The Year of Living Biblically

One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

By: A. J. Jacobs

Narrated by: A. J. Jacobs

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

After his hilarious chronicle about reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z (actually a-ak to zyweic), our fearless author, A. J. Jacobs, tackles a new intellectual adventure, an exploration of the most influential book in the world: the Bible. He determined the best way to explore the Bible was to live it, as literally as possible. For one year.

There are 700 rules in the Old and New Testaments, A. J. discovered - some wise, some general, some contradictory. Some from Jesus, some from prophets, some from God. A. J. assembled a board of spiritual advisors: rabbis, ministers, and priests, some conservative, some of them "one four-letter word away from excommunication", who would provide guidance and advice throughout his journey. But the journey was, by necessity, arbitrary. DIY religion.

In The Year of Living Biblically, A. J. explores the Bible chronologically, from the Old Testament (crucial, given the 10 Commandments) to the New Testament (crucial, given America's powerful evangelical movement and its literal interpretation of the Bible) and lives the Bible on every level. He obeys the 10 Commandments, he is fruitful and multiplies (A. J.'s wife had twins during his year!); he remembers the Sabbath and keeps it holy. But he also obeys the oft-neglected rules, such as avoiding clothes of mixed fibers and refraining from shaving the edges of his beard (Leviticus 19:27). So, throughout the year, A. J. is commonly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top. Or Moses.

This is a look at religion today through one man's totally arbitrary, deeply funny, journey. In A. J.'s hands, The Year of Living Biblically is also fascinating and irresistible.

©2007 A. J. Jacobs (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] hilarious, quixotic, thought-provoking memoir." ( Publishers Weekly)
"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.'" (P. J. O'Rourke)

A Sitcom About the Bible

This is a fun little book on a heavy duty topic. I really enjoyed the various perspectives on why some people adhere to the Old Testament rules. I listened to this book mostly on headphones in public places and at several points I found myself having to explain my sudden outbursts of uncontrollable laughter to surrounding bus riders/grocery shoppers. That being said, the silly parts are pretty much where you expect them to be and the attempts at poignancy feel a little bit like the wrap up of an episode of Wonder Years or Full House.

If you're on the fence, you should probably go ahead and listen to this book. It gets sort of lame at the end, but the first three quarters are worth twelve bucks.

Maybe a professional narrator...

Maybe a professional narrator would have added that little more pizzazz to this peculiar story. Even if based entirely on the author personal experience, I feel that having him read the story rather than a narrator has taken something away from the pleasure of listening to it.

Very Inspiring

Would you listen to The Year of Living Biblically again? Why?

Yeah, its quite uplifting and would be good for a pick me up.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

His Transformation

Any additional comments?

Great listen! I would highly suggest it

Really following the word of God...

The man who read the entire Encyclopedia Britinica in one year takes on another amusing task (thereby making me wonder, yet again, how his wife puts up with him). A. J. Jacobs uses a year of living as close to Biblically as possible as a way to examine his own agnosticism, the faith of the masses, and his everyday life. This book is funny, the writing is sharp and the plot leads to alot of introspection on the reader's part as well. It is interesting to consider some of the rules in the Bible, and to consider why we follow some and preach on them so heavily and yet ignore others. I do think Jacobs needs a little more information about the New Testament, but it's still a good overview.

Since the author does the naration, you can be sure that everything is emphisized correctly. He is a great storyteller-both in print and out loud.

Oh the Cleverness of Me - AJ Does the Bible

I have listened to a few of AJ Jacob's books now and this is yet another experiment of his that is a bit out there - which is what makes his books sell. Jacobs uses his life as his catalyst for his writing, which makes this a rather blog-like book. So it has a bit of a documentary type feel too it which is perfect for a long drive.

I was going on a road trip with my parents and didn't think they'd exactly be into listening to Game of Thrones or my audible obsession with Molly Harper. I was not about to listen to a crime novel - my parents love them but they're just not my thing. As Christians who grew up with all these Bible stories I thought they'd get a kick out of Jacobs' attempt to live by God's rules set down on paper.

My mother thoroughly enjoyed this, laughing out loud and my dad chuckled occasionally and found Jacobs amusing. This book was definitely a good choice. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a Jewish and/or Christian background because you'll get the jokes, and for anyone of any other religion you get the chance to see a guy put himself out there and follow some really ridiculous rules.

As for the narration, I think it would have been better to have someone else read this. While it is about his life, so it makes sense for him to read it, Jacobs has an "oh the cleverness of me" tone to his voice that can get on your nerves. After a while you realize this guy is totally smitten with his ideas and thinks he's awesome. I'm all about self-confidence but listening to someone go one in that fashion for 6 hours can get to be a bit too much. We'd get around this if it were read by someone else.

Second time reading.

AJ. Jacobs if you are reading please write more books. More about the Bible Would be great but anything will do. Thank you

Abridged, but delightful

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author's sense of humor is firmly rooted in our shared humanity and curiosity regarding the relevance of the Bible in our lives today. Highly and warmly recommended.

Fantastic funny!

This interesting work by Jacobs takes you through his year as indicated by the Title. The authors narration was perfect and inflicted every emotion in just the right place. I'm glad I bought this as audio instead of reading the book!

Its ABRIDGED! Buy the book if want the whole story

To all the reviewers complaining about the short shrift the New Testament gets, I say read the dead tree version for the full story. Overall worth one credit, but I could do with less talk about the author's OCD routines and issues.

AJ Has Done It Again!

I loved this book easily as much as I did his Know It All book. His relatable style and clever use of day to day interaction makes this as enjoyable as any novel. I would recommend this title to anyone who is looking to get some perspective on their own questions of faith and religion or anyone who enjoys the heroes journey. AJ does a great job of reading his own work too, so many times an author will read his own book and you'll love the work but, the authors voice is annoying, not so with AJ.