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The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible
by A.J. Jacobs

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/495395.The_Year_of_Living_Biblically_One_Man_s_Humble_Quest_to_Follow_the_Bible_As_Literally_As_Possible?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZF6uRAJKL._SL160_.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/495395.The_Year_of_Living_Biblically_One_Man_s_Humble_Quest_to_Follow_the_Bible_As_Literally_As_Possible?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/963811.A_J_Jacobs">A.J. Jacobs</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9722325?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 2 of 5 stars 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" book, and they may have been right.
 
 Jacobs writes in his introduction that one of the reasons he chose this particular project is because he is an agnostic and wanted to be more spiritual. This is where I believe this book suffers its biggest failure. While Jacobs writes in several places about the contradictions in the Bible, its his own contradictions in spirituality and approach to this project where I think it goes astray.
 
 I can accept it when he identifies himself as agnostic. Quite a few people in this country are, and even more practice what Jacobs calls "cafeteria religion". But Jacobs also makes a point of telling us that he is also technically a member of the Jewish faith, even tho he "attended no Hebrew school, ate no matzoh," and later tells us that he was never bar mitzvahed.
 
 So while he's never truly embraced his Jewish faith, he does identify himself enough with Judaism that it starts to get in the way.
 
 For example, Jacobs struggles with following rules set forth in the New Testament because Judaism does not accept Jesus as the savior as Christianity does, or even accept him being one with God in the Trinity, and acknowledging Jesus' teachings is incompatible with his Jewish faith. Later he struggles with the idea of circumcising his twin sons. While he knows from medical literature that routine infant circumcision is no longer recommended, he opts to do it because he is, after all, Jewish.
 
 I am glad that deep down inside he is admitting he has some faith, but it is also a de facto admission that the concept of this book doesn't work. For he cannot let himself, or his biblical alter ego "Jacob," fully embrace the whole enchilada.
 
 Instead, he wimps out on the New Testament by reconciling in his mind that while it wouldn't be acceptable to follow Jesus' lessons literally, it would be acceptable to observe and interview specific members of the Christian faith for their take. 
 
 But the observations he makes are a cop-out.
 
 I'm certainly not rooting for him to be "saved" in an Ann Coulter "Christians are perfected Jews" kind of way. But as a reader, especially one that knows that there is religious conversion happening daily in this land from one religion to another, it seemed a half-hearted effort.
 
 Even his own "ex-uncle Gil" went through phases of Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and back to Judaism. So we know that a spiritual journey is possible.
 
 Therefore, it is this underlying contradiction that takes away from the parts of the book that truly are entertaining.
 
 The "perplexing" laws Jacobs writes about, the tassels, the beard, the juxtaposition of literal interpretation of biblical laws in the 21st century, they are all amusing. Jacobs has an adept way of taking a "you had to be there" moment or sight gag, and turning them into wry smiles for the reader.
 
 But the fact that he starts this book as an agnostic, and finishes this book as a "reverent agnostic," with nothing but contradiction in between, makes me feel somewhat cheated.
 
 It's admirable that a cynical New Yorker has a new-found belief in sacredness, but it seemed like the project was ill-conceived and half-heartedly executed, for there was really no payoff.
 
 It by no means shakes my belief that Jacobs is a talented writer, with a flair for comedic observation and writing. But this is one case where maybe he should have honored his mother and father and taken their advice about not attempting this project.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/649376?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Dave's review
rating:

status: 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" book, and they may have been right.

Jacobs writes in his introduction that one of the reasons he chose this particular project is because he is an agnostic and wanted to be more spiritual. This is where I believe this book suffers its biggest failure. While Jacobs writes in several places about the contradictions in the Bible, its his own contradictions in spirituality and approach to this project where I think it goes astray.

I can accept it when he identifies himself as agnostic. Quit...more

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