Ashley-+The+Chosen

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 * Chaim Potok** was born and raised in New York City. He began to write fiction at the age of 16, graduated with a B.A. //summa cumlaude// in English literature, and earned a Ph.D.in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. An ordained rabbi, he served as an army chpalin in Korea for 16 months, with, succesively, a front-line medical battalion and an engineer combat battalion. He is the author of seven other novels and of //Wanderings: Chaim Potok's History of the Jews//. His first novel, //The Chosen//, was nominated for a National Book Award and recieved the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. Another of his novels, //The Promise//, was given the Athenaeum Prize, and //The Gift of Asher Lev// won the National Jewish Book Award. He and his wife have 3 children and live in Pennsylvania.

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The Chosen is a book that is about to young boys in a new growing friendship. The setting is in Brooklyn at the end of Worl War II. Reuven Malter, the narrator of this novel, and he is a orthodox Jew. His dad's name is David Malter a teacher and dedeicated scholar.Danny Saunders, the other protagonist, is a brilliant Hasid with a photographic memory and a passion for psychoanalysis. Danny is the son of Reb Saunders, the revered head of a great Hasidic dynasty. During this book, which actually contains 3 books, it shows how much the friendship between Reuven and Danny develops. Including all the hardtimes and tensions they went through because they were coming from two different cultures. In Book One, Reuven's high school softball team are playing Danny Saunders yeshiva team. The tension is really high during this game, while the Hasidic team is calling Reuven and his teamates horrible. In fact once Danny had said to them "Burn in hell, you apikorism!"(Potok, pg 31) This game was a very close game, it came all the way down to the finall inning. Reuven was called to pitch. Then suddenly Danny was up o bat and hit a line driv right toward Reuven. The ball had hit his glovve then hit his glasses. Glass from his glasses shattered into his eye and nearly blinded him. Reuven then is rushed to he hospital and spend a week to get btter and heal his eye. While in the hospital he meets to nice patients, Tony Savo, who is a ex-boxer, and Billy Merrit, who is young blind boy. There was a time when Reuven had fell asleep and he had awoken with someone standing at his feet. The person that was standing at his feet was Danny Saunders. he had come to ask for forgiveness, and to become friends. They talked for awhile and danyy would visit him very often. Danny then told Reuven that he had a photograhoic memory and how much he knew about the Talmud.He also confessed that he would go to the public library and hide in the corner and read book that his father would disapprove of. A older getleman would recommend him so books.Reuven didn't find out till later that the old man helping Danny at the library was Reuven's father. Book Two, is mostly about the rest of Danny and Reuven's high school years.Reuven would start to spend many afternoons with Danny. On their first Sabbath together Danny introduced him to his father Reb Saunders. Reuven witnesse a very weird ritual. Reb Sauders would ask Danny questions about everything he has learned. Then he also asks Reuven about his lecture, he had just given. Fortuantely Reuven answers them correctly, which really impressed Reb Saunders. Danny and Reuven start spending saturdays together in the library and studying the Talmud together with Reb Saunders. Reb Saunders usually only talks to Danny when the ey are having conversations about the Talmud.Outside of the shul Danny and Reuven spend their free time having great conversations. The rest of the world is upset about the news about World War II. Roosevelts death in 1945 saddened the entire country.Reuven and his father are excited about the end of the war in Europe but are still shocked by the concentration camps. Everyone even Reb Saunders is disturbed by all the Jew killed by the Nazis. After Reuven's school finals that spring is father suffers from a heart attack.He then decided to go live with the Saunders for the summer. While staying there Reuven learns so much of Danny. In fact Danny wants to study Freudian psychoanalysis instead of inheriting his father's position in the Hasidic community. Danny hopes his little brother would want to follow his fathers footsteps. That fall Danny and Reuven go to study at Hirsch College in Brooklyn. Book Three follows Danny and Reuven at Hirsch College and Seminary. Danny immediatly joins and becaome the leader of the Hasidic student, but is really dissapointed because they don't focuse to much on Freudian, psychology. On the other Reuven is determined to become a rabbi. While at college Reuven is worried about his father and his health, which is getting worse from all the Zionist activity. Danny continues to get frustrated by the psychology curriculum, but Reuven tells him to talk to his profeesoor about it.With the help of Reuven and his knowledge of math, he helps danny get less frustrated about, experiemental psychology. As the conflicts over a Jewish State become more intense, tensions flow over the student body at their school. After Reuvens dad gives a speech about pro-Zionist, in Madison Square Garden. Reb Saunders, who is anti-zionist, forbids Danny to speak or have any contact with Reuven. This silence between the two friends continued all the way into the 2nd year of college. They both take Rav Gershenson's Talmud class, which allows them to interact indirectly. while Reuven misses talking to Danny alot, he also is discouraged at the fat that his father had suffered a 2nd heart attack. While Daid Malter is recovering, Reuven is studying the Talmud very hard. He surprises the whole class, including danny, with his great knowledge. The college had recieved some news that alumnus of Hirsch died in the War. Finally during Reuven's and Danny's third year of college, Reb Saunders allows the two to talk again. The two started to talk as if they were never in silence. That sumer they went back to Danny's shul and went to his sister's wedding. There they had seen Reb Saunders again. Reuven is still very angry at Reb Saunders. so he declined his invintation to the Sabbath Talmud disscussion. Its was their final year in college and Reven attends Danny's little brother's bar mitzvah, and see Reb Saunders once again. He ignores his reques of Reuven coming the the Sabbath Talmud disscussion. Meanwhile Danny secretly tries to apply for psycology grauate programs, but that does not work cause sooner or later Reb Saunders will get lettters to his home.

media type="custom" key="3555866"media type="custom" key="3555880" This book is a Outstanding book because the author is a great writer. Also this book can sort of relate to anyone. Because you could become friends with someone you were enemies with. This book also is one of my favorite books I have ever read.

media type="custom" key="3555896" Hemmigway's A Farewell To Arms

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Potok, Chaim. __The Chosen.__ New York: Ballantine Books, 1967. "The Chosen" __Spark Notes__ []

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