YA
Williams, Carol Lynch. 2009. THE CHOSEN ONE. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9780312555115
PLOT SUMMARY - ANALYSIS
When thirteen year old Kyra faces the harsh fact that her future may not be what she has dreamed it could be, she is torn between the family that she loves and her desire to break away from all that distresses her about the lifestyle of a family with one dad, three moms and seventeen siblings.
This is primarily a story of conformity versus nonconformity. Something about Kyra pushes her to remember the times when her family had books and how faced with the want to desperately keep a book for her little sister, Kyra was forced by her father to abide by the religious leaders and destroy the book.
Even though most readers cannot directly relate to the specifics of her religious, closed off society, the thoughts and dreams of freedom are universal with young readers. The readers can identify with the characteristics that Kyra shows in her interest in conserving her family, wanting freedom and quiet from her large family, along with wanting to marry her true love.
The setting of the isolated community with the barbed-wire, sets the tone of this story as one wonders if the fence is truly keeping the “bad” out or the “bad” in. The feeling of safety and protection is really a ploy at control and authority over the weak believers who cannot see the abuse and dysfunction purely because someone anointed by “God” tells them to follow certain rules and regulations.
The desperation of Kyra to walk out of the fenced area and just stroll down the road is a temptation that is fulfilled when the bookmobile shows up and Kyra borrows one book at a time. The irony is that the bookmobile driver, Patrick, becomes her savior and gives her courage to escape her life. There is a huge internal conflict as Kyra discovers books in conflict with the teachings of her father and church regarding anything other than the Bible.
The style of writing with the descriptive language of the religious leaders and their command of the followers is frightening. The insight into the thoughts of Kyra is heartbreaking at times and draws the reader into her desperate need to escape. The speed and acceleration of the desperation conveyed in the book by Williams leads to a situation where the reader cannot put the book down because there is a longing to pull her out of the situation and into a better life. Angela Carstensen (VOYA, June 2009 (Vol. 32, No. 2)) writes “It is a girl-in-peril story, and as such, it is impossible to put down and holds tremendous teen appeal. Kyra’s fate is uncertain until the very last page and the tension is almost unbearable. It is also a clear example of the power of books and reading.”
The transformation of Kyra is from curious young girl to fearing her life as another wife, to finally her new self that is free from the cycle that is her religious destiny, to arrive as a lone orphan. Through her journey Kyra draws on the insecurities of teenage life, the uncertainty of growing up and the hope that there is something better outside the compound. In one of the final statements in the book Williams writes “I was sure, sure, I had changed. Sure of it, that only the new me would run. That if I saw me, I would be different. Sure only the new me would have been able to get away. The hollow places inside me start to fill up.” (page 202)
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist 02/15/09
School Library Journal 07/01/09
Horn Book 10/01/09
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 06/01/09
New York Times 06/14/09
Wilson’s Junior High School 01/09/10
Publishers Weekly starred 05/25/09
Wilson’s Senior High School 02/01/11
CONNECTIONS
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 1997. LEAVING FISHERS. New York: Simon & Schuster
Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689811258
· Partner this book in discussing another story of a young girl influenced by a strong religious group.
Beale, Fleur. 2002. I AM NOT ESTHER. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 9780786808458
· Partner this book to gain a different perspective from examining the life of a girl taken from her free life and put into that of a repressive cult.
Crutcher, Chris. 2005. THE SLEDDING HILL. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780060502430
· Partner this book to see the influence a religious group can have over book banning and censorship.
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