11.18.08
The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs
The year of living biblically is a memoir of AJ’s attempt to live the Bible as literally as possible. It starts off quirky, warm and light when it comes to the Bible stuff. Like another another book by AJ Jacobs, Know it all, you get to know his sense of humor and mild neuroticism - plus he get’s all factoidal with Bible trivia. What’s not to like about an easy read like this?
One of my favorite anecdotes is AJ’s dealings with shatnez tester, Mr Berkowitz. A shatnez tester by the way, is an orthodox Jewish man who inspects clothing to make sure you aren’t breaking a bible commandment by wearing clothing made from mixed fibers.
AJ further meets with Christian creationists, the Amish, and Samaritans. It’s a fun, popcorn travel of Bible believing religions.
My only gripes is that for a man who tries to live as Bible literally for an entire year, he remains remarkable unaffected by the whole ordeal. On the volume knob of conversion, he ends up one and a half degrees past agnostic. Maybe this just reflect his tepid New York spirituality, but it’s kind of depressing that he just became a marginally better person. It just goes to show - AJ was out to make an entertaining book (which he did) and not true religious adventure. It’s like the slow moving teacup ride at Disneyland vs Space Mountain.
Again, not really a soul searching book, but an enjoyable read if you like the subject matter.