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A. J. Jacobs

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible Paperback – Illustrated, September 9, 2008

by A. J. Jacobs (Author)

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible. A.J. Jacobs chronicles his hilarious and thoughtful year spent obeying―as literally as possible―the tenets of 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.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

September 9, 2008
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.1 x 8.44 inches
ISBN-10

0743291484
ISBN-13

978-0743291484
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A.J. Jacobs is so funny he can make watching his beard grow hilarious. The Year of Living Biblically is the most unexpectedly delightful - and consistently charming - book I've read in a long time. It will have you laughing out loud, nodding in disbelief, and rethinking what you believe about the Bible. It will also have you tallying your sins: I coveted his humor and envied his facial hair. And that's no lie."–Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and Where God Was Born

"A.J. Jacobs has written a - how else to put it? - Good Book. Let me take my review from the original, Psalm 2, verse 4: 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.' And let me suggest that readers, whether they know their Bible or not, get to know A.J. Jacobs. But not in a biblical sense, please."–P.J. O'Rourke

"The Year of Living Biblically is an extremely compelling book, appropriately irreverent and highly entertaining. More significantly, it is a tale of an intense and intelligent spiritual search that will speak powerfully and instructively to a generation of seekers."–Rabbi David Ellenson, president of Hebrew Union College

"In the twenty-first century few, if any, Christians truly attempt to follow the Bible in its literal entirety, even us evangelicals. In this yearlong experiment A.J. Jacobs attempts just that, with disarming sincere, refreshingly humorous, and unexpectedly insightful results. I commend this inspired narrative to anyone actively exploring the continued relevance of biblical living, religion's need for critical self-reflection, and the timelessness of authentic faith."–Reverend Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics and president of Sojourners/Call to Renewal

"A. J. Jacobs has written about the Bible in a manner that is brilliantly funny but unerringly respectful, learned but goofy, deeply personal yet highly relevant. I am covetous and wish him smited."–Mary Roach, Bestselling author of Spook and Stiff

"A book that is at one and the same time delightfully readable and profoundly memorable is a wonder! The Year of Living Biblically is exactly that. A. J. Jacobs has perceived the distinction between the wisdom of the Bible and its absurdities. It is a shame that so many of both our clergy and our politicians seem incapable of making that distinction."–John Shelby Spong, author of Jesus for the Non-Religious and former Episcopal bishop

"As a man incapable of developing any facial hair aside from a really amazingly cruddy moustache, I would have bought this book for the astonishing big beard chronicle alone. That The Year of Living Biblically grows, beardlike, into a long, hilarious, tangled, and ultimately moving story of spiritual growth is all the more astonishing. But why should I continue to be surprised at what springs from A. J.'s head? He is a brilliantly hilarious writer who truly lives up to that oft-misused adverb/adjective combination and then some. Plus: HE IS GOING TO HEAVEN. So how can you not afford to tithe your salary to his cause and buy this book?"–John Hodgman, Daily Show correspondent and author of Areas of My Expertise

"Seeing that most people violate at least three of the ten commandments on their way to work -- even people who work from home -- says a lot about the scale of A. J.'s feat. The fact that you need to buy six copies of this book to unlock the code to save all humanity...well, that's just pure genius."–Ben Karlin, cocreator of The Colbert Report and coauthor of America: The Book

"Setting out to explore the consequences of strict adherence to biblical laws, A. J. Jacobs encounters a series of experiences that are as hilarious as they are thought-provoking. Along the way he teaches us both the fallacies of modern day religious fundamentalism and the joys of discovering the transcendent and timeless truths of faith."–Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director, Human Genome Project, author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

"Throughout his journey, Jacobs comes across as a generous and thoughtful (and yes, slightly neurotic) participant observer, lacing his story with absurdly funny cultural commentary as well as nuanced insights into the impossible task of biblical literalism."–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Impressive and often tremendously amusing.... The author's determination despite constant complications from his modern secular life (wife, job, family, NYC) underscores both the absurdity of his plight and its profundity. While debunking biblical literalism -- with dinner party-ready scriptural quotes -- Jacobs simultaneously finds his spirituality renewed. ...A biblical travelogue -- and far funnier than your standard King James."–Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

A.J. Jacobs is the author of Thanks a Thousand, It’s All Relative, Drop Dead Healthy, and the New York Times bestsellers The Know-It-All, The Year of Living Biblically, and My Life as an Experiment. He is a contributor to NPR, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Entertainment Weekly. He lives in New York City with his wife and kids. Visit him at AJJacobs.com and follow him on Twitter @ajjacobs.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (September 9, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743291484
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743291484
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.44 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #56,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21 in Religious Humor
- #49 in Old Testament Criticism & Interpretation
- #135 in Rock Band Biographies

Customer Reviews:
1,463 ratings

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A. J. Jacobs

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A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. Among his books are The Know-It-All, The Year of Living Biblically, and Thanks a Thousand, in which he travels the globe to thank everyone who had even the slightest role in making his morning cup of coffee. He is a contributor to NPR, The New York Times, and Esquire, among others. He has given several TED talks, including ones about living biblically, creating a one-world family, and living healthily that have amassed over 10 million views. His upcoming book from Crown is called "The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, From Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life."

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5 star		65%
4 star		20%
3 star		8%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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H. Cummings

An amusing, though-provoking account of living Biblically, literally.

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

I heard about this book a couple of years before I got around to purchasing and reading it. I know a lot of people who claim to take the Bible literally and who claim to live their life as closely to the guidelines set out therein. Well, the author did just that and his results are wildly different than the people I know.

While trying to follow the Bible as literally as possible, A.J. Jacobs discovers contradictions, some explicit, others springing from differences in translation and interpretation. He has difficulties incorporating the realities of modern life (like having to carry a chair with him so he doesn't accidentally sit in a seat a menstruating woman has been in; it's unclean) and it is only due to the eternal patience of his wife that he is able to live within some of these restrictions (although she draws the line at a rule that states he can't touch her at ALL for weeks after her c-section delivering their twins; spoiler: he suspends his "quest" for about a month after their birth).

The challenge the author undertakes in this book is something I, myself, would NEVER attempt, but I did find his account illuminating. Like him, I think a lot of people seek to live the best lives they can by following tenets set out in the good book, but being human, fail to varying degrees. Jacobs's quest did lead him to being a kinder, more thoughtful person, so even as a self-described agnostic, by the end of his journey, he felt it was worthwhile.

I don't want to go too in depth about my views on religious; my personal beliefs aren't relevant to this review. It's a well-written, engaging, funny account that answers a lot of questions I had about how would one have to live if they really took the Bible as literally as they said they do. His conclusion confirmed what I suspected: it's impossible to follow ALL the rules literally and EVERYONE cherry picks.

But don't take it from me. Read this and be yourself, enlightened. It's not going to make you a true believer (it certainly didn't affect my beliefs in any way), but it might increase your understanding.

33 people found this helpful

Helpful

Irreverent Without Being Mocking

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2018

Verified Purchase

The Bible, as well as being a holy book, is a historical document. The Old Testament dates back to hundreds of years before Christ, and the New Testament to within 100 years after his death. It's a holy book, but it's also the product of two distinct time periods, both very long ago. It's filled with rules, both specific and vague, that reflect the world of nomadic, desert-dwelling herding people rather than the world in which most Judeo-Christian people live today. Writer A.J. Jacobs decided to see what it would be like to actually try to live by these rules in the modern world in his book, The Year of Living Biblically. As Jacobs is a secular Jewish husband and father in New York City, wackiness ensues.

He's no stranger to offbeat projects...he'd previously written a book about his experience of reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. But when he was doing prep work for this book and realized that the Bible contains over 700 rules, ranging from very specific things like fiber-mixing and beard trimming prohibitions to very general things like restraining from covetousness, he decided to focus on the Ten Commandments first and tackle as many of the others as he could, because he knew he couldn't do all of them every day. He also seeks out people who are devoted to their religious beliefs in their own ways, leading to a visit to Amish Country, the Creation Museum, to see snakehandling Pentecostals, and even an overseas trip to Jerusalem. This on top of a regular job writing for Esquire, parenting a small son, and being a partner to his pregnant wife.

Jacobs is witty without being snarky, which is a good tone for this book. There's sometimes a tendency among secular types to get condescending about matters of religious faith and belief, which is counter-productive at best. He admits that since he's deeply agnostic, one of the hardest rules for him to follow is regular prayer, but he gamely tries anyways and is honest about both his initial discomfort and the ease that grows after months of practice. After having a hard time, in a hyperconnected world, retreating into the quiet of the Sabbath, he comes to look forward to that time to unwind and recharge. While he can't quite get into the harshness of parenting his son from a "spare the rod, spoil the child" perspective, he knows he needs to be better about discipline and he starts taking steps in the right direction.

I found this book enjoyable, if a little on the lightweight side. Although it's necessarily from Jacobs' perspective, I found myself really curious about how his wife felt about this particular experiment and what it was like to live with someone doing this. It's pretty clear from what Jacobs writes that his wife was often irritated by the project, and his frequent absences while leaving her with their son to handle while she was pregnant with twins had to be absolutely infuriating. Then again, that Jacobs seemed to simply expect her to shoulder the mental and emotional burden of dealing with his choices isn't really out of line with the very patriarchal culture in which the Bible was steeped. Recommended for people curious about religion and/or with a sense of humor about their own.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amanda

He is not using the premise to clown or poke fun, like I had initially thought

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

I was pleasantly surprised by Jacobs' balanced, informed perspective. He is not using the premise to clown or poke fun, like I had initially thought; nor is he claiming to have any kind of psedo-scientific, spiritual transformation. Jacobs begins the book as a skeptical agnostic and ends it as a skeptical agnostic -- just a more informed and worldly one.

I read this with a long list of questions: everything from "what's the deal with mixed fabrics?" to "how can any woman belong to anything that's so expressly sexist?" and Jacobs impressed me by acknowledging everything succinctly. This book isn't just anecdotal, but impressively dense with research. He explores everything from hasidc judaism all the way to baptists and the bible belt, getting an intimate look at the beliefs and percieved benefits of people from all different faiths. I would have liked him to continue his Abrahamic investigation into the quran instead of stopping at the news testament. But perhaps, coming from a jewish family, he felt unqualified.

All in all, I definitely got what I was looking for in this book: an objective perspective on many of the beliefs and rituals of modern Americans and the high-lights of an impressively exhaustive investigation of the bible. I think it should be mandatory reading for everyone, regardless of their personal faith.

53 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

BookWormsTogether

10 out of 10!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

What an excellent book! I had no idea what I was getting in to when I bought this book, but it has taken me on a fascinating journey since I started to read it. I thought I knew the Bible. I love the Bible. I've been reading it for more years than I care to admit, but this book was an eye opener. With great wit, abundant research and well written prose the writer carried me along. It wasn't always comfortable to read, at least not for me. It was challenging, to say the least! It prompted me to see what I had never seen before. Would I recommend it? Definitely! Buy, read, use as a springboard for further study. I don't think you'll ever regret it.

3 people found this helpful

paul

An important book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

A.J. did something remarkable, sacrificed 12 months of his life to something everyone should do! I was saddened at the end of the book when he finished his project, sent Bible away and probably engaged in something else. I was hoping he would develop...faith. But it is a personal matter not to be judged. What makes this book fantastic is that he actually did it! He performed his project honestly and diligently that's why this book is worth reading especially for people that believe in God and want to submit to God but find hard and awkward in today's modern world (think how modern this world felt in i.e. 1800...the Word Of God does not expire and does not go out of date!).

2 people found this helpful

John Hardy

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

Jacobs is highly committed, well informed (he knows the Bible better than most believers, and far. far better than the hard line atheists) but above all is kind sympathetic and non judgemental. He did not become a practicing Jew or a Christian but has written a book that both Jew and Christian can enjoy and profit from.

He probably didn't intend it, but one thing I took away from this book (by subtraction as it were) was an insight into the spiritual life of an agnostic New Yorker. Like peering into a ghastly abyss.

I also suspect that God hasn't finished with Jacobs yet. God is not lightly called the Hound of Heaven

3 people found this helpful

Bellringer

Interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

I began this book following a conversation with a work colleague. At first it was fascinating but gradually it became too introspective. Consequently I simply read after halfway only the subject days that caught my eye. So basically interesting but also somewhat tedious.

Amazon Customer

Funny, poignant and an all round good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book and have since recommended it to others. It is an easy read and had me both laughing out loud and thinking deeply.

Jacobs treats his subject with sensitivity and good humour, which was a welcome approach. This sort of book could very easily have become a vitriolic and mocking look at Biblical laws, however instead Jacobs attempts to look behind to the possible motivations. Yes certain laws are viewed as rather bizarre, but any poking fun at these seems to be done with affection.

I personally am a Christian and found some of Jacobs insights into the Bible to be very profound, it made me reconsider some Biblical passages in a new light. However I do not think that being religious or non-religious would have any impact on your ability to enjoy this book.

2 people found this helpful

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