The Year of Living Constitutionally

“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