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Title

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

AJ Jacobs

Review

Devout Jews and Christians might wince at the thought of reading a book marketed as "hilarious" and sporting cover art that look as if it ridicules faith, but I found the author's treatment of biblical laws to be respectful and thoughtful. He tries hard to follow the tiniest tenet and puzzling precept, but also to develop a sympathetic understanding of the impulses behind the holiness code, the various schools of interpretation, and the difficulty of living up to a deliberate code of ethics.

Not surprisingly, he finds laws concerning money and sex the most difficult to observe, but he tries - oh, how he tries! The book has observations and stories that are laugh-out-loud funny.

Review Date

Reviewed April 2009