Bread givers vs The Chosen: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Jewish fiction, Jewish families, Jews, Bildungsromans, Domestic fiction, Fiction

Bread givers Anzia Yezierska · 1925 ★★★★☆ 3.8 297 pages · ≈ 5 h 30 m · Moderate

A young Jewish girl from New York's Lower East Side rebels against the tyranny and chauvinism of her immigrant father, determined to assert her freedom and independence.

Children of immigrants Assimilation 18.06 Anglo-American literature Father-daughter relationship

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The Chosen Chaim Potok · 1966 ★★★★☆ 4.1 284 pages · ≈ 5 h 16 m · Moderate

“FOR THE FIRST FIFTEEN YEARS of our lives, Danny and I lived within five blocks of each other and neither of us knew of the other's existence.”

It's about two jewish boys from different jewish sects with very differing doctrine. The kids meet in the unlikely circumstance of a baseball game, and a terrible accident, that leads them to be lifelong friends

1 film adaptation

Religious Fiction Male friendship Teenage boys Fathers and sons

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The Chosen highest: The Chosen 4.1 · Bread givers 3.8.
The Chosen has the widest readership — 100008 ratings behind its score.
Bread givers runs the darker storyline; The Chosen stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want the crowd-tested pick? The Chosen 100008 ratings vs 7138 for Bread givers Just want the better-reviewed one? The Chosen 4.1 vs 3.8 from readers In the mood for something dark? Bread givers a darker storyline than The Chosen Want something lighter? The Chosen an easier tone than Bread givers

Scores by source

	Bread givers	The Chosen
Goodreads	3.8 (7138)	4.1 (100008)
Hardcover	3.7 (9)	4.0 (104)
Apple Books	4.0 (6)	4.5 (99)

Reception

	Bread givers	The Chosen
Ratings	7138	100008
Editions	10	68
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	4804	40151
Reading it now	307	2048
Written reviews	707	5718
Wikipedia attention	353	3133
Pages	297	284

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Bread givers or The Chosen?

The Chosen has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Chosen 4.1/5, Bread givers 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Bread givers or The Chosen?

The Chosen is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Chosen (284 pages, ≈ 5 h 16 m); Bread givers (297 pages, ≈ 5 h 30 m).

Which is harder to read: Bread givers or The Chosen?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Bread givers: Moderate; The Chosen: Moderate.

Have both books been made into films?

Bread givers: no film adaptation on record; The Chosen: 1 film adaptation.