The Year of Living Biblically

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

Written by A.J. Jacobs

To be fair, this was one of my bigger expositions to the Bible. Not being a Christian, I don't know much. I'd read A.J. Jacob's other book and really enjoyed it, so I figured I should give this one a try. A.J. Jacobs was also raised without the Bible as an influence on his life, so this was a pretty new journey for him. As the title says, he decides to take a year to live his life according to the Bible, from the small to the big commandments, from the tedious to the utterly bizarre, he does it all. I learned so much from this book. Jacobs expresses a sentiment about religion that I think many of us struggle with in one way or other: "Don't be so caught up in the regulations that you forget about the big things, like compassion and respect for life." I learned about the extremes some people can take religion to, whether it be for their own selfish reasons, or for social altruism (red-letter Christians). I also thought it was amusing to see Kevin Roose make cameo appearances in this book. In the end, the book proves to be very thought-provoking, leading the reader to consider the role religion and spirituality plays in their own lives.

Rating: 5/5

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh