The Year of Living Biblically

In this timely and fascinating audiobook, A.J. Jacobs tries to follow such famous Scriptural laws as the Ten Commandments, be fruitful and multiply, and love your neighbor. But he also obeys dozens of less-publicized instructions, including growing a beard, avoiding clothes of mixed fibers and, yes, stoning adulterers.

 

Jacobs, who was raised in a secular household, dives headfirst into the most influential book of all time. He assembles a board of spiritual advisors, studies the Old and New Testaments, grows a beard so unruly that he is regularly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top, immerses himself in prayer—even tends sheep in the Negev desert. His discoveries about himself and the Bible are both surprising and profound.

 

With the Bible—and its literal interpretation—remaining a mighty force in American society, Jacobs embeds himself in a cross-section of remarkable Biblical communities, from a Kentucky-based creationist museum to the Pennsylvania Amish, from Christian charity workers to Hasidic Jews. The result is a story that will captivate secular and religious alike.

 

Respectful and hilarious in equal measures, The Year of Living Biblically is at once an irresistible listen, a vital exploration of religion in America today, and a genuinely moving spiritual journey.