The Chosen One

Praise for The Chosen One: 
Finalist for the Ohioana Book Award 
A Mary Sue Best YA Novel of the Year
2022 Catalyst Award Nominee for Best Memoir 
A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Instantly enthralling, Echo Brown crafts a heartrending and triumphant coming-of-age memoir . . . She lays bare cracking wounds of mental illness but finishes with the healing balm of friendship, mentorship, and belonging. Her narrative soars with rawness, magic, and prophetic vision. Echo is the voice of legions of first generation college students."—Miesha Headen, Loganberry Books

“Powerful and vulnerable. Brown paints a realistic portrait touched with fantasy in this story of a young girl struggling to adapt to a new culture while also acknowledging the harsh truth of privilege and how it impacts academic success. This meaningful account will speak to many students who are both eager about and burdened by being their family’s First. ”—Booklist, starred review

"The story asks readers to examine the various intersections of their own identities as they reflect upon the circumstances that shape Echo’s reality . . .A hopeful conclusion brings a sense of clarity and confidence that Echo and her crew will defy the many odds stacked against them."
 —BCCB, starred review

"Brown masterfully infuses a memoir of her college years with overwhelming emotions and power. It delves into educational disparities, the impact of trauma, and healing through friendship."—The Mary Sue

"A testimony to starting from the bottom to doing the unimaginable while trauma lingers. The Chosen One is an influential novel encouraging healing, perseverance, and candid conversation about educational disparities. Authentic, thought-provoking, and timely—Echo did it again."—Erica Marks, Cleveland Public Library

"Weaves magical realism and mentions of Star Wars mythology into the collegiate experience of Echo, a Black student whose aim to succeed at Dartmouth becomes a quest to overcome personal trauma and broad cosmic forces. Echo’s internality is rife with tender ruminations—on independence, fear of failure, and mental health—explored with vigor alongside themes of healing, forgiveness, and the human need to be and feel loved."—Publishers Weekly

"By adding a dash of magical realism to her real-life experience of being a Black first-generation college student in "The Chosen One," Echo Brown weaves a story that's at once deeply honest and hopeful."—PopSugar