Press

“A. J. Jacobs has written about the Bible in a manner that is brilliantly funny but unerringly respectful, learned but goofy, deeply personal yet highly relevant. I am covetous and wish him smited.” –Mary Roach, 
bestselling author of Spook and Stiff

“Setting out to explore the consequences of strict adherence to Biblical laws, A.J. Jacobs encounters a series of experiences that are as hilarious as they are thought-provoking.  Along the way he teaches us both the fallacies of modern day religious fundamentalism and the joys of discovering the transcendent and timeless truths of faith.” –Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Human Genome Project, Author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

“Both laugh out loud funny and enlightening…an entirely absorbing read.” –People magazine (Four stars out of four)

“As a man incapable of developing any facial hair aside from a really amazingly cruddy mustache, I would have bought this book for the astonishing big beard chronicle alone. That THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY grows, beard-like, into a long, hilarious, tangled, and ultimately moving story of spiritual growth is all the more astonishing. But why should I continue to be surprised at what springs from AJ's head? He is a brilliantly hilarious writer who truly lives up to that oft-misused adverb/adjective combination, and then some. Plus: HE IS GOING TO HEAVEN. So how can you not afford to tithe your salary to his cause and but this book?” –John Hodgman Daily Show correspondent and author of AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE

“Delightful, self-deprecating…fascinating.” –Seattle Times

“Jacobs is a good guide and you'll find the trip rewarding.” –The New York Post

“Funny and educational for those who've been playing hooky from church. Even better you get to sleep in on the Sabbath.” –Entertainment Weekly

“A surprisingly moving memoir…This is a highly effective and affecting book.” –Orlando Sentinel

“At the risk of overreaching, I'm just going to say it: It's better than the Bible. Or not better, necessarily. But it is funnier, moves faster, and doesn't bog you down with any of those genealogies.” –Matt Labash, Slate Magazine

“Jacobs' book is highly entertaining but it touches on an age-old debate that centuries ago drove Martin Luther's reformation of the Christian church and gave birth to Protestantism. The issue that continues to divide Bible believers is the purpose of the Biblical rules, commonly referred to as the Law or ''good works,'' in one's spiritual justification or acceptance by God.” –Salt Lake Tribune

“Somewhere between growing his beard to Moses lengths, stoning an adulterer with a pebble and limiting his wardrobe to white garments, A.J. Jacobs had a spiritual awakening.” –Miami Herald

“A book that is at one and the same time delightfully readable and profoundly memorable is a wonder! The Year of Living Biblically is exactly that. A. J. Jacobs has perceived the distinction between the wisdom of the Bible and its absurdities.  It is shame that so many of both our clergy and our politicians seem incapable of making that distinction.” –John Shelby Spong, Author of JESUS FOR THE NON-RELIGIOUS and former Episcopal bishop

“Whatever genius it took to turn the weighty task of reading the entire encyclopedia into such an entertaining frolic of a book, my bet is that Jacobs had it all along.” –Entertainment Weekly

“A.J. Jacobs’ story of his quest is one of the year’s funniest books.” –Indionapolis Star

“Inspired and inspiring…” –Vanity Fair

“The Know-It-All is a clever, wise book.” –Vancouver Sun

“Charming . . . endearing . . . the book’s facts will provide enough anecdotes to perk up conversations and weather the season’s social events. More substantially, The Know-It-All belongs to the category of literary expeditions whose chief reward is their nudging toward a fantastic, heretofore forbidding, work.” –The Washington Post

“Frequently funny and sometimes downright hilarious, but this is also an unexpectedly moving book.” –The Daily Mail

“I fell in love with this book on page one and I have laughed out loud on every page since. With his hilarious Britannica-fed insights on life, A.J. Jacobs uncovers the profound by way of the trivial. The Know-It-All is endlessly entertaining. Genius, pure.” –Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

“This book, which guarantees almost a guffaw on every page. is is so intriguing I abandoned Bill Clinton's "My Life" on Page 773, just as Ms. Lewinsky strolled into the book.” –The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)

“[A] witty, seredipitous Cook’s tour of human knowledge…It’s beach reading for smart people…” –St. Louis Post-Distpatch

“A very entertaining tribute to the joys of learning…” –The (London) Independent on Sunday

“It’s a pleasure to read—and you might learn something.” –Psychology Today

“Jacobs weaves in contemporary culture and stories from his life -- a winsome combination that makes this book, oddly enough, a page turner.” –USA Today

“Jacobs’ Diaries are delightfully unpretentious.” –Washington City Paper

“Jacobs truly lives what he reports, which makes his writing so absorbing. His books are well-researched but not boring, and his insights are both enlightening and often laugh-out-loud hilarious…brilliant.” –Wisconsin State Journal

“He’s not just in it for the yuks -- though there are plenty of yuks. (He's very funny.) He has a curious, questioning mind and is always looking for larger meaning….THE GUINEA PIG DIARIES is intelligent, insightful shtick.” –Minneapolis Star Tribune

“[T]he most enlightening moments are driven by his honesty, his sense of humor, and his willingness to constantly challenge his ingrained assumptions… Hilarity, and quite a bit of learning, ensue…In the GUINEA PIG DIARIES, he once again achieves a rare literary balance––an intellectual study of human behavior that will make readers laugh out loud or, in the more daring cases, inspire them to try one of these experiments for themselves.” –Providence Journal

“Consider ‘Guinea Pig’ a greatest hits volume, of sorts. Some fan favorites, but also some new material.” –Buffalo News

“THE GUINEA PIG DIARIES is as funny and as instructive as memoir can get.” –Knoxville News-Sentinel

“‘Immersive journalism’ is a rather popular trope these days, and GQ editor A.J. Jacobs is one of its most entertaining adherents, performing a public service with his quest for knowledge in his latest book, THE GUINEA PIG DIARIES…His experiments, alternately Herculean and banal, are emblematic of how difficult it is in this modern age to find enlightenment; ‘know thyself’ regularly brushes up against the cold, rocky bottom of daily life.” –L.A. Weekly

“His tongue-in-cheek writing style and breezy voice make the book an easy and enjoyable read.” –Jewish Book World

“Jacobs…could be the funniest nonfiction writer this side of Bill Bryson…The experiments themselves are fascinating and lead to genuinely surprising conclusions…and Jacobs’ storytelling is lighthearted and frequently laugh-out-loud funny…There aren’t a lot of nonfiction books you want to read over and over, but this is certainly one of them.” –Booklist, starred review

“Jacobs continues his unique brand of immersion journalism…[and] his style is crisp and often laugh-out-loud funny….[An] endearing and nimble look at how pursuing absurd extremes can illuminate the more mundane aspects of contemporary existence.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Jacobs, a kind of latter-day George Plimpton, tests…our funny bones once again with his smart-aleck, off-the-wall and uproarious experiments in living.” –Publishers Weekly

“We love the lifestyle experiments of author A.J. Jacobs” –Entertainment Weekly

“Can one man go from a ‘python that ate a goat’ physique to perfect specimen? From Roman soldier workouts to Areca palm plants, from the sublime to the absurd, A.J. has tried it all. I laughed my ass off the whole way and learned a ton...including about my ass.” –Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Body

“Jacobs continues his unique brand of immersion journalism…[and] his style is crisp and often laugh-out-loud funny….[An] endearing and nimble look at how pursuing absurd extremes can illuminate the more mundane aspects of contemporary existence.” –Kirkus Reviews

“A.J. Jacobs is very, very bad for your health.  He will keep you up reading till 2 a.m., disturbing your circadian rhythms, making you sleep through breakfast and overeat at lunch. He is delicious. He’s habit-forming. He will give you infectious titters and terminal glee.  Don’t let that stop you. Indulge.” –Mary Roach, author of Bonk and Packing for Mars

“Jacobs, a kind of latter-day George Plimpton, tests…our funny bones once again with his smart-aleck, off-the-wall and uproarious experiments in living.” –Publishers Weekly

“Jacobs achieves an instant intimacy with the reader, making his family life as much a part of the narrative as his many meetings with medical theorists and health gurus. He’s a clever humorist who successfully takes his readers on a round trip from reality to absurdity, dispensing solid, valuable health information along with fascinating oddities.” –Publishers Weekly

“Jacobs returns with another delightful look at self-improvement…[his] account of his journey is engrossing and will have readers chuckling at the measures he takes in pursuit of perfect health. Readers with health and fitness interests will eagerly devour this book; it may also provide inspiration for those attempting to make healthier lifestyle choices.” –Library Journal

“The virtuoso of the self-as-guinea-pig genre” –Time magazine

“Jacobs' experiments are about understanding oneself, making life more interesting and showing the reader a good time. And I love them for it.” –San Francisco Chronicle

“Over the years, [Jacobs' experiments] have grown more complex and deeper in potential meaning. Not to mention funnier and funnier.” –Kansas City Star

“Jacobs’ Diaries are delightfully unpretentious.” –Washington City Paper

“Jacobs truly lives what he reports, which makes his writing so absorbing. His books are well-researched but not boring, and his insights are both enlightening and often laugh-out-loud hilarious…brilliant.” –Wisconsin State Journal

“He’s not just in it for the yuks -- though there are plenty of yuks. (He's very funny.) He has a curious, questioning mind and is always looking for larger meaning….THE GUINEA PIG DIARIES is intelligent, insightful shtick.” –Minneapolis Star Tribune