The Year of Living Biblically

A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and editor of Esquire magazine, who has some really interesting ideas for memoirs. I first heard about Jacobs by a friend who read his book; The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, in which he all 32 volumes of the 2002 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. While I’m yet to read this book (but I will) I decided to read The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.

The book follows the journey of A.J’s alter ego; Jacob who read through the bible and then spent a year trying to live by it. Jacob tries to be honest, give up the Sabbath, pray daily, go forth and multiply, and any of the bazaar laws from the old testament, such as; trying to stone people, blowing a ram horn at the beginning of every month, tassels on his clothing, binding money to himself, even wearing white and never trimming his beard.

The Year of Living Biblically is a funny journey, A.J claims to be agnostic, so it makes the book interesting the way he tries to find the real intent behind every rule he follows. I’m a big fan of A.J’s wife, who while wasn’t pleased with him turning into a crazy man, accepted his choice to do this and even have some fun with it. If you are interested in reading an amusing memoir or just interested in seeing the effects reading the bible can have, I highly recommend this book.

This book, the followup to his journey through the Encyclopedia Brittanica, was just as self-effacing, subtly humorous, and well-written. While his previous book expertly guides the unsuspecting reader into examining the meaning and value of intelligence in everyday life, this book centers on its investigation of religion and spirituality in a similar context.



I am a pastor's son who has done his share of soul-searching, and I was somewhat fearful that this book would be flippant and overcritical in an effort at being hip and humorous. What I found instead was a serious and surprisingly insightful look at the value, meaning, and purpose of religion in today's world. It is quite an accomplishment, given the obviously overzealous goal of following the Bible entirely literally. Such a quest is one that could easily result in a tedious, repetitive trudge through the scriptures on one hand, or a light, surface-level dismissal of their many contradictions and irrelevancies to modern life. Jacobs manages to walk down the middle without listing to one side of the other, seriously looking at the often archaic implications of the best-selling book of all time while keeping one foot solidly in modern-day New York. He manages to be respectful and reverent of the many beliefs that he comes across in his journey while still critically examining them. Maintaining such a balance is not a feat that should be ignored.



His writing is also surprisingly self-revealing, giving the reader a candid glimpse into his life and those around him. His struggles and triumphs in his personal life, relationships, work, and even writing the book itself are artfully woven into the main storyline, adding a personal dimension to the story that draws the reader in but manages to avoid distracting from the story as a whole.



A.J. Jacobs has a unique combination of wit, wisdom, and insight that make his books highly enjoyable, captivating, and capable of leaving the reader with plenty of substantial questions to ponder at the end. Definitely an enjoyable read, but also intellectually challenging if one looks for it.

This book, the followup to his journey through the Encyclopedia Brittanica, was just as self-effacing, subtly humorous, and well-written. While his previous book expertly guides the unsuspecting reader into examining the meaning and value of intelligence in everyday life, this book centers on its investigation of religion and spirituality in a similar context.



I am a pastor's son who has done his share of soul-searching, and I was somewhat fearful that this book would be flippant and overcritical in an effort at being hip and humorous. What I found instead was a serious and surprisingly insightful look at the value, meaning, and purpose of religion in today's world. It is quite an accomplishment, given the obviously overzealous goal of following the Bible entirely literally. Such a quest is one that could easily result in a tedious, repetitive trudge through the scriptures on one hand, or a light, surface-level dismissal of their many contradictions and irrelevancies to modern life. Jacobs manages to walk down the middle without listing to one side of the other, seriously looking at the often archaic implications of the best-selling book of all time while keeping one foot solidly in modern-day New York. He manages to be respectful and reverent of the many beliefs that he comes across in his journey while still critically examining them. Maintaining such a balance is not a feat that should be ignored.



His writing is also surprisingly self-revealing, giving the reader a candid glimpse into his life and those around him. His struggles and triumphs in his personal life, relationships, work, and even writing the book itself are artfully woven into the main storyline, adding a personal dimension to the story that draws the reader in but manages to avoid distracting from the story as a whole.



A.J. Jacobs has a unique combination of wit, wisdom, and insight that make his books highly enjoyable, captivating, and capable of leaving the reader with plenty of substantial questions to ponder at the end. Definitely an enjoyable read, but also intellectually challenging if one looks for it.

This book, the followup to his journey through the Encyclopedia Brittanica, was just as self-effacing, subtly humorous, and well-written. While his previous book expertly guides the unsuspecting reader into examining the meaning and value of intelligence in everyday life, this book centers on its investigation of religion and spirituality in a similar context.



I am a pastor's son who has done his share of soul-searching, and I was somewhat fearful that this book would be flippant and overcritical in an effort at being hip and humorous. What I found instead was a serious and surprisingly insightful look at the value, meaning, and purpose of religion in today's world. It is quite an accomplishment, given the obviously overzealous goal of following the Bible entirely literally. Such a quest is one that could easily result in a tedious, repetitive trudge through the scriptures on one hand, or a light, surface-level dismissal of their many contradictions and irrelevancies to modern life. Jacobs manages to walk down the middle without listing to one side of the other, seriously looking at the often archaic implications of the best-selling book of all time while keeping one foot solidly in modern-day New York. He manages to be respectful and reverent of the many beliefs that he comes across in his journey while still critically examining them. Maintaining such a balance is not a feat that should be ignored.



His writing is also surprisingly self-revealing, giving the reader a candid glimpse into his life and those around him. His struggles and triumphs in his personal life, relationships, work, and even writing the book itself are artfully woven into the main storyline, adding a personal dimension to the story that draws the reader in but manages to avoid distracting from the story as a whole.



A.J. Jacobs has a unique combination of wit, wisdom, and insight that make his books highly enjoyable, captivating, and capable of leaving the reader with plenty of substantial questions to ponder at the end. Definitely an enjoyable read, but also intellectually challenging if one looks for it.