The Chosen
by Chaim Potok, Jonathan Davis · first published 1966
40% recommend60% neutral
It's about two jewish boys from different jewish sects with very differing doctrine. The kids meet in the unlikely circumstance of a baseball game, and a terrible accident, that leads them to be lifelong friends
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2009–2026The Neverending Story
Michael Ende
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 2210 recommend · 22 mention10 recommend · 2210 recommend
2010–2026The Call of the Wild
Jack London
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 3814 recommend · 38 mention14 recommend · 3814 recommend
2010–2026Don Quixote
Miguel De Cervantes
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 4915 recommend · 49 mention15 recommend · 4915 recommend
2008–2026Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain, John D. Seelye
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 8417 recommend · 84 mention17 recommend · 8417 recommend
2009–2026The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
Recommended by 128 · mentioned by 260128 recommend · 260 mention128 recommend · 260128 recommend
2008–2026Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius, Meric Casaubon
Recommended by 184 · mentioned by 251184 recommend · 251 mention184 recommend · 251184 recommend
2007–2026Lord of the Flies
William Golding
Recommended by 32 · mentioned by 33632 recommend · 336 mention32 recommend · 33632 recommend
2007–2026Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand, Sophie Bastide-Foltz, Adrian Rand
Recommended by 207 · mentioned by 758207 recommend · 758 mention207 recommend · 758207 recommend
…their own intellectual interests by independent reading and aren't slowed down by the school curriculum. At least, that was my experience in childhood. A really good book for a teenager would be The Chosen by Chaim Potok, http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Potok/dp/0449213447/ which I think I read at age fourteen. It's an excellent story about two very bright boys growing up in Brooklyn during World War…
on “The Best Kids’ Books Ever -- Summer Break and IQ” ↗…They also read "classic" literature as they get older, for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer. Two of my sons have really liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (which I have never read) and I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok (which I reread a few years ago, and still thought was very good).
on “What are great books for boys?” ↗I generally agree that voluntary reading is better for the reader than assigned reading. And yet I must give my tenth grade English teacher in Wisconsin credit for assigning me to read The Chosen by Chaim Potok, http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Potok/dp/0449213447 a wonderful book that acquainted me with the author, whose subsequent books are also well worth reading.
on “Books all kids should read at school (a list)” ↗…"savages" occurs in the book to make a comment about the persons speaking the term, not to make a comment about the persons described as savages. The best book I was assigned to read in high school was The Chosen by Chaim Potok. I later read most of Potok's other books on my own. A few years ago I reread The Chosen--that is a very fine book for a reader of any age.
on “Brave New World banned from High School curriculum” ↗Best novel about growing up is The Chosen by Chaim Potok. http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Penguin-Modern-Classics/d... I got a LOT out of that when I reread it at least thirty years after reading it the first time. Best nonfiction book…
on “Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?” ↗The Chosen by Chaim Potok. http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Potok/dp/0449213447
on “Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?” ↗This is actually a good strategy. I first came across a similar technique expounded in a book by Chaim Potok, "The Chosen" (good book, I really enjoyed it). One of the protagonists, Danny Saunders, was the son of a rabbi and a genius who was trying to become a psychologist, so he started reading Freud in its original form.…
on “The Land and Expand Strategy for Reading” ↗This is actually a very old tradition. One notable example in popular culture is in Chaim Potok's novel "The Chosen" http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Potok/dp/0449213447/ref=p... From a review here: http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1... "At Reb Saunders’s synagogue, he experiences Hasidism…
on “Ask YC: Should computer books contain intentional technical errors to keep the reader's attention?” ↗…together this material by inferring stuff from the text, but chances are one would be wrong about the details and one would have to consult secondary or tertiary materials anyway. In Chaim Potok's "The Chosen" (fiction), there's a Hasidic character named Danny Saunders who was a prodigy, praised by all for his intelligence. He had an eidetic memory and great ability for analysis, but found himself stumped…
on “Harvard Classics Book Download” ↗…to them. The books that stick with me that are largely forgotten are the Merlin books from Mary Stewart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Stewart_(novelist)#The_Me... and Chaim Potok's books like The Chosen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chosen_(Potok_novel), they have a certain nostalgic importance for me while I can still see that they were not especially important otherwise.
on “Forgotten Best Sellers” ↗…from afar and, to be fair, I'm sure in a somewhat distorted manner through media. Movies and TV shows set there put me off (even Seinfeld which I enjoy). Only The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill and The Chosen by Chaim Potok have shown me some charm in the place, and the music of New York native Suzanne Vega. I appreciate that it's an important city, has many cultural attractions and many people love the place.…
on “Recommendations for Japan Travel” ↗