I really admire A.J. Jacobs and how much he immerses himself in the subjects of his bizarre and wonderful books. In 2007, he wrote THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY, which detailed his efforts to live for one year as the Bible instructed. Now he is back with THE YEAR OF LIVING CONSTITUTIONALLY, which chronicles his attempt to live life in the same manner as those who wrote the United States Constitution.

Jacobs undertook this quest for several reasons. The Constitution, a 4,543-word document written in 1787, affects our lives on a regular basis. Rarely does a day go by without some discussion of a constitutional issue, such as gun rights or religious freedom. More importantly, the Constitution is a national Rorschach test. We look at it with blinders on, which often determines what we wish to see. Finally, we must consider how we view the Constitution. Is it a document of liberation or one of oppression? In many respects, the Constitution is like the Bible. There are countless interpretations that vary according to how you perceive the text.

"Jacobs has wonderful adventures in his year of living constitutionally.... It is an interesting and insightful journey that adds significant conversation to an important issue confronting America."

Jacobs’ journey to follow the Constitution’s original meaning is lighthearted and gentle but also can be educational. On Election Day, he goes to his polling place and tells the election officials the candidates he would like to vote for. Why? Because that was the way the Founding Fathers voted in the 1700s. He explained his decision to a female election judge, which is ironic considering that she would not have been allowed to even participate in elections back then. Understandably, she was not sympathetic to his historical wishes. As she observed, “Times are changing.”

So Jacobs voted in the newfangled way --- on a paper ballot with a ballpoint pen --- observing that the Constitution doesn’t actually say how citizens should vote and in fact did not even specify who counts as “the People.” In the beginning they were mostly white males, and much of American history was and remains a battle to make “the People” more inclusive. In fact, the secret ballot was an idea imported from Australia in the late 1800s.

Interspersed with Jacobs’ humorous escapades, which includes an 18th-century musket and a tri-cornered hat, are thoughtful discussions on the meaning of original intent. He reports on his meeting with Northwestern University law professor Paul Gowder, the author of a law review article titled “Reconstituting We the People.” Gowder asks why America should live in a society where the rules were created by slaveholders. Why should their document control our lives? Gowder suggests that the Founding Fathers were the beginning of a constitutional process, not the end. As we bring the Constitution into modern times, we are founders as well. What we think and experience matters for a document serving as a blueprint for our nation.

Jacobs has wonderful adventures in his year of living constitutionally. He applies for a Letter of Marque to become a privateer for America, and he interviews constitutional experts on both sides of the originalism debate. It is an interesting and insightful journey that adds significant conversation to an important issue confronting America.