hreed7's review against another edition
4.0
Funny and interesting, though not quite as laugh-out-loud nor as engrossing as his earlier The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically. Though the vignette chapter style allowed for Jacobs to explore different topics and put himself into a wide latitude of zany situations, it didn't have the same cohesiveness or growth of his long-form experiments.
auntblh's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as Year of Living Biblically but still fun.
shirezu's review against another edition
4.0
The third of A.J. Jacobs life-experiment books, unlike the others which focused on one idea only, this book encompasses a variety of different experiments A.J. makes with his life.
Firstly I enjoyed this one a lot more than [b:The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible|495395|The Year of Living Biblically One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible|A.J. Jacobs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266569301s/495395.jpg|2325789]. There was a lot more humour in this one and it flowed much better. His last book just felt overly long whereas here each experiment is only fairly short. I also like the codas at the end as I'd previously read his outsourcing article before and it was good to get an update on it.
He has some really interesting points and things I want to look at in my own life. Whilst I don't want to be Radically Honest I believe a bit more honesty wouldn't be a bad thing and that maybe unitasking occasionally would give my brain a break.
A short but entertaining read I would recommend this one is worth reading.
Firstly I enjoyed this one a lot more than [b:The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible|495395|The Year of Living Biblically One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible|A.J. Jacobs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266569301s/495395.jpg|2325789]. There was a lot more humour in this one and it flowed much better. His last book just felt overly long whereas here each experiment is only fairly short. I also like the codas at the end as I'd previously read his outsourcing article before and it was good to get an update on it.
He has some really interesting points and things I want to look at in my own life. Whilst I don't want to be Radically Honest I believe a bit more honesty wouldn't be a bad thing and that maybe unitasking occasionally would give my brain a break.
A short but entertaining read I would recommend this one is worth reading.
emiged's review against another edition
4.0
This book was more scattered than A.J.'s previous books, probably because it lacked the unifying theme of reading through the Encyclopedia Britannica or living according to the Bible or even improving his physical health. It was still certainly intriguing - and amusing watching him contort himself for our entertainment - but didn't seem to flow as well as the others.
A.J. describes himself straightforwardly as "addicted to these experiments" adding that as a writer he was "cursed with a relatively uneventful upbringing" and since "my ordinary life doesn't merit a book" he inserts himself into these sometimes ridiculous situations to "see what happens." You can call it "immersion" or "participatory journalism," but the key, A.J. claims, is to be "interested in the topic" and to "keep the good parts and not descend into insanity."
He explores the dangers of multi-tasking, the benefits of outsourcing, the perils and perqs of fame, and the vulnerability of nudity. He emulates George Washington for a month by adhering to his 110 "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and conversation," spending time with several professional George Washington interpreters. He poses as a woman - his nanny, actually, and with her permission - on an online dating site. And he spends a month responding to his wife's every whim. Which she totally deserved after all the other experiments she's put up with over the years.
His experiments also included a trial of "Radical Honesty" where you not only tell the absolute truth, but you also completely remove the filter between your brain and your mouth, saying everything you're thinking. While the constant confrontations Radical Honesty prompts can be cathartic, A.J. also admits that they are relentless. By the end of the month, he's decided to maintain what he calls "Sustainable Radical Honesty," particularly about his own flaws and mistakes and in relationships, while mostly ditching the aspects concerning other people's flaws. He also states "I've come to appreciate the filter between the brain and mouth. Words can be dangerous. Once they're out in the atmosphere, they can become self-fulfilling prophecies."
I was fascinated by the chapter on the brain's many biases against rationality. He starts out: "My brain is deeply flawed. And no offense, but so is yours. Your brain is not rational. It's packed with dozens of misleading biases. It's home to an alarming number of false assumptions and warped memories. It processes data all wrong and makes terrible decisions." Whew! Tell me how you really feel! But seriously, statements like "Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness" catch my attention. He highlights several of the most common biases, such as the Lake Wobegon Effect (where all the children are above average), the Availability Fallacy, Unit Bias, Source Amnesia, the Halo Effect, Confirmation Bias, the Mere Exposure Effect, and a half dozen others and then goes about consciously trying to work against them. He states in his conclusion that, outside of his year of living biblically, this month of "the Rationality Project has had the most dramatic, long-lasting effect of all my experiments." It certainly made me think about how I think, gather, and process information.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
A.J. describes himself straightforwardly as "addicted to these experiments" adding that as a writer he was "cursed with a relatively uneventful upbringing" and since "my ordinary life doesn't merit a book" he inserts himself into these sometimes ridiculous situations to "see what happens." You can call it "immersion" or "participatory journalism," but the key, A.J. claims, is to be "interested in the topic" and to "keep the good parts and not descend into insanity."
He explores the dangers of multi-tasking, the benefits of outsourcing, the perils and perqs of fame, and the vulnerability of nudity. He emulates George Washington for a month by adhering to his 110 "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and conversation," spending time with several professional George Washington interpreters. He poses as a woman - his nanny, actually, and with her permission - on an online dating site. And he spends a month responding to his wife's every whim. Which she totally deserved after all the other experiments she's put up with over the years.
His experiments also included a trial of "Radical Honesty" where you not only tell the absolute truth, but you also completely remove the filter between your brain and your mouth, saying everything you're thinking. While the constant confrontations Radical Honesty prompts can be cathartic, A.J. also admits that they are relentless. By the end of the month, he's decided to maintain what he calls "Sustainable Radical Honesty," particularly about his own flaws and mistakes and in relationships, while mostly ditching the aspects concerning other people's flaws. He also states "I've come to appreciate the filter between the brain and mouth. Words can be dangerous. Once they're out in the atmosphere, they can become self-fulfilling prophecies."
I was fascinated by the chapter on the brain's many biases against rationality. He starts out: "My brain is deeply flawed. And no offense, but so is yours. Your brain is not rational. It's packed with dozens of misleading biases. It's home to an alarming number of false assumptions and warped memories. It processes data all wrong and makes terrible decisions." Whew! Tell me how you really feel! But seriously, statements like "Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness" catch my attention. He highlights several of the most common biases, such as the Lake Wobegon Effect (where all the children are above average), the Availability Fallacy, Unit Bias, Source Amnesia, the Halo Effect, Confirmation Bias, the Mere Exposure Effect, and a half dozen others and then goes about consciously trying to work against them. He states in his conclusion that, outside of his year of living biblically, this month of "the Rationality Project has had the most dramatic, long-lasting effect of all my experiments." It certainly made me think about how I think, gather, and process information.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
jpcapili's review
4.0
I discovered this little gem while I was reading 4-hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. The author put himself into extraordinary situations to learn from them. He pretended to be a beautiful woman seeking potential boyfriends through internet dating. He outsourced some of his personal tasks to an Indian company in order to minimize stress. He pretended to be an actor to experience fame. He unitask'ed -- where he explained how multitasking slows our thinking down, instead of being efficient. But three of my favorite social experiments that he did include Radical Honesty (where he attempted to say anything that comes up in his mind without any filters), Rationality Project (where he tried to think and do things rationally), and Project Washington (where he learned how to act and think like George Washington), which allowed me to appreciate Mr. Washington, whom I had no idea how fascinating he was until now.
kowwie's review against another edition
4.0
I wish there was a way I could give this 4 1/2 stars.
I really do love AJ Jacobs. I figured that out after his experiment of living biblically for a year, so I was so excited to read this. What I love most about Jacobs is his sense to improve himself and learn more about who he is. I love that he can admit his failures, and I find that more relatable and inspirational.
This just wasn't "The Year of Living Biblically" though.
I still highly enjoyed it, and there were lots of sections that made me stop and say "YEAH" out loud with a fist in the air. I felt like a few of his experiments weren't really experiments, or related so closely to another section in the book. Like I liked that there was a big difference in between trying to stay focused and the section on rules George Washington lived by. I felt like the section on "being a woman" (or really online dating. that was the most awkward part of the book for me), doing stuff for his wife, and then measuring his brain to see if he's in love were all very similar.
Maybe the different experiments is what didn't make it feel as charismatic to me. I loved the focus to detail in The Year of Living Biblically, and I think this was lacking that.
I still recommend it! Lots of inspiring parts, and I enjoy his thought process for the most part!
I really do love AJ Jacobs. I figured that out after his experiment of living biblically for a year, so I was so excited to read this. What I love most about Jacobs is his sense to improve himself and learn more about who he is. I love that he can admit his failures, and I find that more relatable and inspirational.
This just wasn't "The Year of Living Biblically" though.
I still highly enjoyed it, and there were lots of sections that made me stop and say "YEAH" out loud with a fist in the air. I felt like a few of his experiments weren't really experiments, or related so closely to another section in the book. Like I liked that there was a big difference in between trying to stay focused and the section on rules George Washington lived by. I felt like the section on "being a woman" (or really online dating. that was the most awkward part of the book for me), doing stuff for his wife, and then measuring his brain to see if he's in love were all very similar.
Maybe the different experiments is what didn't make it feel as charismatic to me. I loved the focus to detail in The Year of Living Biblically, and I think this was lacking that.
I still recommend it! Lots of inspiring parts, and I enjoy his thought process for the most part!
rach's review against another edition
4.0
There's something honest and appealing about AJ Jacobs particular brand of neuroses. I appreciate the openness with which he opens up his home and family to his readers. I really enjoyed his book on his biblical project, and this series of essays on his other smaller projects was equally entertaining.
Obviously, some projects were more entertaining than others. I recently read a biography of Washington, so Jacobs' revelations on that score were not that new to me, though I agree with his conclusions. The radical honesty experiment was interesting, but in the end, seemed more like shock for shock's sake. The last project, where he spent a month doing everything his wife, Julie, wanted, actually made me like her less than I had previously. I appreciated the exercises like Julie making a list of all the household stuff she does that AJ didnt even know existed, because that is good for any relationship. But the glee she felt in making him get up to manually change the volume on the tv when she was holding the remote felt mean-spirited and was off putting. I do feel like Julie lets AJ get away with a lot of annoying behaviors, but she took her month of power a little too far.
I really enjoyed the essay about AJ outsourcing his life to India. It's kind of shocking to see how much stuff could be done remotely, from half a world away, and so proficiently. Clearly, the American workforce had better watch out. My favorite were the polite but firm emails the girls would send for AJ to his boss. They were impossible to ignore and impossible to be rude to.
Attending the Oscars as an actual celebrity, even if you're just impersonating one, is one of those dream-come-true things that most people can never experience, so I appreciated Jacobs' take on that one. What a rush to meet so many famous celebrities and feel like you fit in amongst them. Other than that one who actually knows the guy you're impersonating and can tell the difference. And the cherry on top of that sundae was the guy he impersonated was appreciative, because he hates those things! Score! :)
I was also fascinated by the month AJ spent responding to online dating ads for his beautiful nanny. As much as AJ had never experienced that before, neither have I, and it was definitely interesting to see the way power dynamics shift between people, depending on how they present themselves in photos and in their words. Part of me wants to set up a fake dating profile myself to experiment, but in the end, I think I'd feel too mean or get too depressed.
I'll definitely read the rest of Jacobs' books eventually. His writing style is entertaining and his quirky nature is funny and endearing. He'd be a fun friend to have, even if he is a little strange.
PS. I might have googled AJ's nude photo for Esquire. He's right, it is very tasteful! :)
Obviously, some projects were more entertaining than others. I recently read a biography of Washington, so Jacobs' revelations on that score were not that new to me, though I agree with his conclusions. The radical honesty experiment was interesting, but in the end, seemed more like shock for shock's sake. The last project, where he spent a month doing everything his wife, Julie, wanted, actually made me like her less than I had previously. I appreciated the exercises like Julie making a list of all the household stuff she does that AJ didnt even know existed, because that is good for any relationship. But the glee she felt in making him get up to manually change the volume on the tv when she was holding the remote felt mean-spirited and was off putting. I do feel like Julie lets AJ get away with a lot of annoying behaviors, but she took her month of power a little too far.
I really enjoyed the essay about AJ outsourcing his life to India. It's kind of shocking to see how much stuff could be done remotely, from half a world away, and so proficiently. Clearly, the American workforce had better watch out. My favorite were the polite but firm emails the girls would send for AJ to his boss. They were impossible to ignore and impossible to be rude to.
Attending the Oscars as an actual celebrity, even if you're just impersonating one, is one of those dream-come-true things that most people can never experience, so I appreciated Jacobs' take on that one. What a rush to meet so many famous celebrities and feel like you fit in amongst them. Other than that one who actually knows the guy you're impersonating and can tell the difference. And the cherry on top of that sundae was the guy he impersonated was appreciative, because he hates those things! Score! :)
I was also fascinated by the month AJ spent responding to online dating ads for his beautiful nanny. As much as AJ had never experienced that before, neither have I, and it was definitely interesting to see the way power dynamics shift between people, depending on how they present themselves in photos and in their words. Part of me wants to set up a fake dating profile myself to experiment, but in the end, I think I'd feel too mean or get too depressed.
I'll definitely read the rest of Jacobs' books eventually. His writing style is entertaining and his quirky nature is funny and endearing. He'd be a fun friend to have, even if he is a little strange.
PS. I might have googled AJ's nude photo for Esquire. He's right, it is very tasteful! :)