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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. This book is more fun than a cruise on a super yacht with a Supreme Court justice, and considerably less expensive.
— Andy Borowitz
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While Trump trumpets that he’ll trash the Constitution and idealists complain of how outmoded and downright antidemocratic a framework the rickety thing provides, A.J. Jacobs wisely reminds us that we could do a lot worse and had better work tirelessly to save and improve it, not abandon it as we make the perfect the enemy of the good. And he packages that reminder in a journey that’s at once hilarious and educational. Everyone should read it.
— Larry Tribe, Harvard constitutional law professor and author
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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. And—dare I say it—the book actually offers better ideas about how to improve modern constitutional democracy than most legal scholarship.
— Kermit Roosevelt, University of Pennsylvania constitutional law professor and author
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We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, should make The Year of Living Constitutionally mandatory reading. Jacobs reveals both the majesty and absurdity in America’s founding document by applying it literally (and hilariously) to his daily life. Adventures that start out as whimsical exercises—including his quixotic attempt to amend the Constitution—often end up with profound, even provocative, results. 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
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In this wildly entertaining book, A.J. Jacobs tries to understand the Constitution by spending a year living like the framers. The results are so enlightening that I may add ‘join a Revolutionary War reenactment army’ and ‘ask Congress for permission to fight pirates’ to next year’s constitutional law syllabus.
— Jay Wexler, Boston University law professor and author
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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. This book is more fun than a cruise on a superyacht with a Supreme Court Justice, and considerably less expensive.
— Andy Borowitz
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While Trump trumpets that he’ll trash the Constitution and idealists complain of how outmoded and downright antidemocratic a framework the rickety thing provides, A.J. Jacobs wisely reminds us that we could do a lot worse and had better work tirelessly to save and improve it, not abandon it as we make the perfect the enemy of the good. And he packages that reminder in a journey that’s at once hilarious and educational. Everyone should read it.
— Larry Tribe, Harvard constitutional law professor/author
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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. And—dare I say it—the book actually offers better ideas about how to improve modern constitutional democracy than most legal scholarship.
— Kermit Roosevelt, U Penn constitutional law professor/author
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In this wildly entertaining book, A.J. Jacobs tries to understand the Constitution by spending a year living like the Framers. The results are so enlightening that I may add ‘join a Revolutionary War reenactment army’ and ‘ask Congress for permission to fight pirates’ to next year’s Constitutional Law syllabus.
— Jay Wexler, author and Boston University law professor
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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
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Hilarious and illuminating.
— The New York Post
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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