Destined to Choose: A Rabbi David Cohen Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Rabbi David Cohen threw his pen onto the desk in disgust, uttering a few choice words..." (more)
Key Phrases: new cantor, Rabbi Cohen, Beth Israel, David Cohen (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yaldah Publishing (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159287018X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592870189
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,041,160 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chosen - for our Book Club - and we loved it!, January 23, 2006

By	Amy Gavel "Noazim Book Club Reader" (Minnesota!) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read this book twice now. The first time I read it on my own, and more recently I read it for a book club discussion.

Accessible to people from different backgrounds, relevant for both Jewish and non-Jewish readers, as others have written - this book is indeed insightful and deceptively easy to read. It is also fun. Our readers recognized each other in the pages, and I personally enjoyed (during my second reading) the specific relevance built in (whether intentionally or not!) to chapter 18.

I look forward to more books from this author and highly recommend this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing and enjoyable read for Jews, Christians, and others, January 17, 2006

By	Critical Reader - See all my reviews

Finally, an answer to the tired rabbi-detective mysteries! I suspect those rabbi mysteries are mysteries and not dramas so they can avoid being shelved with the religious fiction books, and this book deserves better than that, too. It's a candidate for the "best book you're not reading" award.

We get to spend roughly half the book inside the head of a rabbi, getting to know him as a man and not just a rabbi. His fears and weaknesses make him more human, and I would bet that anyone who reads this will never again look at their clergy quite the same way.

The mysteries solved here are what are rabbis like? And what is it like to be a religious but not orthodox Jew in America today? I'll take Chaim Potok any day to understand the orthodox life, but little tells me about the majority of American Jews. This book does.

The other half of the book is spent in the head of a female college freshman and the grief that sometimes takes over her life. The characterizations of men and women, religious and not-religious, Jewish and Christian are believable and credible, and the religious, psychological and philosophical references give this book more depth than most fluff out there.

I'm not Jewish but I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the glossary of Hebrew words in the back added an educational layer, though most of the Hebrew was understandable in context. I recommend this to religious Christians to enrich their own faith, to the non-religious and the curious to gain a better understanding of Judaism, and to Jews because I think a lot of Jews will see themselves on these pages.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book, December 11, 2005

By	Rebecca Goffman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The author of this book did a really nice job of incorporating a variety of spiritual questions and perspectives ranging from reform to orthodox. This incorporation, in conjunction with an interesting human tale, kept me committed to the story. I also enjoyed learning more about a rabbi's experience and the joys/struggles of the job.