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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 220 EAN: 9780743291484 ISBN: 0743291484 Label: Simon & Schuster Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 416 Publication Date: September 09, 2008 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Sales Rank: 761 Studio: Simon & Schuster
Product Description: From the bestselling author of The Know-It-All comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible.
Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.
The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history's most influential book with new eyes.
Jacobs's quest transforms his life even more radically than the year spent reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica for The Know-It-All. His beard grows so unruly that he is regularly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top. He immerses himself in prayer, tends sheep in the Israeli desert, battles idolatry, and tells the absolute truth in all situations - much to his wife's chagrin.
Throughout the book, Jacobs also embeds himself in a cross-section of communities that take the Bible literally. He tours a Kentucky-based creationist museum and sings hymns with Pennsylvania Amish. He dances with Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn and does Scripture study with Jehovah's Witnesses. He discovers ancient biblical wisdom of startling relevance. And he wrestles with seemingly archaic rules that baffle the twenty-first-century brain.Jacobs's extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. A book that will charm readers both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part Cliff Notes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to put it down.
Amazon.com Review: Amazon Best of the Month, September 2007: Make no mistake: A.J. Jacobs is not a religious man. He describes himself as Jewish "in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant." Yet his latest work, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, is an insightful and hilarious journey for readers of all faiths. Though no fatted calves were harmed in the making of this book, Jacobs chronicles 12 months living a remarkably strict Biblical life full of charity, chastity, and facial hair as impressive as anything found in The Lord of the Rings. Through it all, he manages to brilliantly keep things light, while avoiding the sinful eye of judgment. --Dave Callanan
Amazon.com Subtitled: "One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible," Jacobs, or A.J., as his two-year-old son calls him, does just that. It is likely that no one but A.J. Jacobs could have accomplished such a feat. After all, his last book, The Know-It-All, chronicles his reading of the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica, from A to Z. No one but a smart, witty, self-deprecating, nitpicky kinda guy would undertake two such daunting tasks, and complete them with grace, no pun intended.
Jacobs, a New York Jewish agnostic, decides to follow the laws and rules of the Bible, beginning with the Old Testament, for one year. (He actually adds some bonus days and makes it a 381-day year.) He starts by growing a beard and we are with him through every itchy moment. Jacobs is borderline OCD, at least as he describes himself; obsessing over possible dangers to his son, germs, literal interpretation of Bible verses, etc. He enlists the aid of counselors along the way; Jewish rabbis, Christians of every stripe, friends and neighbors.
In an open-minded way he also visits with atheists, Evangelicals Concerned (a gay group), Jerry Falwell, snake handlers, Red Letter Christians--those who adhere to the red letters in the Bible, those words spoken by Jesus Himself, and even takes a trip to Israel and meets Samaritans. Through it all, he keeps a healthy skepticism, but continues to pray and is open to the flowering of real faith. Jacobs is a knowledge junky, to be sure. He enjoys the lore he picks up along the way as much as any other aspect of his experiment. One of the ongoing schticks is his meeting with the shatnez tester, Mr. Berkowitz. He is the one who determines whether or not your clothes are made of mixed fibers, in keeping with the Biblical injunction not to wear wool and linen together. The two become friends and prayer partners, in only one of the unexpected results of this year.
In the end, he says, "I'm now a reverent agnostic. Which isn't an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe that whether or not there's a God, there is such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred." Not a bad outcome. --Valerie Ryan
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - An Attempt to Live Biblically
A. J. Jacobs admits to having obsessive-compulsive disorder, which makes him a perfect candidate for following rules and regulations in the Bible as literally as possible. The only problem is that he doesn't believe in God.
Yet, on his spiritual journey he decides to pray anyway. He also engages in spiritual battles like his struggle with one of the seven deadly sins: Lust. He also restricts himself from gossiping and lying. He really struggles the most with telling the truth. Still, in this book he is refreshingly honest even to the point of considering his desire for a second wife (I think it was supposed to be funny and his wife seems to play along.) In actuality, repressing his sexuality makes him more creative.
Instead of making people look foolish for wanting to follow so many laws (his original intention) he ends up making the reader respect anyone who follows religious laws (within reason). He also makes growing cucumbers and playing a harp seem like fun. He even has a go at herding sheep.
After reading about his Old Testament adventures I was eager to read how he would interpret the New Testament. Since I've read a book called: Hear Him! The One Hundred Twenty-Five Commands of Jesus. I wanted to know how he would follow them. The few moments he spends on the New Testament are hardly enough time so it is a bit of a disappointment. Still, A. J. Jacobs becomes a better person when he shows love. He also becomes less angry when he stops swearing.
In the section exploring various religions it was interesting to learn that Bono is a member of the Red-Letter Christians. However, for the most part, A. J. Jacobs seems attracted to the extremes of Christianity and doesn't really experience the comforts of a local church. Instead he meets with snake handlers and participates in a singles group Bible study (he is married after all).
For the most part this book is highly enjoyable and there are laugh-out-loud moments throughout. This book might even inspire you to consider following the Ten Commandments more consistently. I now look forward to reading other books by this author. If you enjoy this book you may also enjoy anything by Lee Strobel.
~The Rebecca Review
Rating: - An amazing book with an extremely interesting subject
As a preface, let me say that this book was a birthday present. Not to say it in a demeaning way, but what I mean that I had expected it to be a mildly interesting book at best. However, I have found that this was one of the best books I have read in a long, long time. One of the few books I am able to read for hours without putting down.
The reason for this can be attributed to largely three things: Writing style, subject matter, and open minded approach to subject matter.
To begin, the author, A.J. Jacobs, has a very good writing style. The entire book is written in sort of a 'journal' method. As the days passes, Jacobs records his experiences in various journal entries. This makes it very easy to read through the book. Furthermore, Jacobs has a humorous writing style which is able to make sometimes bland situations seems funny, which increases the readability of the book.
Next, of course, is the subject matter. The subject is one which has wide reaching appeal. We all know that it is simply impossible to live like people in the Bible (for many reasons), but we nonetheless want to see someone try to do it. Although Jacobs inevitably had to compromise in some situations, I think he rather pulled it off admirably. He made sacrifices, he stoned adulterers, he punished his children, and he dresses for the part.
The open minded way he approach the subject also helped immensely. Truthfully, I myself am an atheist (former Christian), but not really the 'Richard Dawkins' type atheist. It would have put me off greatly if he had approach the subject matter with disdain or outright hostility. However, I was happy to find he approach them all with a very open mind. He interviewed several groups, several famous people, and generally try to present the perspective of groups that are often maligned due to lack of understanding.
If there is any complaint about the book, I do have one. I was somewhat disappointed to find that he wasn't able to get into the New Testament as well as he could get into the Old Testament. However, I do find it to be completely understandable. Not only is Jacobs agnostic, but he's also Jewish. I would imagine that getting into the Christian Bible would have been highly difficult and, as he says in the book, awkward to his ancestors.
Regardless, I do highly recommend the book. Not only is it intensely enjoyable, but it is also very educational. I learned many things from the book (much of which from reading about his visits with Christian groups) and I receive a new perspective on how to see the Bible. Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone looking to enjoy a good read.
Rating: - HOURS O FUN
First book I have read on my kindle. I very much enjoyed the story and would write much more on the matter were I not also attempting to write this review from my kindle. Very funny!
Rating: - Could not put it down
I received this book a couple of days ago as a Christmas present. This was an outstanding book that I had a very difficult time putting down. Not only did this book allow some reflection on the the lesser-known parts of the Bible but it also provided many laugh out loud moments. I especially appreciated that the book did not rely solely on a review of the biblical text but looked at the interpretations offered by others - both through the conversations with the spiritual guides and through written materials. I also appreciated the respect with which he approached those who have more "extreme" religious beliefs. As a Christian, I can share that I was not offended by the spiritual journey and I am hopeful A.J. does not stop growing simply because he has finished writing this book. Thanks to A.J. for writing an enjoyable book!
Rating: - When Experiments Are Out of This World
Jacobs knows how to turn a phrase. He is both an exceptional writer and researcher. But as God did with the Seven Churches of Revelations, I hold this against him: he repeatedly embarrassed me by making me laugh in public as I read his book.
Jacobs is an agnostic, and this doesn't change by the end of the book. Yet this book remains one of the most spiritually insightful and challenging books I have ever read. His pursuit of obeying the literal mandates of the Bible was done to expose the hypocrisy of such an attempt, but it also reminds the reader of what the Bible really calls for, and how much we fall short of that call, even when not trying to follow it literally. If you've read the Bible before, and are familiar with it, there is not much Biblically new here. But it is amazing how little we follow though we know the words.
While this was a grand experiment. Jacobs does eight months of the Old Testament, and four months of the New Testament. But, perhaps because of his secular Jewish background, he is admittedly much more at home in the Torah. When he gets to the last four months, one can't but feel a lot is missing. He doesn't investigate groups like the Quakers and the Charismatics, who hold very literally to certain respective New Testament teachings. The sole charismatic focus on snake handlers felt as if Jacobs was taking only one small fringe group, the most extreme, to highlight.
At the same time, after spending eight months applying the literal intent of the Old Testament authors, he doesn't come close to attempting the same thing with the New Testament. Indeed, much of the last four chapters are scattered with *Old Testament* laws and practices. This may be perhaps because the New Testament practices are really that life changing. One of Jacobs' sub-chapters is focused on selling all you have and giving to the poor- but Jacobs then goes back to the Old Testament tithing practice and doesn't even consider or discuss the possibility of giving all he had to the poor. He never gets into the passages of Jesus where, if someone asks for your cloak, give them your undershirt as well. And it is understandable- this is a year long experiment, and Jacobs can't be expected to irrevocably change his life, if it's only an experiment. Jacobs maintains a laudable applied anthropological perspective, entering into the world of his subjects but not fully going native. It's just that I would have liked some discussion of that issue.
That's certainly not enough to reduce the rating on this book. There's simply nothing else like it. No one else there is trying out the whole Biblical thing for a year. And though the eating locusts and trying to stone adulterers make for some funny scenes, Jacobs attempt to follow the ethical laws of the Bible is poignant and thought-provoking. He comes away a happier man, a more blessed man, in the full Biblical meaning of that rich word. And he challenges me to take this faith that I claim more seriously.
- An Attempt to Live Biblically
- HOURS O FUN
