Chaim Potok (1929-2002) was an American writer and rabbi. He was born in the Bronx and was the oldest of four siblings. He received an orthodox Jewish education and, along with all of his siblings, eventually became a rabbi. His parents discouraged him from reading books by non-Jewish writers, so in an act of literary rebellion he spent many hours reading secular fiction in the library. He decided to pursue writing after reading Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited as a teenager, and when he was twenty several of his stories were published in Yeshiva University's literary magazine, which he also helped edit. Over the course of his career he published over a dozen books and has had a profound influence on Jewish-American culture. He was also notable in that his work helped to bring traditional aspects of Jewish culture to a modern, secular audience.
The Chosen was Potok's acclaimed first novel, published in 1967. It follows the protagonist, a young Jewish boy named Reuven Malter, and his friend as they grow up in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn in the 1940s. The Chosen was nominated for The National Book Award and won the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. This is the first printing:
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The Chosen is definitely on my reading list. I've read Potok's other novel My Name is Asher Lev a couple months ago and loved it. Potok weaves together stories of art, culture, and religion in a beautiful and life-giving way.
This is one of my favorite books. Really impressed me a lot when I read this as a young girl. Thanks for sharing!