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The Chosen #1

The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name

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Based on the acclaimed video series The Chosen, the most amazing story ever told—the life of Jesus—gets a fresh, new telling from New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins.

What was it like to encounter Jesus face-to-face? How would he have made you feel, changed your way of thinking about God? Would he have turned your world upside down? Journey to Galilee in the first century. See the difference he made in the lives of those he called to follow him and how they were forever transformed. Experience the life and power of the perfect Son of God as never before—through the eyes of everyday people just like you.

SPECIAL FEATURES
• The official and only novelization of the immensely popular TV series, which has been seen in every country in the world, with over 55 million views.
• The latest fiction from Jerry Jenkins, perhaps the bestselling Christian novelist of recent times

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2021

762 people are currently reading
1156 people want to read

About the author

Jerry B. Jenkins

672 books1,730 followers
Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as the writer of the Left Behind series of books for Tim LaHaye and The Chosen novels to accompany his son Dallas's TV series. Jenkins has written more than 200 books, including mysteries, historical fiction, biblical fiction, cop thrillers, international spy thrillers, and children's adventures, as well as nonfiction. His works usually feature Christians as protagonists. In 2005, Jenkins and LaHaye ranked 9th in Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary list of Hall of Fame authors based on books sold at Amazon.com during its first 10 years. Jenkins now teaches writers to become authors here at his website. He and his wife Dianna have three sons and eight grandchildren.

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5 stars
1,249 (74%)
4 stars
319 (19%)
3 stars
83 (4%)
2 stars
15 (<1%)
1 star
7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
Profile Image for Robin Hatcher.
Author 120 books3,254 followers
May 28, 2021
I have watched Season 1 of The Chosen over a dozen times, and this novel is a very faithful adaptation of the show. I'm not sure if there is any additional dialogue, but the reader is able to get some of the interior thoughts of the characters which is a nice addition. While fans of the show will enjoy this book as I did, it would be even more perfect for anyone who, for any reason, cannot watch or has not watched the show itself.
Profile Image for DiAnn.
Author 129 books1,976 followers
January 19, 2021
I was honored to read this outstanding novel pre-publication. All I can say is WOW!
Profile Image for Celestria.
379 reviews453 followers
October 31, 2022
Dnf around page 245. I love the show with all my heart and soul, but the book is not the same. First of all, it's written in 3rd person present tense, which I guess I've never read before because it kept pulling me out of the story and I couldn't focus. I finally started getting used to it, but I still wasn't enjoying it, so I decided to put it down. I'll just stick to watching the show ❤️
Profile Image for Jessica Bybee.
56 reviews
March 18, 2021
Companion to the TV series

Offering bits of insights and details you might have missed while watching the Chosen, this book makes an excellent companion piece.
Profile Image for Breanna King.
2 reviews
March 29, 2023
I loved this book so much😊Definitely shows what kind of personality Jesus has. I also love how it shows what the characters are thinking! This is an amazing book. And would definitely recommend it❤
Profile Image for Kathryn.
860 reviews
August 14, 2021
4.5★
I've watched the first season of this online, and the book was great because it explained some things I either missed or didn't understand from the show!!

I always love reading novelisation of Biblical stories - I love that someone has worked out how things that may seem a bit random in the Bible may have happened so that they make sense together! And it makes me go back to the Bible to read the actual account!
Profile Image for Celeste.
1,223 reviews2,548 followers
April 4, 2024
I absolutely love The Chosen. I think it’s a wonderfully, prayerfully crafted show. From casting to acting, from script writing to set and costume design, you can tell how much care has been put into every element of the series, and how careful the show runners have been to stay true to the Bible. Unfortunately, like most incredibly popular pieces of art, it’s incredibly divisive. I find it heartbreaking how many Christians find the show blasphemous.

Is the show word for word exactly the same as Scripture? Of course not. Characters have been written in and backstories have been expanded. The writers of the Gospels were more concerned with conveying the teachings of Jesus and the events of His life, death, and resurrection, than with telling a compelling story. And yet, the writers of the show are incredibly careful to never deviate from the Gospel. They are merely trying to showcase the unlikely cast of characters Jesus called to follow Him, the eponymous chosen, and give us an idea of who they might have been.

The Chosen is not presenting itself as the fifth Gospel. It seeks to tell a good story, a story that has been expanded in terms of character development so that we can remember that the disciples were people like us. Such stories used to be more common, with Ben-Hur and The Robe serving as examples. We as a modern society have lost the distinction between truth and fact. A story can be true without being comprised of only fact. After all, Jesus most often taught in stories, though we fancy them up by calling them parables.

And now, onto this actual book.

The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name is a direct novelization of season 1 of the show. And I do mean direct. This is nearly word-for-word, scene for scene, the entire story of that season. As a lover of the show, this didn’t bother me. I might have hoped for a little bit of new or different or a slightly deeper dive into the internal monologues of the characters, but I was still happy with the story being told. I found it well written, though most of the chapters were almost obnoxiously short, and I say that as a reader who prefers short chapters. Some of these chapters were only a page long. I felt like they likely lined up exactly with the length of the scenes from the show. But overall, this was a fun way to revisit the show, and is among the better biblical fiction I’ve read.
Profile Image for Mary.
759 reviews
April 20, 2021
If you love the TV series as much as I do and how it brings the life of Jesus to life in a way that no other movie or series has done before, you will love this book. Jerry B. Jenkins, the father of Dallas Jenkins (Producer, Director & Writer of The Chosen), brings the story to life in this wonderful companion book to the series. You may recognize the name from the landmark Left Behind series. As you read it, you can imagine the actors and the scenes in your mind. It was a wonderful experience that all who love to read and are a part of The Chosen experience will love.
Profile Image for Evan Labell.
28 reviews1 follower
April 18, 2021
IMHO the book does not adequately capture the magic of the show which I would easily give 5 stars (please, watch the series!!!). My fear is that the book would actually dissuade people from seeing the series. The stories within are, of course, wonderful but just didn't have that intangible quality of personal connection; it feels like it was written as an afterthought to the script.
Profile Image for ✧*̥˚ Jordyn *˚✧.
147 reviews
February 17, 2023
Ahhhhhhhh 😄
Okayyy I don't really know what I expected but this was one of those books that I thoroughly enjoyed

First of all....
it's ✨tHe cHoSeN✨
and there's just something special about it. I mean, what other shows have been appealing to such a wide variety of people in all different situations and places. Not to mention so highly rated and such great quality while being completely free to all people at the same time!

☆ I think it's important to mention that I have watched the first season before reading this book (which I loved because I could picture the scenes in my head and I'm a very visual person so it was like a movie in a book 🍿) So I totally recommend watching the show before you read this book but if you don't it's amazing all the same

☆ I read a lot of reviews that talked about the chapters being very short and even though it's true I think it's important to mention that it's basically movie formatted. So each chapter is like a scene and then there are also sections that separate places and episodes.

☆ All in all a wonderful read, and can we please just talk about how AMAZING the characters in this book/show are?? Showing the personalities of these people are fantastic, and really reminds us that these aren't fairy tales we're reading and that these people are people and not necessarily the saints that we hold them to. They had real lives and real emotions. And that's what's so touching.

4.5 stars
Format: 3.5 stars
Characters: 5 glowing stars
Content: 3 stars
Sexual - One of the main characters was violated before the events of the book and she struggles with the memories (and while it was dealt with carefully the subject was also taken head on). Prostitutes are mentioned but not directly. Some marital kissing (it wasn't anything much at all but I thought I'd mention it all the same)
Alcohol - There is a wedding a wine is mentioned often, nothing bad happens and only one character is really portrayed as being "drunk"
Recommended reader age imo: 13 & up

𒆜🅶🅴🆃 🆄🆂🅴🅳 🆃🅾 🅳🅸🅵🅵🅴🆁🅴🅽🆃𒆜
Profile Image for Avery Yoder .
54 reviews13 followers
January 26, 2023
I really enjoyed this😊 My only issue was that the chapters were annoyingly short 😆
Profile Image for W. Whalin.
Author 44 books412 followers
March 25, 2021
A Fresh Way to see Ancient Stories

How do you tell the stories from the Bible in a fresh way? New York Times bestselling novelist Jerry B. Jenkins has found the way with THE CHOSEN: I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME. Whether writing about the shepherds appearing on the night of Jesus’ birth or the Pharisee Nicodemus from the Bible, I was immediately caught up in the drama of these stories. Written with short chapters, I found THE CHOSEN compelling and a page-turner.

The spine of THE CHOSEN says Book 1. I’m eager to read the next book in this innovative storytelling about the Bible. I highly recommend this novel.

W. Terry Whalin is an editor and the author of more than 60 books including his latest 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed .
Profile Image for Krystal.
164 reviews
June 10, 2025
Chapters 56-84

Wow Wow Wow I could not put this book down.
Every chapter,every page was amazing.
Growing closer to the Lord and Jesus
through the family,friends and disciples
that knew Jesus wow just amazing.

I can't wait to read novel 2


Chapters 32-55

This book is so good,I CAN'T put it down!

Children continue to come and visit Jesus
Jesus teaches the children not only scriptures,
but also how to build.
He leaves a special surprise for Abigail.

The Story of Simon and Andrew continues,
what will Matthew do?
Nicodemus talks about Jesus who they call Rabbi.

Simon learns they will have a house guest,
but it's at the wrong time,but Eden
will hear none of it.
Simon lays everything out to Eden
of what is going on with him.

Andrew wants to tell Simon about the new man(Jesus),
but Simon won't hear anything he has to say.

Nicodemus gets a visit at his house and learns
of an arrest.

Andrew again tries to tell Simon about the visitor(Jesus)
when they see a crowd forming on the land.
Jesus asks Simon to use his boat so he can speak to the crowd.
Simon and Andrew gets the help they have been looking for to pay the debt. Matthew gets what is owed to him from Simon and Andrew.

Nicodemus goes and visits a relative of Jesus.
The story of when Joseph and Mary lost Jesus.
Mary of Magdala,Mary(Mama),Jesus and his students

Nicodemus continues his talk with Jesus' relative
go to a wedding and at this wedding there is a miracle.
Simon tries to explain to Eden what had happen and what
he witnessed.

Jesus starts to pick his 12,but the 12 does not know
what to do,but follow him.
The rest of the chapters in this review continues with
the wedding and the miracle everyone has witnessed.



Chapters 21-31

I know I know I said I read 5 chapters,but sometimes
I get so into the book I forget to stop lol.

Matthew goes on a search to speak to a person
to verify Simon's story he told him.
Simon and Andrew meanwhile is buying drinks
at the local pub.

Word spreads about Lilith(Mary)being seen around town.
Simon and Andrew and the other fishermen talk
about other fishermen stealing from others.

Nicodemus and his family get ready for Shabbat,
Matthew speaks of his family to Gaius.
Mary Magdala gets ready for her first Shabbat
with the advice from the ladies at the hair salon.

Simon and his wife had a fight in the kitchen
of their home.
Matthew tries and visit his past
Mary's guest start to arrive and a very special
guest makes an appearance and he
introduces himself to her.
Chapters 29-31 The visitor of Mary's
meets the children of the town he is visiting.



Chapters 16-20

Simon and Andrew are still trying to figure out their situation.
Mary Magdeline as Lilith
is trying to figure out her life and what's going on inside her.
While at a local bar she meets a stranger and that stranger
follows her outside and calls her by her true name.
The stranger redeems her and even says the scripture
that her dad always told her.

There are talks about the Shabbat and there is talk about Lilith who is called by her true name Mary Magdeline.
Nicodemus is brought to the higher ups when they
get word of seeing the woman out in the opening,
she was different from when they saw her.

Mary gets advice from the ladies at the hair salon what do for
her first Shabbat.




Chapters 11-15

We continue with stories from Simon,
my girl Mary Magdeline (as the name she was before ),
Nicodemus and ending the review with my girl
Mary Mary Magdeline.

We learn about what happens when Simon returns home.
We learn more about Mary Magdeline's past and
what she is thinking of doing in the present story.

Chapters 6-10

In these chapters We learn a lot Matthew and the tax collectors.
We learn about Andrew and Paul and the fisherman.
Someone tried to save Lilith
(whom we learn will be Mary Magdeline).

I Can't wait to read more


This is my first time reading any series by Jerry B.Jenkins.
This is my honest review as well.

If this is your first time reading my reviews,,
I like to read 5 chapters and review and repeat
the process until I finish the book.

With that said

Chapters 1-5

I am loving the book so far,I really do need to binge watch
The Chosen as well..

I love how we get the point of view from the Shepherds
in the first three chapters leading up to Jesus' arrival in
to this world. We learn how the Shepherds were
treated,and their reactions when the angel came
to them.

The last two chapters well chapter 4 is about my girl
St.Mary Magdeline.I think more people should
write and read about her.
I don't recall reading about her dad so that was
interesting and sad.
The final chaper of this review We get a parable
at the very end of the chapter.

I CAN'T WAIT to read more
Profile Image for C.A. Gray.
Author 29 books510 followers
June 12, 2022
I've very much enjoyed both seasons of "The Chosen" currently available to watch, and Focus on the Family recommended this book as a companion. It was written by one of the biggest Christian authors out there, so I thought I'd give it a try.

It sticks to the first season of "The Chosen" extremely closely, so if you've already seen it, there's nothing new in this book. I suspect this is because it was written from the screenplay, and not the other way around... so Jenkins just filled in with narration what the camera depicted. It was otherwise exactly the same, but still enjoyable.
2 reviews
February 7, 2023
If you like The Chosen TV series, you'll like this book too. But I can't help but think that this book was written in a hurry because some chapters are extremely short and seem unfinished. I like it, though. It is refreshing to think about the disciples as regular people with common problems, temptations, ups and downs.
Profile Image for Debby Lee.
Author 38 books93 followers
January 8, 2022
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and the language sounded a little too contemporary to me, but over all this was a heartwarming and uplifting book.
Profile Image for Elly Anderson.
84 reviews
March 12, 2023
Adding a splash of color to the greatest story ever told! An easy read for sure.
Profile Image for Ineke Meijer.
59 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2024
Boeiend om het leven van Jezus vanuit de mensen om hem heen te zien. Hoofdstukken wat kort, waardoor het wat van de hak op de tak wordt
Profile Image for Colleen Parker.
542 reviews2 followers
June 16, 2025
I picked up this book to read in conjunction to watching the series of the same name on Amazon prime. It gave me a little bit more depth to what was happening on the screen. This book represents season one of the five season series. The book follows the series very closely. I appreciate the biblical accuracy. A great companion book to the series.
Profile Image for Sam.
411 reviews5 followers
December 24, 2021
Rated—G (my personal opinion based based on content)
Profile Image for Melody M.
40 reviews
August 21, 2024
I could probably give it a 2.5

Not as good as you'd think for Jerry B. Jenkins (I've never read his other works but still seems not the skill level I expected from him).

But I like The Chosen so I read it and bought the next 3 :)
Profile Image for Ryan Eaton.
159 reviews
May 7, 2025
I really enjoyed The Chosen TV series and thought I would give the novel a go; and like the series I really enjoyed this too. It is essentially the exact same as the series with a little more description for obvious reasons. If you are a fan of the series I am sure you will enjoy this too!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
16 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2024
I’ve never said this before but the show is actually better than the book! But still great! a real insight to life with Jesus.
Profile Image for Jenny Powell.
91 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2021
For only the second time ever, I can say, the film is better than the book. But daddy Jenkins did a great job adapting the script to print.
Why not 5 stars? I do so much better when I have stronger clues of from whose point of view the scene is written and am quite confused if 3rd person omniscient is from more than one perspective. I found a couple of errors, too, though I wasn’t reading from an editing perspective. BUT . . . Other than these technicalities, it was a good read. I’m quite glad I’ve seen the series as I did not have any difficulty picturing the characters.

I look forward to multiple seasons of The Chosen, for as long as God sees fit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews

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