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Subtitled: "One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible," Jacobs, or A.J., as his two-year-old son calls him, does just that. It is likely that no one but A.J. Jacobs could have accomplished such a feat. After all, his last book, The Know-It-All, chronicles his reading of the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica, from A to Z. No one but a smart, witty, self-deprecating, nitpicky kinda guy would undertake two such daunting tasks, and complete them with grace, no pun intended.
Jacobs, a New York Jewish agnostic, decides to follow the laws and rules of the Bible, beginning with the Old Testament, for one year. (He actually adds some bonus days and makes it a 381-day year.) He starts by growing a beard and we are with him through every itchy moment. Jacobs is borderline OCD, at least as he describes himself; obsessing over possible dangers to his son, germs, literal interpretation of Bible verses, etc. He enlists the aid of counselors along the way; Jewish rabbis, Christians of every stripe, friends and neighbors.
In an open-minded way he also visits with atheists, Evangelicals Concerned (a gay group), Jerry Falwell, snake handlers, Red Letter Christians--those who adhere to the red letters in the Bible, those words spoken by Jesus Himself, and even takes a trip to Israel and meets Samaritans. Through it all, he keeps a healthy skepticism, but continues to pray and is open to the flowering of real faith. Jacobs is a knowledge junky, to be sure. He enjoys the lore he picks up along the way as much as any other aspect of his experiment. One of the ongoing schticks is his meeting with the shatnez tester, Mr. Berkowitz. He is the one who determines whether or not your clothes are made of mixed fibers, in keeping with the Biblical injunction not to wear wool and linen together. The two become friends and prayer partners, in only one of the unexpected results of this year.
In the end, he says, "I'm now a reverent agnostic. Which isn't an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe that whether or not there's a God, there is such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred." Not a bad outcome. --Valerie Ryan
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In the hysterical follow-up to The Know-It-All, A J Jacobs tells the story of the year in which he attempted to follow every precept in the Bible, even where they contradicted each other.Avoiding shellfish was easy. The stoning of adulterers proved a little more difficult - and potentially controversial. Was it enough to walk up to an adulterer and gently touch them with a stone? Even that could be grounds for accusations of assault, especially with female adulterers in Manhattan. So what's a good Bible-reading boy to do?Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in head first and attempt to obey the hundreds of less-publicized rules. The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal, and will make you see history's most influential book with new eyes. The stoning of adulterers proved a little more difficult - and potentially controversial. The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal, and will make you see history's most influential book with new eyes. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099509790
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780099509790
Book Description Condition: New. pp. 400. Seller Inventory # 5818678
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. The stoning of adulterers proved a little more difficult - and potentially controversial. The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal, and will make you see history's most influential book with new eyes. Seller Inventory # B9780099509790
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon0099509792
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 400 pages. 7.80x5.08x1.14 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099509792
Book Description Condition: New. 2009. Paperback. Written by the author who, raised in a secular family but interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, decides to dive in head first and attempt to obey the hundreds of less-publicized rules. This book describes how the resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal. Num Pages: 400 pages, ports. BIC Classification: WH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 131 x 29. Weight in Grams: 284. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099509790
Book Description Condition: New. 2009. Paperback. Written by the author who, raised in a secular family but interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, decides to dive in head first and attempt to obey the hundreds of less-publicized rules. This book describes how the resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal. Num Pages: 400 pages, ports. BIC Classification: WH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 131 x 29. Weight in Grams: 284. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780099509790
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0099509792