Is it hard to read?
Not really, though the extended discussions of faith and responsibility take some concentration. Reuven’s first-person narration, the linear structure and direct prose make the story easier to follow.
Fiction · Novel · Literary Fiction · Historical Fiction
The Chosen
EstablishedNational Book Award finalist, 1968Reading facts
✓ Checked- Reading effort
- 42 / 100Moderate
- Length
- 272 pagesSimon & Schuster · 2022
- Reading time
- 5 h 30 minat 50 pages an hour ·
- Pace
- Measured
- Emotional intensity
- 3 / 5
About 5 h 30 min · at 30 minutes a day, about 11 days
Estimated from the page count of this edition. Dense books can take longer than the estimate.
About the book
In Brooklyn in 1944, a school softball game leaves Reuven Malter with an injured eye and begins his friendship with Danny Saunders, the son of a Hasidic rebbe. Reuven’s father welcomes secular learning; Danny’s expects him to inherit his religious leadership, while Danny secretly reads secular books and wants to study psychology. As the boys grow closer, their fathers’ conflicting beliefs about Jewish life in America and a future Jewish state put pressure on their friendship.
Reader notes
Quiet and earnest, the coming-of-age novel unfolds through Reuven’s narration, family visits, study sessions and extended discussions of faith and responsibility. Those discussions occupy considerable space, so the pace is reflective. Parental love is complicated by rigid expectations and emotional abuse.
How it reads
- Writing style
- Descriptive · Direct
- Tone
- Earnest · Melancholic · Reflective · Warm
- Structure
- Linear
- Driven by
- Character · Ideas · Relationships
- Point of view
- First person
- Setting
- Brooklyn, New York
Reading complexity
- Writing
- 3 / 5
- Ideas
- 3 / 5
- Structure
- 2 / 5
- Background knowledge
- 2 / 5
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
- Writing
- How much attention the sentences and language require.
- Ideas
- How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
- Structure
- How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
- Background knowledge
- Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
- Emotional intensity
- Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
Themes
- Coming of age
- Family
- Freedom
- Friendship
- Identity
- Religion and faith
Content notes
- Violence
- Mild
- Sexual content
- None
- Swearing
- Mild
- Substance use
- None
- Abuse
- Strong
- Self-harm or suicide
- None
Standing and awards
Established
- National Book Award finalist, 1968
Questions readers ask
Is it slow-paced?
Yes, the pace is measured, with considerable space given to family visits, study sessions and discussions of religious belief. The focus is on character, ideas and relationships.
How central is religion to the story?
Religion shapes the friendship and the family conflicts. Danny’s expected future as a religious leader clashes with his wish to study psychology, while the fathers disagree about Jewish life in America and a future Jewish state.
Does it deal with abuse?
Yes, emotional abuse is a strong element, with parental love complicated by rigid expectations. Danny’s father expects him to inherit his religious leadership, while Danny secretly pursues secular reading and wants to study psychology.
How long is it?
272 pages in the Simon & Schuster 2022 trade paperback edition.
Which edition is shown here?
Simon & Schuster · 2022 · Trade Paperback. ISBN 9781501142468.
How long does it take to read The Chosen?
About 5 hours 30 minutes at 50 pages an hour, based on the 272-page Simon & Schuster edition. Dense books can take longer.
About the author
Chaim Potok
Chaim Potok was an American novelist, playwright, editor, and rabbi whose fiction often drew on the Jewish communities of Brooklyn and the Bronx. His defining subject was the conflict between traditional Jewish thought and culture and the pressures of modernity. The Chosen examines that conflict through a friendship between boys from modern Orthodox and Hasidic families, while My Name Is Asher Lev centers on a gifted young artist whose vocation clashes with the religious duties and communal values of his Hasidic upbringing.
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Edition and details
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster
- Publication year
- 2022
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Pages
- 272
- ISBN
- 9781501142468
- Edition language
- English
- Original language
- English
- First published
- 1967
- Genres and form
- Fiction · Novel · Literary Fiction · Historical Fiction · Religion & Spirituality · Literary fiction · Coming of age
- Editions
- 66
- Languages
- 2 (English, Unspecified)