Released in 1967, The Chosen became a bestseller. Author Dr. Chaim Potok's knowledge of Jewish culture and his knowledge of philosophy greatly influenced this piece of literature helping him to create a realistic setting with a believable scenario. Centered around Brooklyn, two teens, Reuven Maulters and Danny Saunders become best friends. Because of the fact that their fathers are leaders of different Jewish beliefs, hatred clashed between them when they first met. This hatred lead to …showed first 75 words of 479 total…

…showed last 75 words of 479 total…baseball scene at the beginning of the novel was intense because of the hatred and rivalry between Danny and Reuven. "The author did an excellent job in writing the baseball scene, which set the tone for the whole novel." (Toguchi, Mark). The originality, the intensity, and the uniqueness of each character in this novel made it excellent. The way Potok wrote about the little known topic of Jewish culture lived up to be a bestseller.