Plot Synopsis

The Chosen One is based on a true story: Kyra's life is about to change. God has spoken to the Prophet and dictated that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle, an abhorrent prospect for Kyra on many levels.

My Thoughts

First, I want to thank Elizabeth at As Usual I Need More Bookshelves for sending me this book as part of the BBAW Giveaways. The Chosen One was a wonderfully quick read. I picked it up around 9pm and was finished and in bed by 10:45. It was hard to sleep though, but more on that later.

The fast-paced plot doesn't dwell on unnecessary details or wax poetic on morality, but instead presents one girl's life clearly and concretely. The deeper philosophies are identifiable and intrigue through their simple presentation. The horror of living under the tyrannical power of "The Prophet", of having your entire life planned out for you and controlled, reveals itself to the readers through concrete action.

Kyra's personality is revealed in similar anecdotes. She questions her community, her life, and even goes so far as to outright defy conventions. She reads books, thinks of killing The Prophet, wishes for outside help for her mother, secretly meets with a boy; all things she is not only forbidden from doing, but if caught, her punishment could be as severe as death.

I should not read books about polygamists, Fundamentalists, child abusers, or gated communities. Nightmares on the page, that is what these books are for me. I see Kyra's parents defy their own logic and emotion, and for what? They are unhappy with their life, disbelieving in The Prophet, and yet they are willing to abuse their children, physically punish them, give them as wives to men 50+ years older? These people should be quickly caught and executed. It is that strong emotion which tells me I should probably stop reading such books. After finishing one, I am horrified, disgusted, and almost violently angry; and it is a feeling I can't shake for days.

I had the same negative reaction when reading Carolyn Jessop's Escape, the true story of one woman fleeing from a fundamentalist Foundation for Latter Day Saints' compound. As I said in that review, "I can not possibly understand a faith which allows for spousal and child abuse, a faith which elevates the man/husband to a position of such power that even those who disagree with the way he "runs" his family will not step in and help because they still believe it is his right. I also found myself annoyed that as a country, we allow a community to violate our laws and commit oppressive and abusive acts. People say this country was founded on the concept of religious freedom, but I would like to think that personal freedom is the real foundation. And when religion calls for the subjugation of the individual, personal freedom must trump religion. We will use the civil rights violations occurring in the Middle East to encite support for a war, but we won't deal with those same civil rights violations within our own boundaries. Seems...illogical and self-destructive."

Memorable Scene: Mariah, 8 months old, cried when the Prophet and some respected Brothers visited Kyra's family. Later, Kyra's uncle comes over and forces the family to punish Mariah. The mother has to submerge Mariah in water until the Brother says she can raise the baby up. Twice. After he leaves, it is a quick race to get Mariah to breathe again. The mother doesn't want to do this; the father doesn't want it done; Kyra is screaming to stop; and yet they give in to the power of their "religion".

Memorable Quote: We are here for the men...It's as though someone punches me in the throat. ( )

Kyra has many secrets: the books she checks out each week from the Ironton Country Mobile Library, the kisses the gives to Joshua Johnson, her desire to kill the Prophet Childs.

Kyra is thirteen years old. Her father has three wives, and she has twenty brothers and sisters. Her whole family is hoping that Kyra's father will be Chosen to become an Apostle, as her uncle Hyram had... but on the night that the Prophet Childs visits Kyra's family for dinner, he announces a disturbing vision. Kyra is to marry her Uncle Hyram, fifty years her senior.

Kyra knows she cannot, will not marry Hyram. But can she run away and leave her family behind? ( )

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams manages to be sweet, sad, and disturbing all at once. It tells the story of Kyra, a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in a compound for people who call themselves Chosen Ones, their lives dictated by Prophet Childs. Prophet Childs announces that he has had a vision showing that it is God’s will that Kyra be married to a man who already has six wives, a man who is her very strict and greedy sixty-year-old uncle. Kyra fights the decision every step of the way and her family backs her, even if there isn’t much they can do about it. Readers will also find themselves rooting for Kyra and hoping that she won’t be stuck in what seems like a bleak future. Kyra is afraid that this is happening to her because she has sinned by meeting with Josh, the boy that she really wants to spend the rest of her life with, and by going to a bookmobile and reading forbidden books. Kyra’s strength is admirable and the topic is thought-provoking. It shows what can happen when people start to think that they are above the laws and know best, and how they can ruin others’ lives. The book is overall well written and an engaging coming of age story. It manages to show a realistic yet harsh reality and give hope.

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

WOW!

That's the first word that came to mind as I turned the final page of THE CHOSEN ONE. I sat contemplating what I had just finished and had to process everything that Kyra had been through.

Meet Kyra Carlson. She is the second daughter to one of her father's three wives. She has been brought up in the Chosen One compound. Life wasn't always so strict. But when Prophet Childs takes over the lead, he takes tighter control. A fence is placed around the grounds. Women can no longer leave as easily. Reading is forbidden. Women and children must be obedient.

One night, Prophet Childs and three of his Apostles come knocking on Krya's trailer. The whole family is there for the visit. In stunned silence, Kyra hears the words that she has been Chosen. She is to become the seventh wife of her Uncle Hyrum.

Kyra is only thirteen. Her older sister, Emily, isn't right in the head, so no one is surprised that Emily hasn't been chosen. But it is shocking to be so young and to then have to wed her own uncle. It's just wrong. Even Kyra's father is flabbergasted at the pronouncement. The wedding is to be in four weeks.

Kyra is a rebel at the compound. She sneaks off to meet the weekly bookmobile on the main road. She keeps her library book hidden in the branches of a tree. She also secretly meets up with Joshua. He vows that if given the chance, he will choose Kyra for his wife.

Once Kyra hears the news that she is to wed, she does all she can to convince her family not to make it happen. But everyone is scared of the society they live in and know that going against Prophet Childs' wishes will make life worse for her entire family.

Kyra knows that marrying Uncle Hyrum is wrong. She doesn't accept the rules of the Chosen Ones. But she is torn. She knows she should run away before the wedding. But that will bring troubles to her family. How can she possibly leave her family? How can she possibly leave Joshua? Where would she go?

THE CHOSEN ONE may not be for everyone. The story is powerful and will leave you feeling angry and disgusted. But it will also leave you amazed at the power of the human spirit and what can be overcome. The story is definitely controversial, and those with strong religious views will more than likely be deeply disturbed by the life that Kyra has been brought up in. But if you can get beyond the religious context, the story will leave you breathless as you cheer and pray for Kyra to do what must be done.

Though Kyra is a thirteen-year-old girl, the subject matter of THE CHOSEN ONE may not be appropriate for younger readers. Though there is no actual sex within the story, the subject matter is quite obvious and referenced throughout the entire book. ( )