different worlds. Reuven blends easily into both his secular Jewish faith and his typical American teen life, while Danny's conservative Hasidic clothes and appearance make him stick out in any crowd. Their improbable friendship teaches them that the differences separating people through cultures and generations are never as great as they seem.

©1995 Chaim Potok (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Anyone who finds it is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal." (The Wall Street Journal)

A great look at personal religion & family effects

Where does The Chosen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top. Realizing how much of a gift it was to be raised in a family with multi religious beliefs this was a fresh look at how overwhelming it must be for some families to only allow one view of religious beliefs. What a challenging gift is must have been for my family to allow me to search out my own personal relationship with religion.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Chosen?

At the dinner where both boys were put through a test.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

Danny's dad and how he promoted free thinking and tolerance in his son.

Any additional comments?

I hope when people read this book they are inspired to look at all walks of life with an open mind. That is what this book did for me.

Loved it, great moral

An amazing story. Great characters show hard lessons learned through many trials. Teaches us not to "judge a book by its cover". Even two boys from completely different walks of life can look last outward appearances and be best of friends. Teaching the reader that study is an important part of learning and learning is a life long effort.

Amazing story of a Father's love for his son

This book was a little slow but I feel like the ending is worth getting through the slower parts.

excellent book

wonderful story of two boys becoming men. I recommend this book to everyone. I look forward to discussing at my bookclub

Listening

This is my favorite book. I first read it when I was quite young and identified with Reuvan and Daniel. Not with how intelligent they were but with the relationships they had with their fathers. I reread it several times through my life. Each time I identified with a different character. Now as I listened to it as an older person, I can finally understand Danny's father better.
The narration of this book is excellent!
I look forward to reading it again when I (if the fates allow) am a very old woman.

Language

The language was more harsh than I prefer. There is quite a bit of swearing and the use the name of Jesus most, which is weird considering the book is Jewish.

A classic, educational and insightful.

This book has some quotes that I have admired since the first time I read it 50 years ago. The relationship between father and son is the foundation of the book. The love, fear and trembling in raising a good son is relevant today more than ever. Chaim Potak reveals the intricacies at play.

Wonderful

I remember reading this when I was a child. It is even better as an adult.

Chaim Potok's Profound Classic Novel

"The Chosen" is a profound classic novel set in 1940s Brooklyn. It centers on an unlikely friendship that developed between two boys, a secular Jew with an intellectual Zionist father and the son of Hasidic rebbe and his hereditary heir.

How wonderful to revisit an old friend!

I first read The Chosen as a teenager. I loved it then. Listening to it now, 40 years later after raising children of my own, it had even more meaning to me. Jonathan Davis does a terrific job with the narration. The story of two Jewish boys in NYC at the close of WWII and the birth of the state of Israel is a compelling narrative of friendship, family and culture, with world politics woven in. The passage of time since the book was first published has only served to underscore its importance.