In Review: The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs

What happens when an agnostic writer for Esquire magazine decides to live the Bible, every single verse, LITERALLY for one year? A lot of funny stuff...mixed in with some very serious lessons learned.
I picked this book up recently at the library, and thought it looked interesting. Wow, once I started it, I was not able to put it down! Whenever I was reading it, I would literally be laughing out loud, which my husband thought quite humorous in and of itself.
Not only is A. J. Jacobs a very witty writer, but of course, the subject material was highly interesting as well. However, after reading this book, I think that Jacobs could be writing about the life of rocks and it would still be a best-seller on the NY Times list. This chronicle of Jacobs' journey into the world of Biblical laws, both well-known ("Thou shall not murder.") and a little less known ("Don't take a mother bird with the chicks.") is both entertaining and informative. His experiences include spending time with the Hasidics in Crown Heights, hanging out with a Jehovah's Witness and even a service at a snake-handling church!
Actually, I have to say one thing that truly surprised me. This book went beyond informative for me. It actually delved deep into the devotional realm, which was highly unexpected coming from an agnostic source. However, I found myself being challenged to see some of the more obscure Biblical commandments in a new light. I discovered that as much as I like to say that I take the Bible literally...sometimes my life does not portray that.
As you can probably tell, I highly recommend this book. To anyone. Anywhere. I never buy books, but this is one that I'd love to have on my shelf (hint, hint). Check it out!