The Chosen (1967 original; edició 1973)

I don't remember much about the book except for being deeply moved, and that it introduced me to a world completely new to me.
( )

I seem to have inadvertently found myself on a theological reading streak. Like The Alchemist, this book was recommended to me by a friend (although more enthusiastically), and also like The Alchemist, I picked it up for reasons that ended up having nothing to do with the book. I thought The Chosen was about baseball.

It's not about baseball.

What it is about, at its core, is exactly the same thing The Alchemist is about (which almost defies coincidence): the power of silence, listening to your heart/soul, and following your own true path. But while The Alchemist uses parable, allegory and fantastic storytelling to get its message across, The Chosen tells the same message using an opposite style, set in WWII New York, and using first person-past tense POV. This is the story of two boys brought together by a softball game; one is a Hasidic Jew and one is Conservative (I think–it's never explicitly stated whether he's Conservative or Reform). Although they live only 5 blocks apart, they inhabit completely different worlds within the same religious faith, and have very different relationships with their respective fathers.

I can't do justice to this book in my review, but it works for me so much better than The Alchemist did; while I could appreciate the beauty of the writing and the story Coelho created, Potok's creation had the profound effect on me that I think the author was aiming for. The Chosen is going to be one of those that stay with me permanently.

Book themes for Hanukkah: Any book whose main character is Jewish, any story about the Jewish people ( )

Many folks probably remember this book from their high school days but, somehow, it wasn't on the curriculum in my school. I suspect because of some latent anti-Semitism or overly conservative Christian mentality in the place I grew up. I'm sorry I wasn't exposed to Potok's beautiful and thoughtful book earlier. He focuses on two Jewish boys, one Orthodox and one Hasidic, in '40s New York. After meeting in a bloody baseball game (easily one of the best baseball writings I've ever read), they become friends and change each other's lives. The change doesn't flow from any privileged sense of right and wrong - which might be expected from their communities - but from earnest thought and exposure to new thinking and concepts. The way these boys change makes this book as relevant today as it was when it was written, especially in a world where folks draw so many lines around themselves to pronounce themselves superior. And if you're going to read the book, seek out thus 50th anniversary edition which has additional essays from the author and others about the book - these were as enjoyable as the book itself. Potok is one of those rare authors who can speak intelligently and directly about his writing, its goals, inspirations, and meanings. Most authors will say, "I don't know where that came from." But Potok reveals his work in a way that is very instructive. ( )

Really wish that folks using library thing to catalog would stop using "A Novel" as part of the title, more specifically as a subtitle. “A Novel” is not a subtitle but, the reading line on a book cover, which explains its contents to a potential reader and serves as a useful signpost when you're rooting through an unsorted stack of books. In theory it helps marketers sell books, by making their contents immediately known. This book has just such a miscatalogued issue. One that I will attempt to properly alter now.

An addictive coming-of-age story. It was both an easy read and a profound, emotional one. I'd recommend it to anyone inside and outside the faith; it's quite relatable. ( )