Potok, Chaim

Chaim Potok was born and raised in New York City. He began to write fiction at the age of 16, graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English literature from Yeshiva University, and earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. An ordained rabbi, he served as an army chaplain in Korea for sixteen months with, successively, a front-line medical battalion and an engineer combat battalion. His first novel, The Chosen, was nominated for a National Book Award and received the prestigious Edward Lewis Wallant Award. His other novels include My Name is Asher Lev, The Gift of Ashe...