A.J. Jacobs: The Quest To Do Everything
When it comes to learning about unfamiliar ways of living, author A.J. Jacobs believes the best way is to immerse yourself completely. The editor at large for Esquire magazine assumes the role of a "human guinea pig," taking on challenges many of us would find taxing. For his book The Know It All, he read the entire encyclopedia — from A to Z — in one year. In The Year of Living Biblically, he followed every single rule in the Bible, from loving thy neighbor to stoning adulterers. And for Drop Dead Healthy, his quest to become the healthiest person alive, Jacobs wrote the book while walking on a treadmill. In case you're wondering, he clocked in over 1000 miles.
Jacobs takes a breather to chat with Ask Me Another host Ophira Eisenberg about how he usually comes usually comes up with these ideas: out of pure ignorance. He admits that he knew nothing about the Bible, so he decided to learn about it from the inside-out. "I'm Jewish, but I'm Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is Italian," he says. Jacobs also shared that he was shocked by the information his doctors provided as he started the journey toward bodily perfection. He adds, "My body is what they called 'skinny-fat,' so I looked like a snake that had swallowed a goat."
For an Ask Me Another Challenge, we thought it would be fitting to quiz Jacobs on famous people who go by two initials and a last name. And one lucky grand prize winner of the show won a piece of the beard he grew during his year of living Biblically.
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