The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs

This was a very entertaining read. A.J. Jacobs. His year long experiment was chronicled in this book. Jacobs, who was born to a Jewish family, decided he was going to delve into the Old Testament full force. This was new territory to him as he was not a very religious Jew. During his experiment he learned a lot about his faith and heritage, and so did I.

I grew up in a primarily Jewish neighborhood (across the street from a synagogue) and have a very good friend whose family recognized some of the traditions, therefore, I knew about a lot of their customs and traditions, but what Jacobs found on his journey was fascinating. He spoke about his trials as his beard grew and his clothes fibers couldn't mix. He made light of his ignorance and his trouble altering his New York attitude. Jacobs found humor on his journey and he wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts and mis–steps.

After reading this, I have a new respect for those who try to follow the Bible literally. Although I am sure no one has followed it as literally as Mr. Jacobs. What I found nice about his year long journey is that not only did he consult with Jewish authorities, he went to Christian ones as well. His research was very well rounded, which I think gave him more knowledge then he required, but it was a noble effort.

I am going to read his other book “Know-It-All, One Man’s Humble Request to Become the Smartest Person in the World”.