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It is the story of two Jewish adolescent boys coming of age in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York between 1944 and 1949. The novel is loaded with Jewish history, also contains an assortment of views on Judaism. Author Chaim Potok, such as the 2 adolescents in his novel, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His mother and father were strictly observant Orthodox Jews and his household did not encourage his interest in writing -- they did not need some of their sons engaged with secular pursuits.

This conflict certainly shows up in interesting ways in The Chosen. In his own lifetime, Potok began practicing Conservative Judaism, that had fewer restrictions and permitted him to be both an artist and also a Jew.

To a extent or other, we all invest large chunks of their lives thinking, hearing, and speaking about religion. Switch on the TV some time, and you'll likely discover something about religion -- whether it is televangelists, or even the latest on Tom Cruise and Madonna. And, if you've watched the news or read the newspapers recently (and by recently we imply the last five million years), then you know that the world stands out for religious understanding and tolerance.

This can be easier said than done when there are hundreds and hundreds of religions in the world. Even the significant ones seem mysterious to us when we have never experienced them. Ideally, we'd learn about religion from people who care about it, and that will help us think about and consider lots of voices about religion in our society. Also ideally, our discussions about religion could be more relevant, interesting, and enjoyable.

This coming-of-age story set in Brooklyn, New York from 1944 to 1949 gives a more sensitive, honest, and comprehensive look at many different viewpoints on Judaism from the years directly following World War II. And, it tells the compelling story of the brilliant (his photographic memory would be the least of it) Danny Saunders and his battle to balance his own religious responsibilities with his desire to use his fine mind in the entire world at large. However, beyond all that, The Chosen asserts that religion is a personal decision -- which we must never stop searching, questioning, and attempting to comprehend, both our own perspectives on religion, and also those of others. Instead of dreading what we don't know, we ought to jump in and see what it is all about.

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