February 28, 2007

Photos of El Nino (that's Spanish for "The Nino")

A certain individual keeps reminding me to update my blog, otherwise I risk losing my readers. Therefore, in an effort to increase readership, here are photos of the cutest kid I know (yes, he's mine!):


February 25, 2007

Book Review: The Chosen by Chaim Potok

Grade: A-

I read The Chosen based on my wife Katie's recommendation. After reading the book in less than two days, I owe her a thank you and an apology. Katie, thank you for recommending a wonderful book. I apologize for calling it a 'kid's book,' and nearly refusing to read it. In lieu of a less-than-articulate description, I endorse the following statement from the Wall Street Journal: "Anyone who finds [The Chosen] is finding a jewel. Its themes are profound and universal. . . . It will stay on [my] bookshel[f] and be read again."--The Wall Street Journal.

In The Chosen, Potok tells the story of two Jewish boys in 1940's Brooklyn--Reuven and Daniel--who form an unlikely friendship after a baseball hit by Daniel, a Hassidic, strikes Reuven, a Modern Orthodox, in the eye. As their friendship develops, so does the social and political climate as the boys' fathers react differently to the potential for an Israeli state at the conclusion of World War II. Ultimately, the boys successfully maintain their friendship, while responsibly dealing with the conflicts between their fathers and their beliefs.

The novel's themes include the strength of friendship, the pursuit of truth, religion & the secular world, and father-son relationships; a father's advice on friendship; two views on how to raise a son; serious religious study; discussion of historic events in the context of the novel; and moral themes of family, friendship, religion, and life-long learning.