The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible

by A.J. Jacobs

book data

5,190 ratings, 3.78 average rating, 1,642 reviews (more data...)

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5		20%
4		46%
3		26%
2		6%
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published

September 9th 2008 (first published 2007) by Simon & Schuster

binding

Paperback, 400 pages

characters

A. J. Jacobs

setting

New York, NY

isbn

0743291484 (isbn13: 9780743291484)

description

What would it require for a person to live all the commandments of the Bible for an entire year? That is the question that animates this hilarious, qu...more

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11/02/07

Carl rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in November, 2007

Ask yourself: "Would it be fun to literally follow the bible for one year?" If, like most people I know, would answer no, then run away from this book as fast as you can. I got about 200 pages in when I realized, I can't fucking stand this guy, and his story is getting old quickly.

Here's the problem: There are so many retarded things the bible says you should and shouldn't do. Take, for example, do not lie, thou shalt not lie, or however they fucking say it in there. You co...more

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03/30/08

Kris rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

bookshelves: bookblog

Read in March, 2008

My fiancee has been bugging me for months to read this book and I am oh-so-glad that I finally did. Her enthusiasm for it was unflagging - she brought home an advanced reader's copy from work as soon as she heard it was in the works. She then bought at least two more copies for friends during the holidays - bought them, even though she works for the publisher and could have probably finagled a pair of free ones. But I kept hesitating, despite her praise. For one thing, it's non-fiction, which I ...more My fiancee has been bugging me for months to read this book and I am oh-so-glad that I finally did. Her enthusiasm for it was unflagging - she brought home an advanced reader's copy from work as soon as she heard it was in the works. She then bought at least two more copies for friends during the holidays - bought them, even though she works for the publisher and could have probably finagled a pair of free ones. But I kept hesitating, despite her praise. For one thing, it's non-fiction, which I sometimes take to sneering at, mostly because I know that most readers would rather read a non-fiction book about the history of Cod than a work of new fiction by some bright young author. My fiancee, incidentally, works for a fairly-strictly non-fiction imprint, so she reads a ton of it now - and so I feel it's my silent duty to even out the scales. Finally I made the mistake she was waiting for. I was set to embark upon a long flight, followed by a two-day car trip, followed by another long plane trip. She caught me staring at my shelf disappointedly, and I said, "I don't have anything I feel like reading." I'd fallen right into her evil trap, of course, because no sooner did I blink and her advanced reader's copy of The Year of Living Biblically was resting in my hands. Just to keep things balanced, I still read Vile Bodies first.

Of course, she was right. The Year of Living Biblically was fantastic. The author, AJ Jacobs, Esquire writer and previous author of The Know-It-All (which is about him reading the Encyclopedia Brittanica from A to Z), decides that he is going to try and live the Bible as literally as possible for one year. This means not just the Ten Commandments, which would be difficult enough as it was, but as many of the hundreds of minor commandments that are scattered along the way between Genesis and Revelation. My reading the book was certainly enhanced because I was (coincidentally?) simultaneously concluding a sixteen-week evening Introduction to Judaism course. My fiancee, you won't be surprised to learn, was also the driving force behind the class. But I digress, the point is, that the book is written such that even if you've never set foot in a religious center or read a line of the Bible, you'll still be able to enjoy it immensely, aside from which you will also learn everything you never knew you wanted to know about the Bible.

Jacobs begins his yearlong quest as an agnostic, non-practicing Jew living in New York City with his wife Julie and a two-year old son Jasper. He dives in with earnestness and naiveté, certain only that he is going to suffer immensely as he begins to work. He compiles a list of commandments and tries to follow as many as he can - as literally as possible. Soon he discovers, as did his more religious Jewish brethren long-ago, that dozens are actually impossible to follow at all because they involve things like sacrificing animals at a Temple that was destroyed two thousand years or so ago. But he grows his beard out, he wears all white, he builds a Sukkot in his living room. He stops shaking hands with women for fear they may be "impure" - which incidentally causes trouble with the aforementioned wife, Julie. He stones an adulterer, eats locusts, gets a slave (intern), writes out the Ten Commandments on his doorframe, and so on and so forth. Of course he also tries to pray diligently, cease lying, cease coveting, and figure out how to better raise his son. By the end he has certainly changed, although I won't ruin it by explaining exactly how. He puts it well in his introduction - if Present-AJ were to have coffee with Year-Ago-AJ, they would both leave wondering what the hell was wrong with the other.

When I was about halfway through the book I confessed to my fiancee that I loved it, and she'd been right all along. She smiled and said that the way he thinks just made her feel like she was in my head, which I took as a high compliment, even though I know she means both the parts where he is being soulful and brilliant and the parts where he is struggling with his own flaws. She's got me pegged, though. I'd been having the exact same sensation - in some places I felt like I was reading a transcript of thoughts I'd been having over the past few months as I too debated God's existence as I delved into our Judaism class. In the beginning, Jacobs makes a list of things he covets, and his first item is Jonathan Safran Foer's reading fee (an alleged $15000). Now, I knew plenty of other writers in grad school who were insanely jealous of JSF's rise to fame... and I was even one who held out and always claimed he was a truly great writer when others were hating him (see earlier entry on JSF's 2nd book). I suppose there may not be a writer under the age of 40 in New York that isn't somewhat jealous of him. But it was wonderful to see it laid right out in print. Jacobs also admits to Googling himself and checking his Amazon sales ranking every day, also bad habits I'm surely forming. Later, he is making a list of lies he told in just one day. Numero Uno? "I lied to Julie about how much internet access at Starbucks costs. I told her $8 instead of $10 so she'd be 20 percent less annoyed." Yep. I'd do that.

In the end the book may not make you want to go out and grab a Bible, but it might. It at least got me to resolve to at least keep reading the weekly portions, as I've been doing the past few months during my class. More than anything I liked that the book made me think more about what I'm going to be like someday with my son, and to appreciate the fact that I have a fiancee like Julie in the book, who knows I'll love the book and will harass me to read it for months without fail. And who reads books this insightful and honest and believes that's how I think. (less)

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09/04/07

Patrick Oden rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

bookshelves: fun, nonfiction, religion

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: anyone interested in the Bible

G.K. Chesterton once wrote, "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried." In this book, A.J. Jacobs not only tries Christianity, he tries out the whole Bible, both the Jewish and the Christian Scriptures.

He does indeed find it difficult. But he doesn't find it wanting. In fact his year long quest to follow all of the commands of the Bible results in a most delightful and insightful read.

It is delightful because J...more

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03/11/08

Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Lisa by: Michelle
recommends it for: Everyone!

(4 1/2 Stars)
First, To: A.J. if you have Googled yourself thank you for such an interesting and wonderful read! I loved your honesty.
To: A.J.'s Dad you can click that you liked this review.
To everyone else: There were some highlights from this book that I would love to share. I love being able to have a record of what I've read and what I thought about a book, you probably hate getting so many e-mail updates on what I've read so delete if you must. I definitely shared too mu...more (4 1/2 Stars)
First, To: A.J. if you have Googled yourself thank you for such an interesting and wonderful read! I loved your honesty.
To: A.J.'s Dad you can click that you liked this review.
To everyone else: There were some highlights from this book that I would love to share. I love being able to have a record of what I've read and what I thought about a book, you probably hate getting so many e-mail updates on what I've read so delete if you must. I definitely shared too much on this one, now you don't even have to read the book, but you should, you'll like it.

1. I started out reading this thinking it would be a witty and humorous look at some of the wackier, zany rules that are found in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. I did find that there was plenty of craziness. I laughed out loud at many of the experiences the author had throughout his year quest. What surprised me was the depth of some of the experiences he went through. What surprised me even more was how much it had me examining my own religion, my own life, and my own interpretation of passages in the Bible.
2. Some of the crazy things the author tried such as not mixing fibers in clothing, or not shaking hands with women who may or may not have been menstruating were fairly extreme, but seemingly easy compared with not gossiping or not stealing including: neighbors wireless networks or straws that his two year old wanted to play with at Starbucks. I've found the same things to be true for myself. As an LDS (Mormon) women I no longer have a difficult time with our ban on drinking and smoking, but again gossip (which I truly try to abstain from) or keeping my heart and thoughts pure is another story. These passages really made me dig deep about how I can be a better Christian and a better person to everyone I come in contact with, even that man who just cut me off in traffic.
3. I loved what this book had to say about observing the Sabbath. I feel like I do just okay with this one. I feel like sometimes my Sunday's dragging three small kids to Church alone while my husband is in Church meetings, then on to working and serving at Church racing around, only to come home and have my toddler miss a nap and make a big dinner does not feel like what God had in mind for a day of rest. I want to try harder on this one. Because even with all the Sunday scrambling that goes on here I love Sundays and really can feel a difference in this day set aside to worship and contemplate things of a spiritual nature. I want to make a goal to try not to be as task oriented on this day and make a deliberate effort to make it more of a day that I think God has intended it to be.
4. On Day 181 the author talks about how his new Biblical alter ego Jacob starts taking over and says, "Secular people are the freaks, not religious people. How can you not think about the Big Questions all the time? How can you put so much energy into caring about earthly matters,..." As long as I can remember I've been a Big Question person. I love having these types of conversations. This book in many parts felt like I was having a good long discussion about the Big Questions. The author writing style flowed so well that by the end I felt like A.J. and his wife and kids were family friends.
5. The author talked about a derisive term called, "Cafeteria Christianity," where moderate Christians are accused of picking and choosing the parts of the Bible they would like to follow. He talks of how we all do this to a certain extent. I guess I could be described as a "Cafeteria Mormon," some things I love so dearly that I'll have seconds please. Other dishes yes, I will leave on the counter. I really want to try to do all I can to try and have my own years of living Biblically by trying to take the best things from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and incorporate them into the person I would like to be. I want to love my neighbor, and have a more thankful heart, I want to have more sincere prayers, and have more compassion.
6. My favorite part of this book came close to the end where the author attends his niece's bat mitzvah and has what I would describe as a spiritual experience. He describes it in part by saying, "My son's hands locked around my neck, his head pressed against my shoulder, I chose to accept the feeling and ride it to the end. To surrender. If I had to label it, I'd say the feeling is part love, part gratefulness, part connectedness, part joy. And that joy was like joy concentrate..." I loved these couple of pages where he used such great metaphors for describing experiences that are hard to put into words for anyone. He goes on to say, "Without my year, I wouldn't have been open to that feeling I got on the dance floor. And for that alone, all the craziness and Handy Seats (used to insure not sitting anywhere unclean) and locusts and snakes might have been worth it." This touched me to the core! Sometimes I wonder why I do all I do with regards to being a member of the LDS Church. But I have had a few spiritual epiphanies so rich and so joy filled that it makes it all worth it. I have to say that unfortunately most of my religious life is filled with unremarkable moments. But the times where I have really felt Heavenly Father's love for me are so powerful that it helps me to keep going through the times when I'm feeling less connected.

I really appreciated the author's journey as well as my own. Any book that can inspire me to evaluate my own life and can help me become more spiritually connected, while still making me laugh and cry is definitely a Good Read!(less)

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11/29/07

Dave rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in October, 2007

The concept of "The Year of Living Biblically" is this: the author would forgo his secular lifestyle for a year and embrace the Bible and its teachings as literally as possible.

"The Year of Living Biblically" didn't have the same success as his other works. Jacobs, who is known for immersing himself in a project for a year and then writing about it, was warned by family that maybe this wasn't the best concept for a follow-up to his popular "Know-It-All"...more

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07/18/08

Petra X rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

bookshelves: -reviewed-, biography-memoir-true-story, humour, philosophy-religion

Read in July, 2008

This is what I call a snork book. So funny in parts that if you are drinking coffee, its going to come spluttering out of your nose. AJ Jacobs is a secular Jew (me too) and spends two thirds of this book researching biblical law and trying to live it. The last third addresses the New Testament in the same way. Living biblically for AJ means dressing in white robes, growing a ZZ Top beard and trying to literally fulfil each commandment even if terribly embarrassing. Like buying the guy behind...more

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06/12/08

Abby rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in August, 2008

I really, really liked this book! A.J. Jacobs is now one of my favorite guys. He writes for Esquire magazine. I don't even know for sure what that magazine is about (I think it's a men's magazine), but it makes me want to read it anyways.

So, when he's not writing for Esquire, he writes books. This is one of them. It's about his quest to live all the laws of the bible the best he can, for a full year. Not just things like "Love thy neighbor", but also the stranger laws- blow...more

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05/08/08

Jordan rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in May, 2008

The Year of Living Biblically starts out pretty fine: I chuckled; I was interested to find out what would come of it all. Halfway through, however, I'd pretty much had enough. Jacobs is a little too smug (though he puts on the requisite veil of "Oh, God! I'm so bad at this religion thing!"), he doesn't portray his wife or son too nicely (she comes off as a humorless snot, though she's probably lovely in real life; son Jasper sounds like a brat), and it's annoying how little Jacobs thin...more

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01/25/08

Evan rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in January, 2008

Given to me by my wife on Christmas (and, incidentally, eaten by my dog exactly one month later), The Year Of Living Biblically was written by A.J. Jacobs, an editor of Esquire magazine. Jacobs’ previous book (The Know-It-All) entailed reading the encyclopedia in its entirety. To find a gimmick for his next project, Jacobs turned to an even more popular volume: The Bible.

Jacobs spends a year attempting to follow all the Old Testament’s instructions as literally as possible, in wa...more Given to me by my wife on Christmas (and, incidentally, eaten by my dog exactly one month later), The Year Of Living Biblically was written by A.J. Jacobs, an editor of Esquire magazine. Jacobs’ previous book (The Know-It-All) entailed reading the encyclopedia in its entirety. To find a gimmick for his next project, Jacobs turned to an even more popular volume: The Bible.

Jacobs spends a year attempting to follow all the Old Testament’s instructions as literally as possible, in ways both expected (forgiving debts; praying regularly; avoiding pridefulness) and less expected (purging his wardrobe of mixed-fiber clothing; making melodies with a harp of ten strings; cooking unleavened bread by letting the sun harden it on his back). Over his year of “living Biblically,” Jacobs assembles a group of spiritual advisors, and takes field trips to destinations ranging from Pennsylvania Amish Country; to The Creation Museum; to a sort of all-male Hasidic mosh pit on the Jewish holiday of Simchas Torah; to Jerusalem itself.

In general, this book is more entertaining than it is exploratory, and reads like an expanded magazine feature (not that that's a bad thing). Jacobs is a genuinely funny writer, but he can be sincere as well. And to his credit, he restrains himself from taking cheap shots at others’ beliefs. Jacobs acknowledges that this is a change of behavior for him, and attributes his diminishing capacity for cynicism to his new-found habits—in other words, he wonders whether physically acting like a better person might be spiritually transforming him into a better person.

Beginning his journey as an agnostic, Jacobs ends it as a “reverent agnostic”—which, he insists, is not the oxymoron it might first appear to be. “Whether or not there’s a God,” Jacobs writes, “there is such a thing as sacredness.” In Jacobs’ experience, sacredness is a quality that transcends everyday life, and one which will motivate him to continue his habit of everyday prayer—even if he’s still not completely sure to whom, or to what, he is praying.

* * *

Ultimately, I’m not sure what Jacobs will retain from his experience. But I know what I’m going to retain. It’s the following joke, told to Jacobs and his wife by one of the Pennsylvania Amish:

Q. What happened when the Amish man married the Mennonite woman?

A. He drove her buggy!

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01/06/08

Danna rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in March, 2008

I found the book to be less about an exploration of the Bible and biblical religions, more about: "I'm OCD and here's my latest obsession!" I did appreciate that the author mentioned this directly on page 148, and the book was quirky and interesting enough that I stuck with it until the end.

The bit that stuck with me the most wasn't one of the oddities, like binding money to your hand or not sitting on a chair that was recently sat upon by a menstruating woman, but rather ...more

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12/18/07

Shoshanapnw rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

bookshelves: 2007, memoir-biography, myth-religion-folklore

I was pleasantly surprised by Jacob's documentation of his year of biblical literalism. When I began, I had a number of concerns, based in part on his last book, The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. The Year of Living Biblically addresses some of the concerns I had in both instances about a rather mechanistic approach to a year-long, self-imposed, all-encompassing task. I'd have liked to see a more explicit discussion of the reality that by the time...more I was pleasantly surprised by Jacob's documentation of his year of biblical literalism. When I began, I had a number of concerns, based in part on his last book, The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. The Year of Living Biblically addresses some of the concerns I had in both instances about a rather mechanistic approach to a year-long, self-imposed, all-encompassing task. I'd have liked to see a more explicit discussion of the reality that by the time the Bible was redacted, much editing had occurred and the documents already reflected past practices that even then were functionally unknowable. (Having proofread upward of 25 volumes of Jacob Neusner's Talmud and Mishnah translations and commentaries (e.g., this kind of thing), I am all too aware of the multi-page disputes that one verb could provoke even hundreds of years ago). Jacobs does say a number of times that even biblical literalism involves interpretation and picking and choosing (he gives the example of not actually plucking one's eye out if it offends one), but it might have been useful for him to discuss in more detail that there was no period in which all of the laws found in either testament were actually followed simultaneously.

I'd also have liked more reflection on the process, a quarterly summing up, for example. Since the structure is chronological rather than thematic, at its worst it reads like a diary of tasks (today I threw a stone at an adulterer--check). Generally , however, Jacobs's narrative moves along at a reasonable clip, is pretty funny (though I do wonder why my local Borders stocks it under "Humor" rather than "Religion"), informative, and good-natured. Though some of Jacobs's actions are bizarre out of context, I imagine that many readers will identify with his ongoing difficulties telling the truth, not swearing, and trying to adhere to dietary restrictions.

Jacobs's account of following Old Testament prescriptions is more successful than his New Testament months, which are less richly detailed. He does talk about his difficulty as a Jew (even an agnostic Jew) in following some of Christianity's rules. I kept wishing he'd taken a full Old Testament year, then spent another year immersed in a religious tradition entirely alien to him. (I must say apropos of this that I don't blame him for not doing so, and his wife is saint enough as things stand).

For more tales of year-long obsessive pursuits, read Jacobs's The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, Julie Powell's Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, and Mark Obmascik's The Big Year. Please feel free to add comment with other year-long quests to do some big task. For general obsession, it's hard to go wrong with Stefan Fatsis's Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players. If you'd like to drive a friend or relation to nervous exhaustion, give him or her all of these books at once. Enjoy!

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08/26/08

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

It's mean of me to say so, because it's clear that writing it was a rather significant spiritual experience for Jacobs, but this book is just silly. It's meant to be entertaining-yet-thought-provoking, but I only found it mildly entertaining, and not at all thought-provoking. I actually found his wife funnier than him. My favorite part by far was when she was temporarily "unclean" and it annoyed her to be thought of that way, so in revenge she sat on all the furniture so that A.J. woul...more

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08/22/08

Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in October, 2007

This title is ok. I wanted it to be really good. I also want people who show up in the store looking for a religious title to pick this up by accident, but only because I don't always behave biblically myself. I just think it would be amusing.

Jacobs blesses us with another bio-book a la 'The Know It All' wherein he takes on a quest to better himself. In this case, having fathered a child, he suddenly realizes that his overwhelmingly secular life might have left him devoid of th...more
This title is ok. I wanted it to be really good. I also want people who show up in the store looking for a religious title to pick this up by accident, but only because I don't always behave biblically myself. I just think it would be amusing.

Jacobs blesses us with another bio-book a la 'The Know It All' wherein he takes on a quest to better himself. In this case, having fathered a child, he suddenly realizes that his overwhelmingly secular life might have left him devoid of the ability to raise his son in a moral way. He decides that he wants to follow bible law as closely as possible for one year (9 mos OT, 3 mos NT), even if it ticks off his 1-week-out-of-the-month unclean wife, who gets back at him in a pretty amusing way at one point, managing to deprive him of all adult sized seating options in their apartment.

I found all the bible tidbits he mentions in the book to be more interesting than the description of his journey; but that's me, all about the dorky details. I also liked his inclusion of his various spiritual gurus' interpretation of various bible laws and passages, some of them very sensible and some off the wall...I'm sure where each interpretation lands in the spectrum will vary by individual, but there's of range to choose from here.

I think I could have handled the title better if he hadn't decided to try to follow biblical law so literally and so carefully that he became a bit of a cartoon...a year's worth of scraggly beard, wearing all white and eventually progessing to Jesus robes, carrying around one of those canes that becomes an emergency chair so that he wouldn't have to sit anywhere 'unclean.' (Though as a self-described huge germ-aphobe, he might just keep that one up). In many cases, he seems to find that there's an underlying idea to each law that's helpful, such as more parenting for his son, and that the literal law may be going overboard, aka 'The Rod' (that when spare spoils said child, supposedly. The bible doesn't quite say it that way, but it does say 'rod.').

Despite the fact that his personal story didn't really grip me, I did read this book in two days, which is a pretty good for me (i'm in the wrong job for being a slow reader, but i slog on). I guess that means something in there was pulling me along.(less)

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07/07/08

Scott Franklin rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in January, 2008

I am not even sure how I was turned on to this little book but late this past fall, I added it to my reading list and was fortunate enough to receive it from my parents as a Christmas gift. I love that I usually have time over the holidays to make it completely through a book.

Summary: The book is basically a journal through A.J. Jacobs’ religious experiment to obey the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, as literally as possible. Those familiar with the Scriptures realize that ther...more

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12/09/07

Patricia rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

bookshelves: good-nonfiction

Read in December, 2007

Based on the author's own reporting in this book, I would guess that, of all the authors I read A.J. Jacobs would be most likely to Google himself and find this review. If he is reading this, let him rest assured that I enjoyed this book, the story of—as the subtitle informs us—“One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.”

Parts of this books are laugh-out-loud funny, as when Jacobs describes boning up for an interview with Rosario Dawson by watchin...more Based on the author's own reporting in this book, I would guess that, of all the authors I read A.J. Jacobs would be most likely to Google himself and find this review. If he is reading this, let him rest assured that I enjoyed this book, the story of—as the subtitle informs us—“One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.”

Parts of this books are laugh-out-loud funny, as when Jacobs describes boning up for an interview with Rosario Dawson by watching two of her movies rented from CleanFlicks or describing how his refusal to tell a lie by calling an English muffin a bagel results in the temper tantrum of his three-year-old son.

The book was also thought provoking, I especially enjoyed the part about not using the Bible as a self-help book, which is the opposite message I’ve heard over and over again. Other parts are sweet, such as his dealings with his neighbor and newborn twins. Jacobs is obsessive about his subject, devouring not just several versions of the bible, but many, many books about the Bible. Overall, an entertaining read.

One note. It used to be books had footnotes. You would read until you got to the little superscripted number sign and then shift your eyes down to the bottom of the page to read the little footnote. Somewhere along the line, we lost the footnotes. There seems to still be end notes in academia, resulting in a grumbled flip to the back of the book only to see “Ibid.” The nonfiction world seems to have embraced an even more annoying version. They let the author write the notes, and put them at the end of the book, and make no mention of them throughout the book. More than once after I’ve finished a book I’ve come upon several pages of end notes that I had no idea were there. Then I read some disjointed notes that would have been much more interesting if I had been able to read them while I was reading the chapter in question. How is the reader even supposed to know to go to the back of the book at that point? “Bring back the footnote!” Don’t let David Foster Wallace be the only one to indulge. Let our eyes jump around the page again. It would be like a video game. Or a web page. I beg you nonfiction book manufactures, bring back the footnote. Or at the very least the endnote. Footnote! Footnote! Footnote!
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11/03/07

margueya rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Ok, I did NOT think I would like this book, and I certainly didn't think it would get five stars - and I grappled with that, as usual, but felt like I can't not give five stars to a book I loved this much just because I'm a snob (I try to apply the same to my students' papers, sadly I am not as effective there).
First, I gotta say, what a painless way to read nonfiction! This is basically Dave Barry does Bible - Jacobs is sharp witted, funny and has fantastic lines - and his breadth of b...more

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10/22/07

Valerie rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

bookshelves: alt-theology, annals-of-unchecked-ambition

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: DJ Missy

This is one of those stunt-memoirs where the writer does something wacky for a year--in this case, literally follow every one of the bible's rules, big and small, insane and non. He prays three times a day, doesn't trim his beard, doesn't touch women who have their periods, etc. It's pretty clear that, at heart, the guy is doing it because he realized it would be a fascinating book idea (and, like all bible-things, had a good shot at becoming a best-seller, which it has), and that he's as secula...more

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10/23/07

Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in November, 2007

Jacobs spends a year attempting to strictly live by the hundreds of rules and commandments found in the Bible. While this may sound irreverent, he is respectful of every faith and his secular point of view provides openness and shows a desire to understand all aspects of the Bible and the many branches of Christianity and Judaism, from more liberal to extreme conservative viewpoints. He speaks with different religious groups and individuals and hears a broad range of interpretations. He recou...more

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03/16/09

Lara rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in March, 2009

I REALLY enjoyed this book. For starters, I love people who do ridiculous, over-the-top things, so I figured I was pretty much destined to adore the author. (I now really need to read his first book, involving him reading the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica.) In this book (as the title indicates), Jacobs attempts to follow the Bible as literally as possible for a full year.

One of my friends told me he found this book a little contrived - but I disagree. At the very beginning, Ja...more

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02/23/09

Sherie_segler rated it:

(review of isbn 0743291476)

Read in March, 2009

The title says that A.J. Jacobs is an humble man and after reading his book, I am convinced that he did not lie (that, lying, is covered in the book), and further I am convinced that if I ever had the honor of meeting Mr. Jacobs, I would like him.
The book was, at times, hilarious, touching, and spot on about the difficulties one faces in living life as a good person, not to mention trying to follow every directive the Bible puts forth.
Mr. Jacobs is reflective enough to move away from...more

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