The Chosen

Though they've lived their entire lives less than five blocks from each other, 15- year-olds Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders exist in very different worlds. Reuven blends easily into both his secular Jewish faith and his typical American teen life, whileDanny's conservative Hasidic clothes and appearance make him stick out. When Danny almost blinds Reuven with a deliberately vicious line drive in a tumultuous softball game, the two boys are brought together and develop an improbable friendship. Struggling to live their own lives against the wishes of their strong-willed fathers, they give each other a shared strength-and a deeper understanding that the differences separating people through cultures and generations are not as great as theymight seem. Chaim Potok's classic tale of friendship and growing up in the years following World War II delivers a powerful message of love and tolerance that sings out through this brilliant reading by Jonathan Davis.