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813 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
813 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
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced
funny
reflective
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Un libro scorrevole, simpatico. A volte un po’ cringe, a volte un po’ triste, ma tutto sommato molto carino.
In The Year of Living Biblically, A.J. Jacobs tries to do just that: follow every rule laid down in the Bible for one year. Now, there are an awful lot of rules. But Jacobs does admirably, I must say. (And his wife is a very patient and loving woman.) Since Jacobs is a non-practicing Jew, he learns a great deal about the traditions of his cultural faith as well as those of Christians. He travels around the country meeting with people who have different interpretations of Biblical rules even as he is attempting to interpret them for himself.
A.J. Jacobs is a funny man. His book The Know-It-All is highly entertaining, and I had similar expectations for The Year of Living Biblically. Jacobs did not disappoint me. I was unprepared, though, for his insights into the Christian and Jewish faiths, and found many parts of the book pleasantly thought-provoking. The Year of Living Biblically is a humorous and intelligent well-written book that I highly recommend.
A.J. Jacobs is a funny man. His book The Know-It-All is highly entertaining, and I had similar expectations for The Year of Living Biblically. Jacobs did not disappoint me. I was unprepared, though, for his insights into the Christian and Jewish faiths, and found many parts of the book pleasantly thought-provoking. The Year of Living Biblically is a humorous and intelligent well-written book that I highly recommend.
I really enjoyed the journey throughout this book and learning more about the Bible and spirituality. It’s interesting to watch someone go through a kind of discovery process so in depth and see how they come out of it and what they’ve learned. Jacobs is a fantastic writer and takes the same level of intimacy and attention to detail to a project that I like to take to my own, I really resonated with him and his ambitions on this quest.
A. J. Jacobs' claim to authorial fame is taking on year long projects and then writing books about his experiences. I have not read his previous effort (The Know-It-All, about a year spent reading the encyclopedia), but I liked The Year of Living Biblically. Jacobs' intention is to follow (as best he can) a literal interpretation of the Bible for a year. This includes not only its moral teachings but also day to day living (e.g., wearing tassels on one's clothes, or not eating fruit from a tree that's under 4 years old.
Given the hugeness of the undertaking, it is probably understandable that the book seems a bit scattershot to me. Each chapter covers a month, and there can be any number of topics (both related and unrelated) that can appear within that month. Despite that sense of randomness, he does cover a wide variety of issues related to the Bible and its interpretation. I think one of the takeaways I got was that the Bible is hugely complex and it would be impossible to truly live by ALL of the rules in it simultaneously all the time. Also, those who believe in the Bible are so widely varied that you can find just about any mixture of beliefs and attributes. That said, a Jacobs is a tour guide with his own failings, but who always strives to make himself better/live closer to the Biblical ideal.
Given the hugeness of the undertaking, it is probably understandable that the book seems a bit scattershot to me. Each chapter covers a month, and there can be any number of topics (both related and unrelated) that can appear within that month. Despite that sense of randomness, he does cover a wide variety of issues related to the Bible and its interpretation. I think one of the takeaways I got was that the Bible is hugely complex and it would be impossible to truly live by ALL of the rules in it simultaneously all the time. Also, those who believe in the Bible are so widely varied that you can find just about any mixture of beliefs and attributes. That said, a Jacobs is a tour guide with his own failings, but who always strives to make himself better/live closer to the Biblical ideal.
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
I really loved this book. I come from a religious background, and I haven't had too great a life. However, I have never questioned my faith, even in my worst moments. The reason I mention this at all is because A. J. Jacobs has given me insight into another world: one of forced faith. Jacobs even ponders whether he should raise his son religiously so that he has a good moral structure in his life. Or as he puts it - 'Would I rather have Bart Simpson or one of the Flanders kids?'
Following him on his journey is both informative and hilarious, something which can be gleaned by skimming the massive index at the end of the book. As his beard grows, so does his heart, which I think is really sweet. The ending did feel somewhat anti-climactic, but a book like this is more about the journey than the finish line, so I'll try to forgive Jacobs for that.
A lot of wonderful things and a lot of horrible things have been done in the name of religion. The Year of Living Biblically showed me that everything comes down to interpretation. Did that guy walking past me nudge me by accident, or was that on purpose? These small perceived slights don't matter in the scheme of things. If I make a mistake in regards to religion, it's not life or death. This book has made me want to be more religious. It makes me want to 'love my neighbour', even though he lives in his house alone and frightens me a little.
Sometimes when I'm walking on the street, I see an individual struggling to carry a lot of shopping bags. I think to myself that I should probably help them, then I get visions of being battered to death with messenger bags and/or heavy purses. In my area it's not unusual to see drug dealing, so everyone is always slightly on guard. Regardless, this book has shown me that my pride has been getting in the way. If an agnostic sort-of-Jewish author can 'put on' religion for a year, and look insane while doing it with his odd attire and new attitude, then I can certainly risk getting haemorrhaged by a 'bag for life' in order to help others.
Following him on his journey is both informative and hilarious, something which can be gleaned by skimming the massive index at the end of the book. As his beard grows, so does his heart, which I think is really sweet. The ending did feel somewhat anti-climactic, but a book like this is more about the journey than the finish line, so I'll try to forgive Jacobs for that.
A lot of wonderful things and a lot of horrible things have been done in the name of religion. The Year of Living Biblically showed me that everything comes down to interpretation. Did that guy walking past me nudge me by accident, or was that on purpose? These small perceived slights don't matter in the scheme of things. If I make a mistake in regards to religion, it's not life or death. This book has made me want to be more religious. It makes me want to 'love my neighbour', even though he lives in his house alone and frightens me a little.
Sometimes when I'm walking on the street, I see an individual struggling to carry a lot of shopping bags. I think to myself that I should probably help them, then I get visions of being battered to death with messenger bags and/or heavy purses. In my area it's not unusual to see drug dealing, so everyone is always slightly on guard. Regardless, this book has shown me that my pride has been getting in the way. If an agnostic sort-of-Jewish author can 'put on' religion for a year, and look insane while doing it with his odd attire and new attitude, then I can certainly risk getting haemorrhaged by a 'bag for life' in order to help others.
I only remember the quirky things about this book. REALLY, you can't even touch a women just in case..her..auntflo..has..come..to..visit?!? Interesting that someone wanted to turn there life around in many areas and be so disciplined in these quirky things for an entire year! Because a year really isn't that long right...anyway, it was interesting to read about the responses from people around him.