Press

“A.J. Jacobs has written a -- how else to put it? -- Good Book. Let me take my review from the original, Psalm 2, verse 4: "He that sittith in the heavens shall laugh." And let me suggest that readers, whether they know their bible or not, get to know A.J. Jacobs. But not in a biblical sense, please.” –PJ O'Rourke

“If a writer lives who combines humor and life lessons any better than Jacobs, that writer is unknown to me.” –St. Petersburg Times

“Extremely funny.” –Providence Journal

“The Year of Living Biblically is an extremely compelling book, appropriately irreverent and highly entertaining. More significantly, it is a tale of an intense and intelligent spiritual search that will speak powerfully and instructively to a generation of seekers.” –Rabbi David Ellenson,
 President Hebrew Union College

“Jacobs has that rare ability to be sincere without being self-serious, to be laugh-aloud funny without being ridiculous...a thoughtful and thankfully humorous voice, on a subject that does not often enjoy much
of either.” –Heeb Magazine

“In the 21st Century few, if any, Christians truly attempt to follow the Bible in its literal entirety, even us evangelicals. In this year-long experiment A.J. Jacobs attempts just that, with disarmingly sincere, refreshingly humorous and unexpectedly insightful results. I commend this inspired narrative to anyone actively exploring the continued relevance of biblical living, religion's need for critical self-reflection and the timelessness of authentic faith.” –Reverend Jim Wallis,
 author of God's Politics
 and President of Sojourners/Call to Renewal

“Engagingly written chronicle...a gracefully written book with a heart. In a world that tends to medicalize every peccadillo, Jacobs' straightforward and systematic efforts at biblically guided, moral self-purification are often surprisingly edifying.” –Gordon Marino, The Los Angeles Times

“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

“A great book. More than just a cute treatment of trivia. A letter perfect story about reading A-Z.” –Rocky Mountain News

“Mighty intelligent. . . . It would be so easy to write about the humorous passages and give short shrift to the underlying serious inquiry into the nature of knowledge. The Know-It-All is the most serious funny book I can recall reading during my 56 years. I cannot imagine any avid reader skipping a word.” –The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The Know-It-All is a terrific book. It’s a lot shorter than the encyclopedia, and funnier, and you’ll remember more of it. Plus, if it falls off the shelf onto your head, you’ll live.” –P.J. O'Rourke, New York Times bestselling author of Peace Kills

“Eccentric, charming… amusing…” –The Christian Science Monitor

“Enormous fun… a comic triumph.” –Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“A.J. Jacobs turns the act of reading the entire Britannica into a hilarious memoir. . . . It’s the stunt of the book itself that allows the funny, touching memoir to be so stuffed with nutritious bits of trivia that you feel smart for reading it.” –Time

“Jacobs’ ability to juxtapose his quirky, sardonic wit with oddball trivia makes this one of the season’s most unusual books.” –Publishers Weekly

“Tender . . . Entertaining . . . This book really does seek a working definition of what it means to be smart.” –Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Sidesplitting.” –Time Out New York

“The Know-It-All is a hilarious book and quite an impressive achievement. I’ve always said, why doesn’t someone put out a less complete version of the encyclopedia? Well done, A.J.” –Jon Stewart, Host of The Daily Show and New York Times bestselling author of America (The Book)

“Hilarious…” –Premiere

“The Know-It-All has to be one of the most entertaining and informative book reports in existence. It is charming, humorous, instructive, fascinating, even kind of inspirational. But Jacobs’ book is more than that. He puts it all into the context of his life, and a text that could have been utterly dry winds up charming us with Jacobs’ honesty and vulnerability. Jacobs is courageous enough to risk looking stupid by sharing his quirks and insecurities . . . and he wins the gambit. He comes across as nothing short of endearing.” –The Philadelphia Inquirer

“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

“[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’ 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

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

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

“We can become healthier by learning from A.J.’s discomfort in this very funny book. He moves us from theory to practice by dragging his body through all the longevity practices.” –Dr. Mehmet Oz, host, “The Dr. Oz Show”

“‘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

“Who wouldn’t want to be fitter, happier, more productive? In this riotous, madcap book, A.J. Jacobs sets himself an ambitious goal: to become the person we all wish we could be. It’s vintage A.J. Do your future self a favor and buy this book.” –Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein

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

“I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, and once again, the brilliant A.J. Jacobs had me laughing out loud—and also deciding to change the way I live. Drop Dead Healthy is a rare mixture of the hilarious, the absurd, and the scientifically sound. Who knew it could be so entertaining to read about broccoli puree and shoeless jogging?” –Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project