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810 reviews for:
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible
A.J. Jacobs
3.76 AVERAGE
810 reviews for:
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible
A.J. Jacobs
3.76 AVERAGE
funny
I enjoyed this book and found it a thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of religion. There are a lot of amusing parts - not surprising, given Jacobs' assignment. The book is necessarily self-reflective, and I appreciated Jacobs' candor and personal touches.
Very funny, but with some serious thoughts on spirituality.
This was a gift from my brother because he heard about it on NPR and thought it might be interesting. Not going to lie, the amount of time between receiving it and actually reading it was significant. I'm glad I finally read it, though. Jacobs has a great sense of humor and his writing seems very natural and unassuming. The subject itself is interesting and as an agnostic Jew, Jacobs has kept more Biblical laws in one year than I have in my entire Nazarene-born-and-raised life.
I really enjoyed this book, much more than I expected to. I like the way A.J. Jacob writes (I'll definitely have to get more of his books), as some of his scenarios had me cracking up aloud. It was a very interesting read and one I definitely recommend.
I really enjoyed this book! A.J. Jacobs' writing style is quite amusing - he has a dry sense of humor that appeals to me - and the story was so fun. Imagine being a New Yorker trying to follow the Bible literally while surrounded by vice, capitalism, and the hustle and bustle of the big city. Somehow Jacobs manages to do it pretty well and learn a lot along the way. A very fun read. :)
Written in almost exactly the same style as his first book, The Know-It-All, it's as if Jacobs and his publisher sat down and mused, "Now how do we top the Encyclopedia Brittanica?"
With the Bible, of course.
Disappointed at the formulaic sameness.
With the Bible, of course.
Disappointed at the formulaic sameness.
Yeah, I know, it took me a freakin'-long time to read this. That had very little to do with the actual book, other than the content was the type I like to read slowly and carefully. I just couldn't get through it quickly and I kept having to return it to the library so other people could read it. Thankfully, they always did so far more quickly than I so it never took long to get it back. But I finally finished and I enjoyed the book so all is well that ends well, as some old playwright once penned.
I've decided I just plain like A.J. Jacobs. I think I've mentioned before that I am glad I don't know him personally because I have very little doubt he'd get on my nerves what with his plethora of neuroses. I'd get on his nerves, too, because I would intentionally pick on every one of those aforementioned neuroses. However, I still appreciate him as an author and as the owner of a curious mind. And I agree with everyone else who has said so: his wife is a saint.
In the case of this particular book, I was fascinated by his endeavor to live a biblical life. Coming from an eclectic background when it comes to religion, I was very interested in what he found. I like to think that, were I to take a similar journey, I might arrive at a similar conclusion. It wouldn't happen, though, because I do not have the patience to do that kind of research and I would totally talk myself out of doing biblical things. So, pretty much, if I were to take a similar quest, I'd quit and would come nowhere near to the same conclusion as Mr. Jacobs. But that's ok. He did it and I can read about it and now I know a little more about the Bible than I did when I started this book. (that's not exactly true because I did not do any fact-checking; I should say that now I know a little more about what A.J. Jacobs knows about the Bible than I did before I started this book)
I've decided I just plain like A.J. Jacobs. I think I've mentioned before that I am glad I don't know him personally because I have very little doubt he'd get on my nerves what with his plethora of neuroses. I'd get on his nerves, too, because I would intentionally pick on every one of those aforementioned neuroses. However, I still appreciate him as an author and as the owner of a curious mind. And I agree with everyone else who has said so: his wife is a saint.
In the case of this particular book, I was fascinated by his endeavor to live a biblical life. Coming from an eclectic background when it comes to religion, I was very interested in what he found. I like to think that, were I to take a similar journey, I might arrive at a similar conclusion. It wouldn't happen, though, because I do not have the patience to do that kind of research and I would totally talk myself out of doing biblical things. So, pretty much, if I were to take a similar quest, I'd quit and would come nowhere near to the same conclusion as Mr. Jacobs. But that's ok. He did it and I can read about it and now I know a little more about the Bible than I did when I started this book. (that's not exactly true because I did not do any fact-checking; I should say that now I know a little more about what A.J. Jacobs knows about the Bible than I did before I started this book)
so i liked this book. spoiler alert: at the end, after exploring conservative judaism and christianity (by trying to follow the Bible literally), jacobs walks away as an agnostic, albeit a more spiritual one. i guess what i found unfortunate is what jacobs wrote in month nine as he begins his foray into the New Testament:
"But evangelical Christianity says you must first believe in Jesus, then the good works will naturally follow. Charity and kindness alone cannot save you. You must be... 'justified by faith.'" And yet he makes it very clear that he is not willing/able to accept Christ. And therefore while he is trying to follow the Bible literally, he takes the New Testament as more of a "guided tour" than a DIY approach. i just wish he had been able to try and really believe that Jesus rose from the dead... how much more fruitful that exploration would have been!
As a Christian told him (again in month nine), "It is through being in Christ and following Him that we become transformed. Unless one takes this step, one cannot be truly transformed. So, after your year is over, you will go back to being a man who finds purpose in weird projects and writing assignments. Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is much more rewarding."
Anyway, it was an enjoyable read. Jacobs is a funny guy.
"But evangelical Christianity says you must first believe in Jesus, then the good works will naturally follow. Charity and kindness alone cannot save you. You must be... 'justified by faith.'" And yet he makes it very clear that he is not willing/able to accept Christ. And therefore while he is trying to follow the Bible literally, he takes the New Testament as more of a "guided tour" than a DIY approach. i just wish he had been able to try and really believe that Jesus rose from the dead... how much more fruitful that exploration would have been!
As a Christian told him (again in month nine), "It is through being in Christ and following Him that we become transformed. Unless one takes this step, one cannot be truly transformed. So, after your year is over, you will go back to being a man who finds purpose in weird projects and writing assignments. Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is much more rewarding."
Anyway, it was an enjoyable read. Jacobs is a funny guy.
I wanted so badly to like this book. Really. The concept seemed quirky and unique. A Christian, but not a Bible-thumper, I wanted to read a more critical assessment of the Bible.
That did not happen.
Jqcobs, more than anything, takes a poke at the Bible and its rules. And, instead of trying to get a global understanding of the rules, he follows them in a disjointed, unrelated way that is difficult for the reader to follow. He sends very little time living in the New Testament; instead, he focuses on what are seemingly the most asinine biblical rules--and not even in a cool way.
A good 100 pages could have been cut out and the book would be the exact same.
Sigh. C-
That did not happen.
Jqcobs, more than anything, takes a poke at the Bible and its rules. And, instead of trying to get a global understanding of the rules, he follows them in a disjointed, unrelated way that is difficult for the reader to follow. He sends very little time living in the New Testament; instead, he focuses on what are seemingly the most asinine biblical rules--and not even in a cool way.
A good 100 pages could have been cut out and the book would be the exact same.
Sigh. C-