I read The Chosen by Chaim Potok months ago and I MUST find the novel again because its plot and themes are like those jingles that get stuck in your head - it won't go away!!
Quickie explanation: Two boys are growing up on either side of Judaism (modern & fundamental). They struggle with the burden their cultures place upon them and one makes the decision very painfully to walk his own path as opposed to the one determined by tradition. Potok (a rabbi) is not advocating one throws away tradition but demonstrates that one needs to engage actively with the issues and make a very conscious decision. There are layers upon layers of themes, motifs and information shoe-horned into this slim novel. Very interesting for me were the descriptions of Jewish life in post-war America, of which I was barely conscious, and how Zionism created the Westbank-Gaza conflict.
Damn it! I borrowed that book from someone...who was it?! Obviously I should have stolen it instead.
Quickie explanation: Two boys are growing up on either side of Judaism (modern & fundamental). They struggle with the burden their cultures place upon them and one makes the decision very painfully to walk his own path as opposed to the one determined by tradition. Potok (a rabbi) is not advocating one throws away tradition but demonstrates that one needs to engage actively with the issues and make a very conscious decision. There are layers upon layers of themes, motifs and information shoe-horned into this slim novel. Very interesting for me were the descriptions of Jewish life in post-war America, of which I was barely conscious, and how Zionism created the Westbank-Gaza conflict.
Damn it! I borrowed that book from someone...who was it?! Obviously I should have stolen it instead.
'tis mine! And I stole it back when I visited. It's the one book I kept from my high-school reading requirements.
ReplyDeleteAHHHH!!! OK, looks like I'll have to BUY a real copy!!
ReplyDelete