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    The Chosen One: A Novel
    The Chosen One: A Novel
    The Chosen One: A Novel
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Chosen One: A Novel

    Written by Carol Lynch Williams

    Narrated by Jenna Lamia

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father's three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much—if you don't count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateMay 12, 2009
    ISBN9781427207074
    The Chosen One: A Novel
    Author

    Carol Lynch Williams

    Award-winning author of more than twenty-five books and a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults, Carol Lynch Williams facilitates a week-long workshop to help writers get published (www.wifyr.com). She lives in Utah with her family. Visit her at her blog, Throwing Up Words.

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    Reviews for The Chosen One

    4.5/5

    99 ratings82 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I must be hard-hearted, because this book didn't appeal despite all the glowing reviews it has received. The story's premise was good and should have had me totally hooked, but there was something about the writing that just left me cold, and I could not connect with Kyra at all. Disappointing!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      It's not often that I open a book and free fall into an all consuming world full of unique circumstances, emotional turmoil, and swoony romance. The Chosen One buried deep within my soul... The words seeped into my fingertips and the story filled my heart with desperation, hope, and love. It was a tragic tale, but the inspiration and strength that Kyra displayed made her one of the fiercest heroines I've ever read about.

      The story is about a thirteen year old girl, but the feel is way more mature. Kyra is living in a dark world that forces her to grow up fast. She is suppose to marry her uncle and bear his children. Instead of obeying and cowering down to him though, she seeks solace in books and searches for an out to freedom. There are many failed attempts, but eventually she breaks free of the chains that are the community.

      I'm still speechless and awestruck by the story content. I love unique reads with dark features and this one packed a hard punch. While romance wasn't the main focus, I found myself completely wrapped up in the forbidden Joshua. The desperation and sacrifice was epic level romance and I couldn't have swooned harder. To say this story was amazing is an understatement. It was such a well thought out book with twists and turns that left me begging for more. I highly recommend it to all readers looking for an intense page turner with a heartfelt feel.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I listened to the audio of this book. The Narrater, Jenna Lamia, was great. She has a very soothing voice. When the audio first begun, I realized quickly that it was written truly for a teenage audience. I pushed forward and continued to listen because I wanted to know about Polygamy and what goes on behind "The Gates". Albeit a bit slow at times, the story was a good one and I would recommend it to anyone who has a curiosity about the subject.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Review for the audiobook version: The story is engaging, and the characters developed well enough for one to get quite attached. There are some you love, some you hate, and others that seem to have strong good and bad sides and one can't be sure how to feel about them. Really, just like real life. The end does stretch things a little, and I personally didn't care for the reader's voice as much as some others, but it's still engaging.This is one of those YA books that deals with very real and very serious subject matter. It may be difficult for young readers to read about for that reason, and parents might want to be ready to turn it into a learning experience and have a serious talk with their children. There is serious violence involved, and discussion of young girls marrying and having children with middle-aged men (and older). It's very real and, while written for a YA audience, stays true to what's known to happen in many of those communities, which can make it truly upsetting at times. Overall, I'd consider it a worthwhile read for those who like YA books.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      The Chosen One offers an insightful look into a religious cult and the realistic hold that it has on its people. Carol Lynch Williams suggests sexual abuse through forced marriage, but deals primarily with the physical abuse and the heavy emotional captivity.I love the main character, Kyra. She is strongly determined, caring, and bookish. The Chosen One reminded me of Keep Sweet by Michelle Greene, perhaps more than any other book has ever reminded me of another. I imagine that there are certain hallmarks of these cults that would make one similar to the other.I think that it is important to remember that while The Chosen is written as fiction, these sort of religious cults are real and active today. These woman are often put in a positions where they have to choose whether to stay, or to leave their own children or siblings behind in order to save themselves. It is a horrific form of abuse. These girls are groomed their entire lives, and taught that it is all God ordained.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a very short read and definitely one you will want to do in one sitting. I seriously couldn't put this book down, because within those pages I saw myself. No, I haven't ever been in a polygamous community, nor have I been forced to marry my uncle, so I cannot really relate to the situation. However, I can see myself in Kyra. She questions everything and loves to read. Her voice was mine and I found myself lost in the tale because I felt as if I were living it. The author does a fantastic job connecting with the reader. She makes you stop and think, "What if this were me? What would I do?"

      I really loved this book and will probably add it to my collection. This is one of those moments that I love the book so much that I doubt I will ever be able to adequately express through words what I am feeling. Just seriously go pick this one up.

      The one thing I do have slight issue with is the cover. I love the symbolism of the braid coming undone, because Kyra's perspective completely shifts and her whole life comes undone. I do not like the fact she is in a spaghetti strap dress, because that isn't Kyra. She can't even imagine wearing something "that revealing." I think perhaps that was chosen because Kyra is becoming more "worldly" than before, but I don't think she is quite to that point by the end of the tale. I do think the colors on this cover are perfect because they seem a tad haunting as well.

      Overall? 5/5 stars, because I connected with this tale and it has left me changed.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This compelling story about Kyra, a teenage girl (not quite 14 years old) growing up in a fundamentalist, polygamous compound, is a very fast read. When Kyra, one of 20 children between her father and his three wives, is told by her religious community's prophet that she has been "chosen" to become her 60-year-old uncle's sixth wife, she decides to fight back against the system she is no longer sure she believes in. Buoyed by her encounters with the outside world through secret visits to a mobile library, Kyra is one of the few people in her sect to ever take the very dangerous step of standing up to the prophet and his self-titled apostles. My only complaint about this book is that I thought it ended rather abruptly, and I would have liked to read more about the consequences of Kyra's brave decision.
    • 4/5
      Growing up inside her chain link fence polygamist community 13 year-old Kyra Leigh questions her community's beliefs about what is right as her marriage to her sixty year-old uncle comes closer. She questions her beliefs when this must mean she has to stop her clandestine meetings with Joshua at night. She questions her beliefs when she walks outside the chain link fence to wait for the library bookmobile each Wednesday and reads forbidden books while she hides.Ms. Lynch-Williams weaves a suspenseful story of a girl who has barely come out of childhood and forced to make sense of her community's beliefs and her own, deciding which she will follow and the consequences of each choice. A superb tale of tale of moral dilemma and deciding which path to take.
    • 4/5
      This book will make you cry. This book could makes a person ill knowing this lifestyle is in our world.
    • 5/5
      It has been awhile since I have given a book a 5 stars but I just had to for The Chosen One. Kyra’s story pulls you right into her life have you will come to care for her so much you just want to march into that compound and beat the crap out of the so called leaders of this community. Despite not feeling well while reading this book I could not stop reading until I got to the end and my heart was actually racing as I waited to find out what would happen to Kyra.I have seen those TV specials or news coverage about polygamist communities and felt sorry for some of the men and especially women living in those communities but it’s nothing like seeing their life through Kyra’s eyes. To hear what she is experiencing, what she feels and watch the actions of even those who may disagree with what is going on but who are too scared to do anything about it is heart wrenching. I normally do not like to judge other people’s beliefs but I find it hard to believe that a god would condone hold a baby’s head down in a bucket of ice water or beating and killing women for disobeying an order to marry their own blood relative. I have read stories about those who have escaped life in these communities but this book also reminds me of all those who are left behind and are too scared, too weak or for other reasons are not able to leave and are forced to live this life against their wishes. I know (or hope) not all community’s are like the one portrayed in this story.Truly, this is a wonderful book that I would highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      Thirteen year old Kyra Carlson resides with her family in a polygamist community. She loves her family unconditionally and has never questioned the fact that she has “three” mothers and 20 brothers and sisters with two more on the way. Although her sect is set with their strict way of living - Kyra has found a way of slipping out to visit the Mobile Library on Wheels where she reads forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself - instead of having a man chosen for her. But all in all, she is respectful and listens to her father and the Prophet Childs.But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle - who already has six wives - Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.This was such a powerful and intense story. It’s based on a subject that, although very real, it’s something that never really crosses my mind. To actually read about these religious sects - their beliefs, the lives they choose to live, etc., just blows my mind. I actually opened this book and did not put it down until I was done with it. It definitely piqued my interest from the first sentence. Kyra was such a strong and determined character. I loved that reading was such a big part in the story as well as the book-mobile.I can definitely see where the story might be considered controversial, especially when reading about the life that Kyra has been brought up in. But I recommend that you try to overcome this, since this is a story that will leave you astounded and hopeful that Kyra can overcome her fears and do what must be done.It was powerful, intense, surprisingly action-packed, but most of all, an unforgettable tale.
    • 3/5
      Very haunting novel, my recent obsession with Big Love made me borrow this book from my local library. It's a quick read, quite dark and horrifying in places telling the story of a thirteen year old girl in a polygamist society who has been chosen to marry her 60 year old Uncle. That along with Kyra's love for her family and desire not to leave her sisters alone despite her hope to run away from the compound would have been enough to make this a great book for me. What ruined it a little was the romance. This girl is 13 years old and is professing love for an older teenage boy who she meets and loves and wants to marry. I just didn't see it as a necessary part of the story. Kyra was interesting enough. Although from what I know of polygamy (which I admit is limited), she doesn't have the mindset of a girl whose been raised in the religion her whole life. Surely she would be as brainwashed as everyone else in her community, that's the point of these places isn't it? To make everyone think the same?Still, recommended reading! :)
    • 4/5
      Kyra’s life comes tumbling down around her on the day that the “Prophet” declares that he had a vision from God that she is to become Brother Hyram’s seventh wife, ignoring the fact that Hyram is fifty years older than Kyra and that he is her blood uncle. She has been brought up in an isolated religious community, never questioning the multiple marriages or the strict rules as her family, with it’s three loving mothers and a father who is both gentle and good, have been like a buffer between the her and the harshness. But there is no choice here, she is going to be forced to marry unless she runs away. But saving herself means endangering everyone in her family as people who disobey the “Prophet” and his minions are punished severely or are even killed.I found The Chosen One is be a very emotional read. I was angry and appalled at the pain and ugliness that Kyra and other young girls were being forced to endure. These girls were being raised to simply warm the bed of the church elders. Many of the cults’ young men were being forced to leave, especially the young men that looked at the girls. The families were terrorized and threatened until they silently allowed their daughters to be used this way.Although this book is about families that practice polygamy, the main emphasis is on the control that they have given to one man, enabling him to set himself and his friends up like demi-gods. Nevertheless, this is a memorable book that engages the reader immediately and has given me a desire to read more about polygamy and cults.
    • 4/5
      This is one of those books that I finish and wonder how I am going to review it. The book was a relatively easy and breezy read, as far as the writing style and the length of the book. The subject matter was quite heavy, however, and parts of it were very disturbing.I am also disturbed by the book's depiction of these people, who are quite evidently an LDS-type sect, and how accepting they are of things like murder and child abuse. I'm concerned with readers seeing an LDS-sect on TV and remembering the stories in this book, and having a negative bias towards the people under the assumption that these stories are based on truth. I don't know whether there was any real basis for some of the twists in the storyline of this book, but I do tend to stop and question things. I worry that teens, who this book is geared towards, may not approach it with the same skepticism.That being said, the author did a good job at making the characters believable, and in making me care about Kyra. I felt her pain, and the pain of her family who loved her, but wanted to be good and faithful servants to their God and the prophet that guided them. I cheered on her rebelliousness and the surety of who she was and what she wanted. However I also felt despondency at the sect members' compliant natures that would stand by and allow their own children to be abused, and would defend the punishment and abuse of "disobedient" members, even the murder of innocents.And I'm left frustrated with the ending of the book. Where's my happy ending? Doesn't the author know that all stories are supposed to have a happy ending with all the loose ends tied up in a pretty bow? (Are you listening Stephen King, who left me with a dead child at the end of Cujo? I read that book a good 25 years ago, and I've still never forgiven you for that one!) This book left me with so many questions, and a lot of frustration.All in all, The Chosen One was a well-written book, but full of disturbing subject matter, and leaving me feeling emotionally heavy. I'm hesitant to recommend it for it's target group (teens), but think that it is worth a read by emotionally stable individuals who will approach it with a skeptical and realistic eye.
    • 3/5
      I listened to the audio of this book. The Narrater, Jenna Lamia, was great. She has a very soothing voice. When the audio first begun, I realized quickly that it was written truly for a teenage audience. I pushed forward and continued to listen because I wanted to know about Polygamy and what goes on behind "The Gates". Albeit a bit slow at times, the story was a good one and I would recommend it to anyone who has a curiosity about the subject.
    • 4/5
      What could have been a simple coming of age story of Kyra Leigh Carlson becomes something much different in the hands of Carol Lynch Williams. A casual look at a boy, reading Bridge to Terabithia or Anne of Green Gables, going into town.... all these are sinful in Kyra's world, where she has 3 mothers and 20 brothers & sisters... 13 year old Kyra is trapped in a polygamist cult... She lives in a closely guarded , extremely religious compound in the desert.Kyra loves her family and she's known no other life, but she's growing up and her inner feelings start to question "the rules". When her wandering takes her out of the compound and to the weekly bookmobile that stops to let her explore the 'other' world, her awareness of the outside grows and her so does her natural curiosity. She begins a secret courtship with Joshua another young cult member. Their budding romance is sweet and innocence, but forbidden...The author portrays Kyra and her secret desires & fears in such a sensitive way that we are drawn to her plight. Especially when the leader of the sect, Prophet Childs, visits Kyra's family to tell them the wonderful news that Kyra has been chosen to become the seventh wife of her father's brother who is 60 yrs. old! Kyra is horrified, her dreams of marrying Joshua are flashing before her eyes, she is torn between all that she loves, her family and home, and marrying a man who's older than her father, who's her father's BROTHER.The opening line of the novel, "If I was going to kill the Prophet," I say, not even keeping my voice low," ... shows us how Kyra is desperate to save herself. And we become desperate too. Kyra struggles with the thoughts of leaving in order to save herself against giving up the love and comfort of the family she loves dearly. Will she have the courage to free herself? Will she have the courage to enter a world that is so unlike hers she may never adjust? Her journey takes some incredible twists and turns.What a wonderful story this was! Carol Lynch Williams writes with such care and insight that you almost feel that Kyra is not fictional. Kyra has such depth and feelings that you also become invested in her well being. You are holding your breathe waiting to see what happens all the way to the end! And it is time well spent! Promoted as YA Teen Fiction, I would say it is worth reading even if you aren't in the YA catagory!
    • 4/5
      This book addresses a very powerful and deeply controversial subject and in a surprisingly strong, vivid and heart breaking way for a YA novel. I think this book exemplifies one of YA’s true strengths in that way. Kyra is a young girl growing up in a remote compound belonging to a polygamist sect. She has grown up in a family with one father and three mothers and now has twenty siblings with two more on the way. She has known no other life and in fact finding out about other ways of life is next to impossible and is considered a sin. By chance Kyra discovers a mobile library and that discovery, along with a library card, opens up fresh new horizons for her and she discovers a world beyond the compound’s barbed wire fences and brutal attitudes towards freedom and independent thought.Then Kyra discovers that the Prophet has decreed that she is to be the seventh wife of her sixty-year-old uncle and her defiance leads to punishments that even takes her own family aback. She is beaten and threatened and it is revealed to her that other young girls that defied the Prophet were killed for their disobedience. Kyra does not love her uncle, even as an uncle. She wants to choose for herself, but that choice may lead to a chain of events that destroy everything she has ever known, and hurt everyone she has ever loved.This book is YA but is written more on an MG level. Even though the writing is simplistic the message is not and I wonder if it might not be a bit above the average MG reader. That being said it is a very powerful book that talks frankly about the every day tragedies and violations of basic human freedoms that take place in a polygamist cult. It talks about the double standards, the deaths, the murders, the mind sets, the beatings, the forced under age marriages, the forced under age sex, the incest, the abuse and the fear. It also talks about the positive aspects as well, what little there are. Kyra has a father that truly loves her and, I believe, loves every one of his wives and children as well. He honestly buys into the hype and believes in it whole heartedly. He wants to do what is right for his family and goes to bat for Kyra more than once to try and stop what is happening, as he believes it isn't right. Her mothers both love and envy each other and help each other out, and they all love their husband. The children all love and respect each other and stick up for and by each other in times of need. I think that is pretty sophisticated to show both sides of the coin and to have the story still work.Since this is a YA book I think the author almost had to take the easy way out and end it with several questions left unanswered. What happens to the librarian? What happens to the cult? What happens to Kyra's family? These questions will not be answered, this book focuses exclusively on Kyra. I think a lot of adult logistics had to be left out to make this book understandable and enjoyable for a younger audience, but as an adult I found the lack of filling in these very important gaps disorienting and it left me feeling as if the story was unfinished or not realistically filled out. For a younger YA the ending as is will be fulfilling enough, I think.The other thing I found frustrating is I wanted an adult book-esque introduction or afterword by the author. I wanted sources, I wanted back story, I wanted to know why this book, why write it now, is it accurate, what was it based on, what research was done, what other books did she recommend and on and on. I felt, again, like there should have been more and, again, a younger audience as this book was aimed at might not have cared as much as I did. So for that reason the book ended up losing a star.For YA readers who want a deep, startlingly, blood pumping book on a girl growing up in an isolated polygamist community and coming of age in fairly unique circumstances than I would recommend this book. Just be sure the reader has the maturity to handle the subjects introduced in its pages. In a story about a girl whose eyes are opened by books your own eyes will be opened in ways you will not expect. I highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      A heartbreaking story about Kyra, a 13-year-old girl living in a polygamist compound. She is arranged to marry her 60-year-old uncle, who already has 6 other wives. Her own father has 3 wives, and 20 children. Her experiences in this compound are so disturbing and horrific, that she desperately plans an escape that may cost her life and her family's. This story made me incredibly angry, because I know that it is somewhat based on what goes on in these compounds today, and it also makes me angry that they use God to justify their despicable actions against children.
    • 4/5
      The Chosen One audiobook by Carol Lynch William’s energetically recounts the story of a pre-teen girl, Kyra, who is raised in a polygamist cult, The Chosen Ones. She’s defiant by the standards of her community daring to talk with boys, read books, and question the practices dictated by the Prophet, a man considered equal to Jesus. “The young women are saved for the men.” Kyra realizes when the prophet declares she will marry her 68 year old uncle and her family responds with shocking complacency. Kyra has never been a mile away from her home, and all she knows from the outside world she learned from books. She becomes terrified at the thought of leaving her family and giving her body to such an older relation. In Kyra’s world, the voice of a woman isn’t considered, and the more Kyra objects the worse it is for her and her family. To save herself from her fate would mean risking everything she’s ever known and all the people she loves.Williams does an amazing job of writing a thirteen year old perspective, so much so, I relived a lot of my awkward years through some of Kyra’s tender moments. Williams uses her words dynamically—they hang, slide, and scream. She also has Kyra narrate much of the story through questions forcing the reader to consider the material. The Chosen One is a mature and complex young adult novel; themes stemming from rape, incest, and murder are all presented without any consequences for the perpetrators. Kyra, however, is a strong character that is willing to sacrifice comfort for decency. The Chosen one is thought provoking, and Kyra’s bravery teaches some powerful lessons. It is an excellent choice for a young adult.
    • 4/5
      I was immediately drawn into the story from page one. Kyra's life in the closed off community is vividly told, and in fact is told so well, I found emotions absolutely bubbling to the surface. Imagine living in a community where you are not allowed to read what you want to, go where you want to without supervision and marry who you want to. Imagine not only not getting to choose who to marry, but being told you must marry when you are still no more than a child. All of these scenarios are deftly captured in Carol Lynch Williams' book with such clarity and truth. Each character good and bad are so full and fleshed out, you feel as if you are reading someone's truth. I strongly recommend this book. It is a compelling read involving a difficult story. It pulls you in and makes you face a situation that is not pretty. The story made me uncomfortable at times and angry at others. It is hard to say that I enjoyed it, because it was a difficult story, but I walked away feeling changed somehow and hopeful.
    • 3/5
      Could have been so much more than it turned out to be. Not a terribly compelling story be written well enough to push through the length of it despite that. Too short to really develop much of anything.
    • 5/5
      I could not put this book down. I got it on a random whim when I was browsing Amazon and it was one of the best books I have read in a long time. But it's sad and shocking... you really feel afraid for Kyra and you're just desperately begging her to get away, to escape with Patrick in his library on wheels.

      Basically, Kyra is a 13 year old in a place where the leader (called the Prophet) chooses who you marry. It is a very different novel and explores religion and culture and especially the way in which women have very little control in polygamous traditions. Near the beginning of the book we find out that the Prophet has decided that Kyra will become the 7th wife of her 60 year old uncle. But Kyra is not so ready to accept things the way they are, she has already found love in the form of Joshua and cannot stand to think of bearing her uncle's children. Kyra must make a desperate and risky choice which could result in losing everything, even her own life.

      This is a frightening, thought-provoking novel that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Rarely have I ever connected with a narrator so much as I did with Kyra, her story will leave you moved and shocked at what you have just read. A masterpiece.
    • 3/5
      We can track many of our beliefs and deeply held convictions to our parents and the communities around us. We are raised to uphold the values our families hold dear. And most of the time, this doesn't hurt anyone despite variations in belief. Occasionally people rebel against the deepest held convictions of their family and friends but such a rebellion is difficult and has consequences. When the rebellion is against a strict fundamentalist, polygamist cult and the rebel is a mere child, as in Carol Lynch Williams' novel, The Chosen One, the stakes are that much higher.Kyra Carlson is thirteen. She's been raised by her father and three mothers, along with many siblings, in a closed off desert compound. Her family is a member of The Chosen, a group of people practicing polygamy and following the teachings of their leader, the Prophet. The Prophet is assisted by his close group of Apostles and the community's rules are strictly enforced by the God Squad. The Chosen Ones' interaction with the outside world is limited and infrequent in an effort to keep them free of the taint and temptation of Satan. While Kyra and the other children may be kept away from the outside world, Kyra's native intelligence and curiousity lead her to question the blindly faithful life that her family lives. In fact, Kyra has started visiting the local mobile library secretly after discovering it under a tree one day as the driver took a rest. Now the library stops once a week to allow Kyra to borrow a book. This isn't the only forbidden thing that Kyra does either, falling for a fellow member of The Chosen, Joshua, a boy close to her own age. But the Prophet sees a different life for her than the one she has hoped for, revealing the horrifying news that she is to be the seventh wife of her own uncle. If Kyra refuses, it will mean terrible things for her beloved family and even possible death for her.In this YA novel, Williams indeed captures the horror of a group that offers up its young girls as sacrifices to old men, a group that tolerates zero disobedience and requires complete and total submission, a group that punishes independent thought or desire. Told from Kyra's perspective, the writing is unsophisticated and simple. Her desperation to escape and her revulsion towards marrying her uncle wars on every page with the pull of love for her family and the only life she's ever known. Although much of the book is slow moving, the climax of the novel is sinister and fast paced. Kyra's immediate family is portrayed as normal as a polygamist family can be, with loving parents and caring siblings but the greater community around them is unforgiving and rigid. Kyra doesn't recognize all of the undercurrents and tensions swirling around her although she does mention a few of them in passing, such as noting that her aunt seems to no longer like her now that she's been chosen as her uncle's next bride. She is, though, a young teenager, and as such may not be savvy enough to see the everyday unhappinesses around her that stem specifically from their unquestioning belief in the Prophet's connection to divinity and in the practice of polygamy. The difficulty of the decision to leave or not leave played out fairly constantly and ultimately a bit too much to keep the narrative tension taut and the book felt as if it really just skimmed the surface of the whole situation. There are some graphic bits, beatings and murders and disappearances, that attest to the violence and danger of those in charge of the cult but for some reason they don't pack the emotional wallop the reader would expect. The ending was rather abrupt and, at least for me, not terribly satisfying. It's an interesting subject for sure and Lynch, in writing this for a YA audience, has brought it to a new readership but I'm not certain it captures all of the psychological drama and truth one would expect of it.
    • 4/5
      I've had this book on my to be read pile for a while. I find polygamist colonies interesting and had heard that this book gives a fair opinion of those family groups as part of the story. I will say this wasn't necessarily a fun read, but it was well done and heart wrenching. Overall I found it interesting and it makes me wonder how "true to life" this story actually is; it is supposed to be a fictional account about a girl that escaped from a polygamist home.13 year old Kyra lives in a colony of polygamists with her mother and plethora of siblings. Her mother is the third wife and her father alternates between wives. Then one day the Prophet issues a decree: Kyra will marry her father's brother...who is her uncle and ancient, she will be wife number seven. Adding to the distress of marrying her uncle are the strict rules of her lifestyle, the books she sneaks in to read from the Mobile Library, her mother Sarah going through a very difficult pregnancy, and Kyra's attraction to a boy her age who wants to Choose her as his one and only wife.This is a very well written book; as times it is a bit unconventional in that there are short sentences that represent random thoughts flying out of Kyra's head. However, the writing style was very appropriate to the book. It is an incredibly engaging book and will have you on the edge of your seat wondering if Kyra will try to escape and if she does, will she make it out alive.It is also an intensely emotional book that will have you in tears and incredibly angry at parts. It is full of disturbing references to rape, incest, and beatings; although only the beatings are covered in full detail. There is a particular scene where Kyra's 8 month old sister is submersed in ice water until she stops breathing, just because the 8 month old was crying at night and kept the neighbors awake...this was incredibly disturbing and made me angry at this book and at the fact that these things happen (not just in polygamist communities, but in general).This book really stands out in that it also pictures the love that can exist in this type of community. All of Kyra's mothers, siblings, and her father really work to have a loving household. They don't argue a lot and work to make their home a happy one. When it is announced that Kyra will marry her uncle; her father actually goes to petition the Prophet to try and change his mind. This family of Kyra's really does care about each other.Williams does an excellent job of characterization too. Kyra is brave and you feel her heartbreak as she contemplates running away and leaving her ailing mother and loving sisters behind, you feel her excitement when she manages to smuggle a new book in to read. You also feel the hopelessness of her father as he tries to do right by his family; he is threatened to have his wives and children given to more disciplined fathers if he can't bend Kyra to the Prophet's will.Does the book end well? Well I can't give it away, but let's say it ends realistically and abruptly. It left me wishing for just a couple more chapters expanding on Kyra's decisions at the end.Overall this was an excellent book that gives incite into the positives and horrifying negatives that can happen in a polygamist community. It is also about a young girl's choice between family and herself; between freedom and slavery to her cult. Was it a fun read? No, it is a tough, emotionally wrenching read that will leave you sad and angry and all out drained. I recommend it for anyone with interest in this subject matter, or young adult readers. As an adult I found it fascinating but it is not something I will ever read again.
    • 4/5
      This thrilling novel follows Kyra, a thirteen-year old member of a polygamist cult. Trapped in the chain link confines of her isolated community, Kyra's life revolves around her religion and her family life with her father, three mothers, and more than twenty siblings. Kyra begins to find freedom in her clandestine meetings with the local bookmobile and fellow cult teen, Joshua. As her mind expands, and her relationship with Joshua deepens, Kyra is told that the Prophet has decreed that she will become her 60 year old uncle's seventh wife. As Kyra begins to plot her escape, the dangerous and violent side of her cult's practices are revealed - a world control and violence against those who defy the rule of the Prophet and children with developmental or mental illnesses. Violence and suspense rule this riveting look into the life of a girl coming to terms with her beliefs and escaping the only life she's ever known. The story is a thinly veiled parallel to the real life headlines made by the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints, a polygamist off-shoot of the Mormon church.
    • 5/5
      I read this in two hours with my stomach clenched the entire time.
    • 3/5
      This was a riveting YA novel that tackled some common teen issues in a rather unique way, including alienation with one's community and the concurrent push to rebel against one's family and culture and pull to remain within the safety of the familiar. Few teens grow up in a polygamist compound, but I think anyone whose been a teen can relate to the conflicting feelings Kyra has. It's also a story of the high price of awareness, kind of a modern-day Garden of Eden tale (except that in this case, her perception of Eden is what changed and she ejected herself from the Garden when the outside wilderness turned into a place of relative safety).
    • 5/5
      I started this book and finished it the next night...I was just drawn into the plot so quickly that the only thing that stopped me from reading it straight through is having to go to work, and I left the book at the house on purpose. This is a story about a young girl in a polygamist group called The Chosen Ones, and she has been chosen to marry her Uncle, which she finds horrible and so does her Father. She is also a little on the wild side for the community, she sneaks out to read books and she has dreams of marrying someone she chooses. This is a very moving story about her struggle against the community and how she tries to break free and live. I think I cried for the last 20 pages of this book, it was so good. This is something that I could see myself buying for my friends and passing on to others to read.
    • 4/5
      Compulsively readable story of a girl who has been raised in a compound where all the men have multiple wives. Other than have three moms, she's a pretty normal teenager, until the compound gets new leadership, and bit by bit things begin to get scary. The books are taken away, the women are married off to the elders while the younger men remain single. When she's promised in marriage to her elderly (CREEPY) uncle, Kyra begins to wonder whether she can leave everyone she loves, especially the boy she has just fallen in love with, to do what's right for herself. As the book progresses, things look more and more hopeless as Kyra explores small rebellions that keep her sane. This book grabs you. It's hard not to be shouting for her to run away as you read it!
    • 5/5
      As much as I like young adult fiction, one weakness it often has is that the suspense is tempered by the certainty that things will work out in the end. After all, who really thought that Harry Potter wouldn't prevail over Voldemort in the final chapter? That said, it is a delight to find a book that turns my preconceptions on their head. I'm not saying whether the ending I expected occurred or not but by the time I was halfway through `The Chosen One' I no longer what would happen next and that uncertainty kept me turning pages late into the night. I can't say from experience (fortunately) how accurately Carol Lynch Williams portrayed life in the polygamist compounds but from what I have read and heard of the testimony from those who have escaped from them I believe she pretty much nailed it, especially the parts regarding the forced marriage of children and the "prophet's" practice of stripping wives and families away from fathers and giving them to others. If there is one thing that young readers should take away from this it is the poisonous nature of cults founded and led by charismatic and self-serving individuals. Anytime anyone tells you that only he knows the truth, you can be pretty sure that the truth is not what he is peddling.