The Chosen One: A First-Generation Ivy League Odyssey
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- Create Date：2022-01-14 07:19:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Echo Brown
- ISBN：0316310662
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Summary
Echo Brown testifies to the disappointments and triumphs of a Black first-generation college student in this fearless exploration of the first year experience。
There are many watchers and they are always white。 That’s the first thing Echo notices as she settles into Dartmouth College。 Despite graduating high school in Cleveland as valedictorian， Echo immediately struggles to keep up in demanding classes。 Dartmouth made many promises it couldn't keep。 The campus is not a rainbow-colored utopia where education lifts every voice。 Nor is it a paradise of ideas， an incubator of inclusivity， or even an exciting dating scene。 But it might be a portal to different dimensions of time and space—only accessible if Echo accepts her calling as a Chosen One and takes charge of her future by healing her past。 This remarkable challenge demands vulnerability， humility， and the conviction to ask for help without sacrificing self-worth。
In mesmerizing personal narrative and magical realism， Echo Brown confronts mental illness， grief， racism， love， friendship， ambition， self-worth， and belonging as they steer the fates of first-generation college students on Dartmouth’s campus。 The Chosen One is an unforgettable coming-of-age story that bravely unpacks the double-edged college transition—as both catalyst for old wounds and a fresh start。
There are many watchers and they are always white。 That’s the first thing Echo notices as she settles into Dartmouth College。 Despite graduating high school in Cleveland as valedictorian， Echo immediately struggles to keep up in demanding classes。 Dartmouth made many promises it couldn't keep。 The campus is not a rainbow-colored utopia where education lifts every voice。 Nor is it a paradise of ideas， an incubator of inclusivity， or even an exciting dating scene。 But it might be a portal to different dimensions of time and space—only accessible if Echo accepts her calling as a Chosen One and takes charge of her future by healing her past。 This remarkable challenge demands vulnerability， humility， and the conviction to ask for help without sacrificing self-worth。
In mesmerizing personal narrative and magical realism， Echo Brown confronts mental illness， grief， racism， love， friendship， ambition， self-worth， and belonging as they steer the fates of first-generation college students on Dartmouth’s campus。 The Chosen One is an unforgettable coming-of-age story that bravely unpacks the double-edged college transition—as both catalyst for old wounds and a fresh start。
Reviews
Maddie （Inking & Thinking）
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⭐️ 3 Stars ⭐️ When I first read the premise behind， The Chosen One， I just knew that I had to read this book。 So when I saw TBR Tours and Beyond post a Blog Tour for this book， I signed up immediately！ The Chosen One is a personal narrative about our author Echo Brown with elements of magical realism。 It’s about a black girl’s journey on a college campus surrounded by a mainly white populationWe first meet Echo， who starts her first year at Dartmouth College。 As she begins her college journey， s ⭐️ 3 Stars ⭐️ When I first read the premise behind， The Chosen One， I just knew that I had to read this book。 So when I saw TBR Tours and Beyond post a Blog Tour for this book， I signed up immediately！ The Chosen One is a personal narrative about our author Echo Brown with elements of magical realism。 It’s about a black girl’s journey on a college campus surrounded by a mainly white populationWe first meet Echo， who starts her first year at Dartmouth College。 As she begins her college journey， she experiences struggles with her classes and has many doubts about whether she truly belongs。 For most of her life， she was made to feel by others that she wasn’t good enough and that she would never make it to college。 We see her struggle with finding her place on campus while dealing with strange visions and images popping up out of nowhere。I thoroughly enjoyed having Echo as our main character。 We can see the Black College experience through her eyes and see the struggles she endured to get where she is now。 Not only does she have to deal with catching up after not being provided the resources before college， but She also starts having visions and seeing strange things appear in her sightline。Since I heavily read fantasy， I have had my fair share of magic realism。 I have never seen magic realism used in contemporary to tell the author’s narrative。 This concept was very intriguing and one of the main reasons I was so interested in picking this up。While I enjoy the concept， it could have better execution。 When trying to understand who was The Chosen Ones， and what their purpose was， I found it a bit confusing and difficult to understand。 There were many times that I had to re-read lines to understand what was happening in the story。 I get what the author was going for， trying to use magical realism as a way for Echo to deal with the trauma that she experienced before she started at Dartmouth。As I progress through the story though， it became easier to understand what was exactly happening between The Chosen Ones and Keepers。 The issues with magical realism started to iron themselves out and improve significantly。The pacing stayed at a medium speed， but some moments felt as if they went by too quickly。 This would typically occur during significant moments， pivotal to the story， which was unfortunate。 Having these moments at slower pacing gives the reader more depth to Echo’s character arc。Overall， this was a fun and engaging read， bringing to light the black experience in education while adding dashes of magical realism into the story。 Even though some areas didn’t work for me， I still enjoyed reading The Chosen One。 。。。more
Bri ♡
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[DNF] 🥴 I was so excited to read this but the plot was a bit hard to follow with the way it jumped around from sequence to sequence。 In addition， some of the plot elements just completely threw me off and made me question where the hell it was even going。 I’m still unsure what the point of this book even was。 I’m honestly hoping to possibly try reading again in the future but for now， I just can’t。
Lena
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I would like to give this book one hundred stars please
Melancholic Blithe ⚡
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Content Warnings: Racism， discouraging teachers， PTSD， EMDR， religion， underage alcohol consumption， alcoholism mentioned， one HP reference， drugs abuse， self esteem issues， rape mentioned， sexual harassment， generational trauma， slavery mentioned， child molestation， near death drowning experience， physical abuse mentioned， hallucinations， schizophrenia mentioned There are certain battles that a people face that other’s cannot even see， experience or understand， especially people who hold more p Content Warnings: Racism， discouraging teachers， PTSD， EMDR， religion， underage alcohol consumption， alcoholism mentioned， one HP reference， drugs abuse， self esteem issues， rape mentioned， sexual harassment， generational trauma， slavery mentioned， child molestation， near death drowning experience， physical abuse mentioned， hallucinations， schizophrenia mentioned There are certain battles that a people face that other’s cannot even see， experience or understand， especially people who hold more privilege and high social standing。 Which compels us to think whether it is our fault or our sins that made us born as “less privileged” person？ Would our life had been different if born in another household or community？ Is it our fault that bad things happen to us？ This is what The Chosen One by Echo Brown discusses in general。 You are looking for a book talking about racism， personal journey， sexual harassment， mental health？ This is the book for you， especially if you seek a phenomenal story arc along with equally spectacular character development。I rarely make notes while reading， mainly because it seems to take up a lot of time。 This time？ I was eager and moved to make notes and highlight quotes。I pray a man who has basked in Rumi’s field will come soon and pierce through the madness of the world While this isn’t the most spectacular quote out of everything in the book， I honestly loved it。 The book discusses really important things – family， friendships， academic and in general racism， police brutality， poverty， mental health and illness， therapy， sexual harassment and r*pe， gambling， self love and healing。 It seems a lot to encompass in one book， but each aspect gives the readers a path to understanding and reflect about it。 The best thing about this book was Echo’s personal growth and development – from her past and her negative feelings towards herself。The writing itself was so engaging！ The book is part memoir and part magical realism so titbits of physics， portals was very interesting。 I guess the way book led us through the character’s exploration of the consequences of trauma was what touched me a lot。 It touched upon how important it is for us to connect with nature， which is also one of the healing devices。 Vulnerability is something that people usually don’t show and Echo’s journey from being a person completely closed off to a person who was comfortable in her skin， being and vulnerability is honestly what the book is about。 While it might not be centered around romantic love， it explores so many definitions of love and experiences which is truly magical。 Self love is honestly one of the most underrated love out there ❤I cannot wait to read other works of the author！！ I was provided with an arc copy of the book via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review。 The quote included is subjected to change 。。。more
BookKraves
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I have never read a book quite like this one。 Magical Realism？ Realism Fiction？ This book is about an Afro-American woman struggles， disappointments and success going through her first year of college。 Echo is a black first-generation college student who has to deal with racism， immense pressure to succeed， mental health， generational trauma， and the toils of dating。 There is a heavily religious aspect in this book and lots of negative self-talk and self-esteem issues。 Over this is a great book I have never read a book quite like this one。 Magical Realism？ Realism Fiction？ This book is about an Afro-American woman struggles， disappointments and success going through her first year of college。 Echo is a black first-generation college student who has to deal with racism， immense pressure to succeed， mental health， generational trauma， and the toils of dating。 There is a heavily religious aspect in this book and lots of negative self-talk and self-esteem issues。 Over this is a great book that every young black woman should read before going to college。 。。。more
Elise - ABook&ACup
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another incredible book by Echo Brown！ Must read！
Kriti Dalmia
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This book is emotionally strong and filled with so much depth， I mean lot many things moved me。 The way world is portrayed and with a magical realism， astral form this story taught me lot of things。Echo takes us through self discovery with such an intense emotional ride for she unsure of the path she is on。 She takes us through her horrors， her doubts， fears and how she overcomes all that with her calling by accepting it and turning out a character that gives us important life lessons。 She reali This book is emotionally strong and filled with so much depth， I mean lot many things moved me。 The way world is portrayed and with a magical realism， astral form this story taught me lot of things。Echo takes us through self discovery with such an intense emotional ride for she unsure of the path she is on。 She takes us through her horrors， her doubts， fears and how she overcomes all that with her calling by accepting it and turning out a character that gives us important life lessons。 She realises asking for help doesn't show weakness。Chapter 21 and 26， they were so powerful to have an impact I didn't expect， infact this book was totally unexpected in a good way。The author brings out strong and important topics of racism， abuse， real life struggles， self love and how we accept and let go of things。 This was so realistic， being fast paced and also has major of religious teachings but at times was confusing for me。 This has the author Echo Brown's narrative as well making it a bit biographic。I received an eARC of this book from TBR and Beyond Tours and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Do visit their website to follow the tour。 。。。more
Paige
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Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: The Chosen OneAuthor: Echo BrownBook Series: StandaloneRating: 3/5Diversity: Black female main character， Black side charactersRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， contemporary， magical realism/realistic fictionPublication Date: January 4， 2022Genre: YA ContemporaryRecommended Age: 17+ （religion， language， racism， underage alcohol consumption， alcoholism mentioned， PTSD， HP reference， drugs mentioned， Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: The Chosen OneAuthor: Echo BrownBook Series: StandaloneRating: 3/5Diversity: Black female main character， Black side charactersRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， contemporary， magical realism/realistic fictionPublication Date: January 4， 2022Genre: YA ContemporaryRecommended Age: 17+ （religion， language， racism， underage alcohol consumption， alcoholism mentioned， PTSD， HP reference， drugs mentioned， self esteem issues， rape mentioned， sexual content， generational trauma， slavery mentioned， child molestation， near death drowning experience）Explanation of CWs: Religion is heavily present in the book。 There is some cursing in the book。 There is racism shown in the book。 There is underage alcohol consumption shown and alcoholism mentioned。 PTSD is shown in the book。 There is one HP reference。 Drugs are mentioned。 There are self esteem issues shown and lots of generational trauma。 Slavery is mentioned as apart of the generational trauma。 There is some sexual content and rape is mentioned， as well as child molestation。 There is also a near death drowning experience shown。Publisher: Christy Ottaviano BooksPages: 336Synopsis: There are many watchers and they are always white。 That’s the first thing Echo notices as she settles into Dartmouth College。 Despite graduating high school in Cleveland as valedictorian， Echo immediately struggles to keep up in demanding classes。 Dartmouth made many promises it couldn't keep。 The campus is not a rainbow-colored utopia where education lifts every voice。 Nor is it a paradise of ideas， an incubator of inclusivity， or even an exciting dating scene。 But it might be a portal to different dimensions of time and space—only accessible if Echo accepts her calling as a Chosen One and takes charge of her future by healing her past。 This remarkable challenge demands vulnerability， humility， and the conviction to ask for help without sacrificing self-worth。In mesmerizing personal narrative and magical realism， Echo Brown confronts mental illness， grief， racism， love， friendship， ambition， self-worth， and belonging as they steer the fates of first-generation college students on Dartmouth’s campus。 The Chosen One is an unforgettable coming-of-age story that bravely unpacks the double-edged college transition—as both catalyst for old wounds and a fresh start。Review: For the most part this was a good book。 The book was humanizing and so real， especially since it was somewhat a personal narrative from the author。 The book had good world building and it was a very realistic look at what college looks like， especially to first generation students。 The book normalized periods as well， which I thought was a great plus to it。However， the book is very fast paced and it speeds through a bunch of the issues that could have made the book a bit more interesting。 The book is confusing and it’s really easy to get lost in it。 The book also leans a lot on religion。 The book also lacks in character development and by the end I still felt like I didn’t know who Echo was。 I also feel like this is the type of book you need to read the synopsis to in order to figure out what’s going on in the read， which I don’t like。 Finally， the book contains an HP reference in a fairly positive light， which I found very unfortunate given the author of the HP series and her hate against multiple people。Verdict: It’s good， just some issues that I think could be ironed out。 。。。more
Bee
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CW: alcoholism， drug abuse， childhood sexual abuse， sexual abuse， rape， physical abuse， academic racism， poverty， hallucinations， schizophrenia， generational trauma （slavery）。。I've sat for maybe 30 minutes trying to work out how I feel after reading The Chosen One。My main feeling is confusion but I'm not POC nor have I attended an Ivy League school - I'm in the UK and it is very clear there is a massive difference in higher education in the UK and US。 I do truly wonder how that particular experi CW: alcoholism， drug abuse， childhood sexual abuse， sexual abuse， rape， physical abuse， academic racism， poverty， hallucinations， schizophrenia， generational trauma （slavery）。。I've sat for maybe 30 minutes trying to work out how I feel after reading The Chosen One。My main feeling is confusion but I'm not POC nor have I attended an Ivy League school - I'm in the UK and it is very clear there is a massive difference in higher education in the UK and US。 I do truly wonder how that particular experience will transfer in understanding to readers outside America。 There is also anger at how Echo's life experiences and expectations had left her drowning initially rather than flourishing。 The Chosen One is a book that makes you think and feel so much at once that it's quite overwhelming。Echo， along with her fellow Black students bond over being in the minority at Dartmouth but her fragility shows so often that when she falters， Echo is withdrawn and her experiences of stigmatism， being stereotyped and dismissed make her truly feel that she alone shouldn't be at the school。 There are also examples of where the ignorance and privilege from the majority of students Echo encounters throw a dark shadow over the situation and Echo is reminded albeit inadvertently that she has fought for something that those around her have accepted as predetermined from birth。The Chosen One is a story of overcoming adversities， both physical and emotional ones， and Echo along with her friends have already fought so much before even stepping into Dartmouth。 I need to be clear again that there are mentions of situations that will be triggering from people and could cause extreme upset so please pay attention to the warnings I've placed at the beginning of my review。The book is placed in the 14-17 years but I think it's better for the older reader， it would be perfect in a book club for teenagers to open discussions and understanding over many of the aspects within。 。。。more
Tiffany
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“Every Black girl needs a team of inner cheerleaders who can lift her spirits when the world tries to come for her。” Part memoir， part magical realism， The Chosen One lets us spend a few hours inside the mind of Echo Brown during her first year at Dartmouth。 Her story is full of Blackness in both life and academia， childhood poverty and trauma， mental illness， and the journey to self-love。Magical realism is a new genre for me and I struggled reading the first half of the book。 At times the story “Every Black girl needs a team of inner cheerleaders who can lift her spirits when the world tries to come for her。” Part memoir， part magical realism， The Chosen One lets us spend a few hours inside the mind of Echo Brown during her first year at Dartmouth。 Her story is full of Blackness in both life and academia， childhood poverty and trauma， mental illness， and the journey to self-love。Magical realism is a new genre for me and I struggled reading the first half of the book。 At times the story line felt schizophrenic and I had to re-read portions to stay with the story line。 To be honest， I almost put this book in the DNF stack however I’m so glad I didn’t。 Somewhere around the middle of the book， Echo’s writing style became clear and I began to lean into the book。 The feeling of being untethered while reading was what Echo is trying to convey - and it worked beautifully。The writing style was new to me， but the quality of writing was superb。 I appreciated the authenticity in Echo’s voice。 Although my personal Black experience is different from Echo’s I understand the role The Watchers play in her life because they play a role in the lives of all of us。 Although our personal histories are different， our shared history is the same and it affects every person of color no matter the circumstances we grow up in。There are so many nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout the novel that I found myself taking notes。 Since this is my first novel of the new year， I’ll leave you with this。 In 2022 I hope you “find the courage to listen to [your heart] and choose the impossible journey。”Thank you to NetGalley， Echo Brown and the publisher of “The Chosen One” for an ARC of this novel that I received in exchange for my honest review。 P。S。 - I was so impressed by Echo Brown that I did some research and found that she is in need of a kidney transplant。 There is information on her website （www。echobrown。com） about donating a kidney or giving to her gofundme account。 。。。more
paperbacktomes
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Maybe if I had watched those Star Trek movies I'd have understood this book better。 Anyway， the magic realism part was quite intriguing。Full Review to come on 3。01。22🍂BLOG • INSTAGRAM • TWITTER • PINTEREST Maybe if I had watched those Star Trek movies I'd have understood this book better。 Anyway， the magic realism part was quite intriguing。Full Review to come on 3。01。22🍂BLOG • INSTAGRAM • TWITTER • PINTEREST 。。。more
Ava Budavari
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**********Author Echo Brown is currently in desperate need for a kidney transplant in order to save her life from Lupus。 If you or someone you know would be interested in donating a kidney， donating to her go fund me， and/or sharing her story， please visit www。echobrown。com Writers don’t see the profits from book sales until after royalties are made much later， so immediate donation to her GoFundMe would be the best thing you can do。***********The Chosen One is about overcoming generational trau **********Author Echo Brown is currently in desperate need for a kidney transplant in order to save her life from Lupus。 If you or someone you know would be interested in donating a kidney， donating to her go fund me， and/or sharing her story， please visit www。echobrown。com Writers don’t see the profits from book sales until after royalties are made much later， so immediate donation to her GoFundMe would be the best thing you can do。***********The Chosen One is about overcoming generational trauma， the racism that plagues academia， and growing to love where one comes from。 Reading this book felt like such an honor。 It was so beautiful to watch Echo be able to overcome obstacles that I could never even begin to imagine。 The Chosen One has one of the best narrative voices I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading。 Getting to be inside Echo’s head is an experience that is incomparable as it is such a mixture of adversity， heartbreak， bewilderment， and the legacy passed down by generations before her。 The chosen one is a love letter to heroic black girls that need to be given a helping hand and care just like anybody else。 What a beautiful gift you are to this world， Echo Brown。 Go get this book when it comes out 1/4/22。*CW: alcoholism， hallucinations， schizophrenia， childhood sexual abuse， addiction， rape， physical abuse， academic racism， poverty， drug use， generational trauma （slavery）* 。。。more
Fw
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Chris G。
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Magical realism and memoir are a sometimes uncomfortable combination， but it’s not surprising that the stress and displacement Echo feels as a freshman at Dartmouth is best described by experiences that are dream or nightmare like， surreal， and confusing to herself and the reader， Echo finds some community with other Black students at Dartmouth but continually encounters situations in which she feels othered and stigmatized。 In many cases， her classmates have good intentions but their privilege Magical realism and memoir are a sometimes uncomfortable combination， but it’s not surprising that the stress and displacement Echo feels as a freshman at Dartmouth is best described by experiences that are dream or nightmare like， surreal， and confusing to herself and the reader， Echo finds some community with other Black students at Dartmouth but continually encounters situations in which she feels othered and stigmatized。 In many cases， her classmates have good intentions but their privilege and ignorance poison their interactions with Echo。 Book clubs of high school students would benefit from reading and talking about Echo’s experiences。 EARC from Edelweiss。 。。。more
Caylie Ratzlaff
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this。 1。5/5 stars。 I really， really， really wanted to like this。 I like the higher concepts of blackness， discussions on racism， family trauma， mental illness， etc。， but it felt out of place in a novel touted as magical realism。 The whole keeper/chosen plot line was confusing， and over half the time I couldn't follow what I was reading。 I was even beginning to wonder if I was reading something similar to challenger deep where the character wa Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this。 1。5/5 stars。 I really， really， really wanted to like this。 I like the higher concepts of blackness， discussions on racism， family trauma， mental illness， etc。， but it felt out of place in a novel touted as magical realism。 The whole keeper/chosen plot line was confusing， and over half the time I couldn't follow what I was reading。 I was even beginning to wonder if I was reading something similar to challenger deep where the character was having schizophrenic episodes that interrupted the story。 I think the story and ideas at the core are good， but I was expecting a solid plot and magical realism element。 I really considered DNFing this at 25%， 50%， and even at 80% through the book。 I'm sure this book will resonate with others since I'm not a first gen nor POC， but I didn't feel like this was a window either。 。。。more
rachel ☾
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