The book The Chosen is a book that has inspired many people around the world. It is the story of two Jewish teenagers coming of age in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York between 1944 and 1949. The author of this book, Chaim Potok was a well-known writer in the late 1960s. Chaim gained notoriety literary when The Chosen became a bestseller in 1967. Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1929, Chaim, like the two teenagers in his novel, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His mother and father were strictly practicing Orthodox Jews and did not support his interest in writing, as they did not want any of their sons involved in activities outside of their community. This conflict with his parents definitely shows up in different ways in this book, as the book is mostly about Chaim's life and the characters relate to him. In this well-written novel, we watch two ultra-bright Jewish teenagers grow up. By “Growing Up,” this means that boys will learn to balance their commitments to Judaism and the various traditions that are good and bad for all Jewish communities today. As the world grows and changes around them, young men and their fathers will learn that tradition is flexible and that each person's individual choices contribute to their Jewish tradition and can bring their people together. This book has a lot to say. Many themes are addressed in the novel. The three that are important to me and to the book are: the father-son relationship, the religious implications of friendship, and silence as a path to the soul. The father-son relationship is a very important theme in this book. The Chosen One is a novel that highlights the importance of the father-son relationship: “I was my father’s son…. ...... middle of paper ...... throughout the book. He is a competitive person like me and we don't understand people who think they are better than everyone and why do we have to go to war. When Reuven first met Danny in the novel, I probably would have judged Danny the same way as Reuven: competitive, rude, uptight, and mean. Even though the outside doesn't show what a real person is inside, later in the book Danny wasn't the meanest kid at all, he just needed a friend and I respect that. I learned so much from this book. I understand that your parents have to keep it quiet with you and how difficult it can be when you can't pursue something you want to do or someone needs a friend. This book not only helps the characters understand the events, but also the reader, because we become the characters of the book and experience a unique opportunity..