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Title details for The Year of Living Constitutionally by A.J. Jacobs - Available

The Year of Living Constitutionally

One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning

by A.J. Jacobs
A.J. Jacobs
Audiobook
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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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 7, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593506325
      • File size: 275161 KB
      • Duration: 09:33:15

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Author A.J. Jacobs narrates his newest pop-culture examination of history with energy and enthusiasm. Setting out to understand what it means to live by the Constitution, Jacobs blends serious reflection and interviews with constitutional law experts with personal experiments. He uses a quill pen on cotton rag paper to write opinions that he hands out in Times Square (the right to free speech) and totes a 1700s musket around Manhattan (the right to bear arms). Since women weren't allowed to sign contracts when the Constitution was written, he briefly tries to do his wife's contract-negotiation job. Jacobs's high-pitched raspy voice isn't a professional narrator's, but he reads with a smile and knows how to get a point across in this thoughtful, entertaining work. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      August 1, 2024

      New York Times bestselling author Jacobs (A Year of Living Biblically) embarks on another unique yearlong experiment. This time, he explores the mindset of the founding fathers, seeking insight into the U.S. Constitution as he tries to live as if it were the late 1780s. Jacobs describes difficulties he encounters in his quest, from finding era-appropriate food, drink, and dress to considering how the Constitution continues to affect American lives today. Interspersed among personal anecdotes from his experiment, he provides a basic primer on constitutional rights and originalism, offering listeners a mix of serious reflections and laugh-out-loud moments, often at his own expense. Though engaging and irreverent as the audiobook's narrator, Jacobs isn't quite a natural; his voice has a reedy quality, and his pronunciations and pacing are occasionally awkward. However, his enthusiasm and connection to the material shine through, making for a compelling work. VERDICT Jacobs's narration may not be perfect, but his likability and unique firsthand experiences more than compensate. This entertaining and informative audiobook will appeal to a broad audience of listeners who enjoy memoirs, history, or civics.--Christa Van Herreweghe

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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