The Year of Living Biblically
One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible
As Literally as Possible
Heather Park
The Year of Living Biblically is comedy of ideas. It
is satirical and subtly mocks religion, and more specifically, Christianity and
the Ten Commandments. For one year, A.J. Jacobs dove headfirst and attempted to
obey the Bible as literally as possible. He vowed to follow the Ten
Commandments and also the hundreds of less publicized rules. In this book, A.J.
Jacobs mocks many rules of Christianity such as avoiding wearing clothes made
of mixed fibers, and to stone adulterers. Another rule he followed was that he
‘must not pick up fallen grapes, but leave them for the poor’. While he was
walking down the streets of New York, he accidently dropped a five dollar bill
and lied to a woman and said that it wasn’t his, but that it belonged to the
poor. Although the bible hadn’t meant the phrase to be taken so literally,
Jacobs had decided to interpret every phrase as literally as possible.
I would recommend this book for people who are both
religious and atheist. Though The Year of living Biblically is part CliffNotes
to the Bible, it is both laugh out loud funny and enlightening. The incongruity
of events such as buying a chicken from a man who studied religion all his life
just because he had told him the bible says to own a chicken was gave me many
chuckles. Also, he exaggerated many rules of Christianity such as not wearing
mixed fibers by wearing a white wool robe for the entire year. Jacobs
illustrated living a ‘flawless’ life. The Year of Living Biblically was
insightful as well as humorous and witty. Jacobs’ memoir was funny and
profound, reverent and irreverent, and personal and universal. I would recommend
this book for anyone who would like to have an eye opening read, and a good
chuckle.
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