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A review by hmgelo02
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible by A.J. Jacobs
5.0
I am not a religious person, and if pressed to classify myself into some category I'd have to categorize myself as agnostic: unsure of what my specific beliefs are, but not willing to say that there is or is not a God or higher being reigning supreme. Perhaps because I'm still searching to figure out where my beliefs lie, I find myself drawn to books about religion and other peoples' quests to figure out the whole religious movement thing. So when a friend recommended this book to me I immediately downloaded my copy to my Kindle.
When I found myself between books I decided to give it a read. And I pretty much didn't stop. I really loved this book. AJ Jacobs, self-described as "Jewish in the way Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant", has decided to devote a year of his life to living the Bible literally... or as literally as one can do without breaking modern day American laws and estranging his wife and every other person in his life. This book chronicles his journey from being a complete and total skeptic of most things Biblical to a more self-aware, willing-and-eager-to-pray, and educated-about-the-Bible man (even if he did focus more on the Old Testament than on the New Testament).
As with other books of this type, where an individual dedicates a year to living as others mandate, I'm in awe that someone can give up control of their free will to do more than just take the advice of a few, but jump in with both feet to fully immerse himself in a lifestyle that is at once foreign and uncomfortable.
This book was filled with obscure Bible verses and rules, information about groups that attempt to follow the Bible literally and others that have taken bits and pieces to fit their beliefs and lifestyles, and how Jacobs has decided to live out his own version of a Biblical life. I was really expecting his writing to be more snarky and judgmental, but it wasn't. He attempted to seek out perhaps some of the more extreme followers of Judaism and Christianity, leaving the moderates somewhat unexamined, but here is where I understand that there are many who devote their entire lives to the study of the Bible; to attempt to fit it all into the space of one year (and a couple weeks) would be impossible.
If I have any criticism of this book at all, it would probably be the way Jacobs has thrown in pop culture references and trivia, which felt - to me - to be his way of making sure his readers know that although he's grown a nearly unmanageable beard and now wears white robes with tassels hanging from its corners, and bound laminated copies of the Ten Commandments to his forehead and hand, he's still just another average American guy. They weren't necessary; we knew from upfront that his Biblical self "Jacob" was not synonymous with "AJ", his lustful, prideful, prone-to-lying, envious-of-others, writing-for-Esquire self.
In short, this was a fascinating read, and I can guarantee that I'll be reading his other books as well.
When I found myself between books I decided to give it a read. And I pretty much didn't stop. I really loved this book. AJ Jacobs, self-described as "Jewish in the way Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant", has decided to devote a year of his life to living the Bible literally... or as literally as one can do without breaking modern day American laws and estranging his wife and every other person in his life. This book chronicles his journey from being a complete and total skeptic of most things Biblical to a more self-aware, willing-and-eager-to-pray, and educated-about-the-Bible man (even if he did focus more on the Old Testament than on the New Testament).
As with other books of this type, where an individual dedicates a year to living as others mandate, I'm in awe that someone can give up control of their free will to do more than just take the advice of a few, but jump in with both feet to fully immerse himself in a lifestyle that is at once foreign and uncomfortable.
This book was filled with obscure Bible verses and rules, information about groups that attempt to follow the Bible literally and others that have taken bits and pieces to fit their beliefs and lifestyles, and how Jacobs has decided to live out his own version of a Biblical life. I was really expecting his writing to be more snarky and judgmental, but it wasn't. He attempted to seek out perhaps some of the more extreme followers of Judaism and Christianity, leaving the moderates somewhat unexamined, but here is where I understand that there are many who devote their entire lives to the study of the Bible; to attempt to fit it all into the space of one year (and a couple weeks) would be impossible.
If I have any criticism of this book at all, it would probably be the way Jacobs has thrown in pop culture references and trivia, which felt - to me - to be his way of making sure his readers know that although he's grown a nearly unmanageable beard and now wears white robes with tassels hanging from its corners, and bound laminated copies of the Ten Commandments to his forehead and hand, he's still just another average American guy. They weren't necessary; we knew from upfront that his Biblical self "Jacob" was not synonymous with "AJ", his lustful, prideful, prone-to-lying, envious-of-others, writing-for-Esquire self.
In short, this was a fascinating read, and I can guarantee that I'll be reading his other books as well.