Chaim Potok was born and raised in New York City. He began to write fiction at the age of 16, graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English literature from Yeshiva University, and earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. An ordained rabbi, he served as an army chaplain in Korea for sixteen months with, successively, a front-line medical battalion and an engineer combat battalion. His first novel, The Chosen, was nominated for a National Book Award and received the prestigious Edward Lewis Wallant Award. His other novels include My Name is Asher Lev, The Gift of Asher Lev (winner of the National Jewish Book Award), and I Am the Clay.