Are you having your menstrual cycle? If not, high-five. If so, I say goodbye.

          Think about all those times when you and your parents got into a fight and they told you to respect them since it is one of the Ten Commandments. You probably retorted back if you should follow one of the more obscure rules such as growing a large beard. In A. J Jacobs’ book, The Year of Living Biblically the author does just that. We as the reader follow his spontaneous journey of observing the countless rules prescribed by the bible. He begins by describing his daily home life in order to portray how much his life has changed because of his decision to follow the bible literally. This once generally secular man has turned his family’s life upside down in his one year journey for enlightenment. The reader sees Jacobs in his ups and downs as he questions the relevancy of certain rules.

            I would recommend this book for anybody regardless of their affiliation with religion. It is a real eye-opener for anybody who has thought about following the rules of the bible but did not have the courage to do so. It blends knowledge, comedy, and weirdness into one package. For example, there was a time when he made his kid cry because he couldn’t say that an English muffin was a bagel. Another rule that left me shaking my head with perplexity was when he was forced to ask women whether or not they were on their menstrual cycle in order to make sure that he make contact with them. This book has taught me that there are multiple organizations regarding just the topic of the creation of the universe. It helps me realize that religion is a very serious business made up of rabbis and spiritual groups. An example is the Jewish people who take their faith very seriously. They even call an inspector in order to make sure that their clothes are not a mix of linen and wool.

            I feel as if I was taking part in the author’s exploits as a religious man. This feeling is attributed to the structure of the book. The chapter is replaced by the months of the year. The months are divided into days. This structure gave a sense of the progression of time.