About the Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically chronicles his hilarious adventures in attempting to follow the original meaning of the Constitution, as he searches for answers to one of the most pressing issues of our time: How should we interpret America's foundational document?
The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically chronicles his hilarious adventures in attempting to follow the original meaning of the Constitution, as he searches for answers to one of the most pressing issues of our time: How should we interpret America's foundational document?
"I don't know how I learned so much while laughing so hard."-Andy Borowitz
A.J. Jacobs learned the hard way that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket will earn you a lot of strange looks. In the wake of several controversial rulings by the Supreme Court and the on-going debate about how the Constitution should be interpreted, Jacobs set out to understand what it means to live by the Constitution.
In The Year of Living Constitutionally, A.J. Jacobs tries to get inside the minds of the Founding Fathers by living as closely as possible to the original meaning of the Constitution. He asserts his right to free speech by writing his opinions on parchment with a quill and handing them out to strangers in Times Square. He consents to quartering a soldier, as is his Third Amendment right. He turns his home into a traditional 1790s household by lighting candles instead of using electricity, boiling mutton, and-because women were not allowed to sign contracts- feebly attempting to take over his wife's day job, which involves a lot of contract negotiations.
The book blends unforgettable adventures-delivering a handwritten petition to Congress, applying for a Letter of Marque to become a legal pirate for the government, and battling redcoats as part of a Revolutionary War reenactment group-with dozens of interviews from constitutional experts from both sides. Jacobs dives deep into originalism and living constitutionalism, the two rival ways of interpreting the document.
Much like he did with the Bible in The Year of Living Biblically, Jacobs provides a crash course on our Constitution as he experiences the benefits and perils of living like it's the 1790s. He relishes, for instance, the slow thinking of the era, free from social media alerts. But also discovers the progress we've made since 1789 when married women couldn't own property.
Now more than ever, Americans need to understand the meaning and value of the Constitution. As politicians and Supreme Court Justices wage a high-stakes battle over how literally we should interpret the Constitution, A.J. Jacobs provides an entertaining yet illuminating look into how this storied document fits into our democracy today.
About the Author :
A.J. Jacobs is a journalist, lecturer, and human guinea pig whose books include Drop Dead Healthy, The Year of Living Biblically, and The Puzzler. A contributor to NPR, The New York Times, and Esquire, among other media outlets, Jacobs lives in New York City with his family.
Review :
“Funny and illuminating.”—The Economist
“Since The Year of Living Constitutionally is by A.J Jacobs, I knew it would be hilarious, but I was unprepared for how thoughtful and erudite it turned out to be. I don’t know how I learned so much while laughing so hard.”—Andy Borowitz
“Hilarious . . . fascinating.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Jacobs shares hilarious examples of exercising his right to free speech and petitioning Congress for a new amendment, and thoughtful analysis of how the current Supreme Court’s originalist interpretations of constitutional text.”—Shelf Awareness
“Hilarious and illuminating.”—The New York Post
“A phenomenal book.”—Dahlia Lithwick, Slate writer and host of the podcast Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick
“At a time when a majority on the Supreme Court... is actively attacking freedoms such as reproductive rights and the power of federal agencies to protect the environment, it’s vital to question the philosophical underpinnings of their approach. Jacobs seems to me essentially correct in calling the Constitution ‘a national Rorschach test.’ We see what we want to see; the idea of a definitive interpretation should be treated with suspicion.”—The Washington Post
“The book is marvelous. It’s such a unique, thoughtful, clarifying and fun attempt to resurrect what it was like to live at the time of the founding and what it can tell us about the constitution today.”—Jeffrey Rosen, CEO of the National Constitution Center
“Much-needed primer on civics.”—The Pittsburgh Post
“The United States Constitution is, in essence, an instruction manual, and it’s about time somebody took that literally. A.J. is the man for the job, and finds the experience absurd, maddeningly frustrating, frequently funny, occasionally painful, and, yes, sometimes inspirational . . . much like the United States itself.”—Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait, Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me!
“This book, written with a light heart and a gentle touch but a very big brain and a deep soul, might be just what’s needed to help turn the fateful tide we confront. It’s a journey that’s at once hilarious and educational. Everyone should read it.”—Laurence Tribe, author of The Invisible Constitution, Harvard Constitutional Law professor emeritus
“I’ll be honest: This is a really funny book. A.J. sets out to be faithful to the Constitution in the most literal way possible, and hilarity ensues. But at the same time, it’s deeply insightful about the promise and problems of living under a political order framed almost a quarter of a millennium ago.”—Kermit Roosevelt, University of Pennsylvania constitutional law professor and author
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, should make The Year of Living Constitutionally mandatory reading. In approaching the document as a series of Odyssean tasks, Jacobs underscores the conflicts and confusions that hold it together. And, in a sense, hold us together, as a country.”—Greg Young, host of popular history podcast The Bowery Boys
“In this wildly entertaining book, A.J. Jacobs tries to understand the Constitution by spending a year living like the framers.”—Jay Wexler, Boston University law professor and author
“A marvelously witty and wise consideration of the Constitution’s legacy.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A fascinating and necessary project. . . . Funny but not snarky, inventive but not obnoxious, learned but not pedantic, this book will make readers think about the nation’s founding document more deeply than ever.”—Booklist
“Jacobs’s well-researched romp carefully reckons with the Constitution’s ethical blind spots while staying consistently entertaining. U.S. history buffs will have fun with this one.”—Publishers Weekly
