Why did I pick up this book at the bookstore?* Check out the subtitle: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. The Bible has some strange stuff in it, so I was intrigued. I flipped through a few pages, began laughing aloud, read a few more, and found myself learning about religious practices I'd dismissed or never even heard of, much less ponder seriously. So, I purchased the book and spent the next 10 days reading about AJ Jacobs' quest.
The motivation for his quest? As a writer, Jacobs needed a new topic for a book and thought this sounded like a good idea (his last endeavor was to read the entire encyclopedia, which resulted in a book called The Know-It All. This makes him a little crazy, perhaps, but he's a good writer so let's let it slide for now). As a father, he was beginning to wonder what kind of religious/spiritual beliefs he should instill (or not instill) in his son. As a self-described secular Jew, he was beginning to wonder about his own religious identity, trying to find a balance between his ethnically Jewish but religiously secular upbringing with several of his relatives' extremist religious views/practices. All this is set against the backdrop of living in present-day America, where the influences of Christian conservatism are on the rise.
This blend of professional, personal, and spiritual makes for an interesting, funny read that will leave you asking what we believe, why we believe it, and what role culture plays in the whole messy mix. But more on that during my next post, a review of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. For now, I'll just add that Living Biblically will appeal to those religious and not.
*I know that the banner at the top of this blog says that I'm using my library card. I am. Just not in all cases. And yes, rumors that my nightstand is ready to collapse under the weight of the books I have piled up on it are, mostly, true. *sigh*
The motivation for his quest? As a writer, Jacobs needed a new topic for a book and thought this sounded like a good idea (his last endeavor was to read the entire encyclopedia, which resulted in a book called The Know-It All. This makes him a little crazy, perhaps, but he's a good writer so let's let it slide for now). As a father, he was beginning to wonder what kind of religious/spiritual beliefs he should instill (or not instill) in his son. As a self-described secular Jew, he was beginning to wonder about his own religious identity, trying to find a balance between his ethnically Jewish but religiously secular upbringing with several of his relatives' extremist religious views/practices. All this is set against the backdrop of living in present-day America, where the influences of Christian conservatism are on the rise.
This blend of professional, personal, and spiritual makes for an interesting, funny read that will leave you asking what we believe, why we believe it, and what role culture plays in the whole messy mix. But more on that during my next post, a review of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. For now, I'll just add that Living Biblically will appeal to those religious and not.
*I know that the banner at the top of this blog says that I'm using my library card. I am. Just not in all cases. And yes, rumors that my nightstand is ready to collapse under the weight of the books I have piled up on it are, mostly, true. *sigh*
