Name: The Chosen One
ISBN: 9780316310666

Echo Brown

"A YA coming-of-age novel about a first-year, first-generation Black student at Dartmouth College"--

A First-Generation Ivy League Odyssey

The Chosen One

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The Chosen One
Echo Brown ⚡️
★★★½

"I wonder how long I will keep revisiting dead places trying to rebirth them." 🌤

As a first-year college student, Echo Brown tells a moving and profound story in 'The Chosen One.' The novel is partly a personal narrative, partly magical realism, partly religious, and mostly culture-encompassing.

Throughout, Echo's thoughts are half-written, half-thought, and half-said; everything happens very quickly. The book's format is one of the more whimsical ones I have encountered 🌙

It is one of the few books that captured everything I felt in my first year of undergrad. Being the first member of my family to attend college (a CSU), the expectations, the differences. Having the same desire to be an adult as everyone around me, but having to work so much harder. As Echo, I took remedial math in college (—or whatever it is called for those who are bad at math — my racist math teacher called me stupid in geometry, and to this day, I do not like geometry.) People lack belief in you because you are Black, NOT because you do not try. It is difficult to negotiate a world that no one — not even mothers — has accurately prepared you for. Being eighteen and dealing with the assumption that if you come from poverty, you will never work hard or get ahead is hard to deal with when you can barely manage homework, mental health, and identity.

In 'The Chosen One,' Blackness and culture are as well-depicted as the magical realism. It doesn't matter whether Echo's characters are Black or white; they all struggle with the same issues. It was the candidness, the openness, and the desire to grow that makes it wonderful. Echo's method of coping with her trauma is similar to how I dealt with my trauma. When you turn eighteen, the Black trauma strikes when you begin to question what you see. No one tells you about it either. It is exhausting and hard 🥺💓

I wish this book had been here to help me navigate. Despite some flaws in the ending, the 'reason' is still present, the plots still align, and the book is still a good and indispensable read.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Chosen One

Author: Echo Brown

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: Black female main character, Black side characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, magical realism/realistic fiction

Publication Date: January 4, 2022

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended 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 Books

Pages: 336

Synopsis: 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.


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.

The Chosen One A First-Generation Ivy League Odyssey

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