The Chosen is the first popular American novel to feature the Hasidic Jewish world. It is also Chaim Potok’s most popular novel. It connects strongly to both 20th century world history and Potok’s own struggle with the religious and secular worlds. Potok, like Danny, was born around the time of the Great Depression and was an Orthodox Jew who left the community to pursue more secular passions. He also, like Reuven, studied philosophy and theology extensively and was ordained as a rabbi.
The Chosen is about the unlikely friendship of Danny, a Hasidic Jew, and Reuven, an observant but less conservative Jew. They grow up during a turbulent time, living through World War II, the Holocaust,...
