The Chosen One

Set in a secluded community of polygamists called The Chosen, American author Carol Lynch Williams’s young adult novel The Chosen One (2009) follows rebellious Kyra Leigh Carlson as she nears the age of marriage. As Kyra begins to ponder why she has twenty siblings and her father has three wives, her worst nightmare comes true when the cult leader of the polygamist sect, Prophet Childs, arrives and forces Kyra to become the seventh wife of her uncle, Hyrum. Facing improbable odds, Kyra must stand up for what she believes, fight for her true love, Joshua Johnson, and break free from the religious sect in order to dictate her own future. The Chosen One has been called “a heart pounder” by Booklist, “an absolute page turner” by School Library Journal blog, and “heartbreakingly real…riveting and suspenseful” by Kirkus Reviews. The Chosen One was named the winner of the 2009 Whitney Award for Best Youth Fiction.

Narrated in the first-person perspective by thirteen-year-old Kyra Leigh Carlson, the story begins in a secluded community of polygamists called The Chosen. The community is governed by the Prophet Childs, whom the people in the community believe is the son of God and, therefore, obey his every demand. Kyra has never really thought much about why she has twenty-one brothers and sisters or why her father, Richard, has three wives. Kyra’s three “mothers” are Mother Victoria, Richard’s first wife; Mother Claire, Richard’s second wife; and Mother Sarah, Richard’s third wife and Kyra’s birthmother. One day, Prophet Childs pays a visit to the community and shares a meal with Kyra’s family. Soon, the Prophet bears the “joyous news” that Kyra, nearing the marriageable age of fourteen, is to wed her ruthless sixty-year-old uncle, Hyrum. The Prophet claims the idea was given to him directly from God. Hyrum, Richard’s brother and elderly church disciple, already has six wives. Stunned by this news, Kyra refuses to participate.

Kyra wants to be obedient and to make her parents proud, but the idea of marrying her old uncle is too much to bear. In addition, Kyra has a number of secrets she keeps from her family. One such secret is that she sneaks away to secretly read outlawed books at the Mobile Library on Wheels, which passes through the community once a week. Prophet Childs has banned reading. Another secret is that Kyra has a mutual crush on sixteen-year-old Joshua Johnson, whose hand she would much rather choose in marriage than her uncle’s. Kyra flees the compound in horror, leaving her eight-month-old baby sister wailing in her absence. Kyra begins to wonder if she is being punished for her secret transgressions, which include sneaking out at night from Mother Sarah’s trailer to visit Joshua. When Kyra flees, she visits Joshua for help. Joshua vows to make things right no matter what it takes. Meanwhile, Richard approaches the Prophet to dissuade him from enforcing the marriage between Kyra and Hyrum. The Prophet rejects the idea, planning to go forward with the marriage. Hyrum arrives at Kyra’s house to make plans for a date. Later, Kyra and her three mothers venture into town to buy Kyra a wedding dress.



Mortified by the idea of marrying Hyrum, Kyra clings to her only hope that Joshua will save the day as he promised. Kyra hopes Joshua can convince the Prophet to allow Kyra to marry him instead of Hyrum. Kyra’s date with Hyrum is a total failure, largely due to how jealous Hyrum’s first wife becomes. When Kyra is taken to the Prophet’s quarters, she finds Joshua held captive and severely beaten. Kyra and Joshua beg the Prophet to let them go, but they are both flogged as a result. The Prophet accuses Kyra and Joshua of adultery, threatening to punish them with death. Still, Hyrum agrees to wed Kyra despite her transgressions with Joshua. Kyra is battered once more and sent away. Later that evening, Joshua visits Kyra at her house and explains that he is escaping with two other teenage boys and will return one day to get her. Kyra is distressed and willing to do whatever it takes to avoid marrying Hyrum.

Kyra visits the Mobile Library on Wheels. Patrick, the owner and chief librarian, notices the wounds on Kyra’s arm and senses her outward depression. Patrick offers to help Kyra escape the polygamous compound. However, as they drive into town, Patrick is shot dead and the mobile library skids off the road. Kyra is taken against her will to the Prophet’s office and subjected to more physical abuse. However, Kyra was able to retrieve Patrick’s cell phone before being dragged away. Patrick also told Kyra where to find the spare key to his van. Kyra uses the key to brave a second escape. While on the run, Kyra notices the sheriff following her. She uses the cell phone to call the police before the Prophet and his men are able to capture her. The police eventually arrive and rescue Kyra. However, Kyra is sent to live with two strangers, a mother named Samantha and her daughter, Madison, who live on the outskirts of the polygamous compound. In the end, Kyra feels out of place in her new environment, longing to see her family again while she awaits Joshua’s return.

In addition to The Chosen One, Williams has written several young adult and middle-grade novels. Her YA works include Never Said, The Haven, Signed, Skye Harper, Miles from Ordinary, Waiting, Glimpse, My Angelica, and Carolina Autumn. Her middle-grade works include Kelly and Me, The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson, Adeline Street, I Forget, You Remember, A Mother to Embarrass Me, and the Just in Time series. Additional works include the Latter-Day Daughters series and the nonfiction book Sister, Sister: A Book of Activities Sisters Can Do Together.