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A review by rach
My Life as an Experiment: One Man's Humble Quest to Improve Himself by Living as a Woman, Becoming George Washington, Telling No Lies, and Other Radical Tests by A.J. Jacobs
4.0
There's something honest and appealing about AJ Jacobs particular brand of neuroses. I appreciate the openness with which he opens up his home and family to his readers. I really enjoyed his book on his biblical project, and this series of essays on his other smaller projects was equally entertaining.
Obviously, some projects were more entertaining than others. I recently read a biography of Washington, so Jacobs' revelations on that score were not that new to me, though I agree with his conclusions. The radical honesty experiment was interesting, but in the end, seemed more like shock for shock's sake. The last project, where he spent a month doing everything his wife, Julie, wanted, actually made me like her less than I had previously. I appreciated the exercises like Julie making a list of all the household stuff she does that AJ didnt even know existed, because that is good for any relationship. But the glee she felt in making him get up to manually change the volume on the tv when she was holding the remote felt mean-spirited and was off putting. I do feel like Julie lets AJ get away with a lot of annoying behaviors, but she took her month of power a little too far.
I really enjoyed the essay about AJ outsourcing his life to India. It's kind of shocking to see how much stuff could be done remotely, from half a world away, and so proficiently. Clearly, the American workforce had better watch out. My favorite were the polite but firm emails the girls would send for AJ to his boss. They were impossible to ignore and impossible to be rude to.
Attending the Oscars as an actual celebrity, even if you're just impersonating one, is one of those dream-come-true things that most people can never experience, so I appreciated Jacobs' take on that one. What a rush to meet so many famous celebrities and feel like you fit in amongst them. Other than that one who actually knows the guy you're impersonating and can tell the difference. And the cherry on top of that sundae was the guy he impersonated was appreciative, because he hates those things! Score! :)
I was also fascinated by the month AJ spent responding to online dating ads for his beautiful nanny. As much as AJ had never experienced that before, neither have I, and it was definitely interesting to see the way power dynamics shift between people, depending on how they present themselves in photos and in their words. Part of me wants to set up a fake dating profile myself to experiment, but in the end, I think I'd feel too mean or get too depressed.
I'll definitely read the rest of Jacobs' books eventually. His writing style is entertaining and his quirky nature is funny and endearing. He'd be a fun friend to have, even if he is a little strange.
PS. I might have googled AJ's nude photo for Esquire. He's right, it is very tasteful! :)
Obviously, some projects were more entertaining than others. I recently read a biography of Washington, so Jacobs' revelations on that score were not that new to me, though I agree with his conclusions. The radical honesty experiment was interesting, but in the end, seemed more like shock for shock's sake. The last project, where he spent a month doing everything his wife, Julie, wanted, actually made me like her less than I had previously. I appreciated the exercises like Julie making a list of all the household stuff she does that AJ didnt even know existed, because that is good for any relationship. But the glee she felt in making him get up to manually change the volume on the tv when she was holding the remote felt mean-spirited and was off putting. I do feel like Julie lets AJ get away with a lot of annoying behaviors, but she took her month of power a little too far.
I really enjoyed the essay about AJ outsourcing his life to India. It's kind of shocking to see how much stuff could be done remotely, from half a world away, and so proficiently. Clearly, the American workforce had better watch out. My favorite were the polite but firm emails the girls would send for AJ to his boss. They were impossible to ignore and impossible to be rude to.
Attending the Oscars as an actual celebrity, even if you're just impersonating one, is one of those dream-come-true things that most people can never experience, so I appreciated Jacobs' take on that one. What a rush to meet so many famous celebrities and feel like you fit in amongst them. Other than that one who actually knows the guy you're impersonating and can tell the difference. And the cherry on top of that sundae was the guy he impersonated was appreciative, because he hates those things! Score! :)
I was also fascinated by the month AJ spent responding to online dating ads for his beautiful nanny. As much as AJ had never experienced that before, neither have I, and it was definitely interesting to see the way power dynamics shift between people, depending on how they present themselves in photos and in their words. Part of me wants to set up a fake dating profile myself to experiment, but in the end, I think I'd feel too mean or get too depressed.
I'll definitely read the rest of Jacobs' books eventually. His writing style is entertaining and his quirky nature is funny and endearing. He'd be a fun friend to have, even if he is a little strange.
PS. I might have googled AJ's nude photo for Esquire. He's right, it is very tasteful! :)