The ChosenThe Chosen
Score Classic
What it's about
In 1940s Brooklyn, during a baseball game between two Jewish schools, Danny Saunders, son of a Hasidic rabbi, hits a ball into the eye of Reuven Malter, son of a modern Orthodox scholar. In the hospital they become friends. Danny is a genius, destined to inherit his father's role, but secretly longs to study psychology, and his father raises him in near silence.
Why it's worth reading
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It's a tender story of friendship and of fathers and sons, set in a world few readers know.
You'll love it if you liked
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Catcher in the RyeGood to know
There are passages of Talmud study and discussion of Zionism after the Holocaust.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #77 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #358 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1220 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
More by Chaim Potok
If you like this, read next
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Black Boy: A Record of Youth and Childhood
The Killer Angels
The Brothers Karamazov
The HobbitExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Chosen worth reading?
Yes. It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #1,220 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Chosen about?
In 1940s Brooklyn, during a baseball game between two Jewish schools, Danny Saunders, son of a Hasidic rabbi, hits a ball into the eye of Reuven Malter, son of a modern Orthodox scholar. In the hospital they become friends. Danny is a genius, destined to inherit his father's role, but secretly longs to study psychology, and his father raises him in near silence.
How long does it take to read The Chosen?
About 8 hours (304 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Chosen?
If you liked it, try A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.