I will admit here that I predicted Jacobs' 332-page memoir of his year as a Biblical literalist to fall into the same category as Bill Maher's Religulous, and that I was proven wrong. I saw the Maher documentary when I was halfway through The Year of Living Biblically (2007), and condemned it as an immature way of proving the point with which I anticipated Jacobs to conclude: that religious fundamentalism is ridiculous and only for the simple-minded. However, by the end of Biblically, Jacobs--a 38-year-old Manhattanite and editor of Esquire magazine--has become not only refreshingly un-jaded, but also a follower of those Biblical laws that should matter most: He is grateful, goodhearted, and conscientous. Jacobs does not criticize those who manipulate the scripture, rather he says:
Jacobs' writing is not the most innovative, and around Day 120 I put the book down for longer than I should have, but the insight the author gleaned from particular Biblical passages kept me engaged. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone in need of a Bible 101 crash course, a few laughs, or a light--and enlightening--summer nonfiction read....there's nothing wrong with choosing. Cafeterias aren't bad per se... The
key is choosing the right dishes. You need to pick the nurturing ones
(compassion), the healthy ones (love thy neighbor), not the bitter ones.
Religious leaders don't know everything about every food, but maybe the good ones can help guide you to what is fresh. (328)
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