The Chosen

Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen is the story of the friendship between the Hasidic Jew, Danny Saunders, and the more liberal Jewish teenager, Reuven Malter, in Brooklyn during and after WWII. At the beginning of the novel, both are fifteen years old and live near one another, although they have never met because they go to different schools. The two boys meet during a softball game between their schools. During the game, Danny calls Reuven an apikoros, a Jew who denies the basic tenets of his faith, and the boys show outward hate for each other. Danny hits Reuven in the eye with the ball, and Reuven has to go to the hospital. While Reuven is in the hospital, Danny comes to visit him. They talk and become friends, discovering that despite their different beliefs, they are very similar. Reuven’s father encourages the friendship, recognizing Danny as an intellectual genius, and having the foresight to see that the boys will help each other understand their differences.
Through their f...