Some people geek out over the Constitution. Not me. I think it’s a bit of a snoozer. But I do recognize its great importance in my life and many other people’s lives, and so I was delighted to learn that A.J. Jacobs had written a new book called The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning.
You may have heard of A.J. Jacobs. He’s famous for writing in the style of immersion journalism. This means that instead of writing about a topic from a distance, he gets personally involved with it and writes autobiographically about his experiences. I did not read Jacobs’ 2007 book The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible—but I sure heard about it. Jacobs apparently tells hysterical tales about roaming around New York City dressed as if he lived in Biblical times, refusing to tell any sort of lie, and stoning adulterers—all to great comedic effect.
Jacobs is back, this time with a quill, tricorne hat, and musket. He’s here to teach us about the United States Constitution in the funnest way possible—by acting ridiculous and encouraging us to laugh along with him.
Some might call this writing style a stunt for attention, and naturally, it is—just like every effective writing style, though admittedly he’s more flamboyant than most. But this writing style is also a great way to attract attention to important topics. A.J. Jacobs excels at intermixing humorous stories with serious educational learning, and this book about the Constitution never feels difficult or boring.
I especially appreciated Jacobs’ chapter on the Second Amendment. He clearly lays out arguments on both sides of the issue, helping the reader understand both the gun rights argument and the gun control argument. Meanwhile, he shares his experiences in buying, loading, and shooting a musket, as well as in attempting to form a “well-regulated militia” of his own in New York. (Neither of those experiences goes especially well, though in the end, no one is harmed in the creation of this book.)
Indeed, as Jacobs points out, the Second Amendment begins thus: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, . . .” It’s easy to forget this original language amidst the hollering of today’s rhetoric.
One of several Second-Amendment-related controversies Jacobs describes in this chapter relates to how different modern weaponry is from the weaponry of the eighteenth century. Gun rights advocates, he explains, believe that “the amendment is about the principle of self-defense, not about the actual type of gun. Today, you need much more powerful guns to protect yourself from other powerful guns. . . . Americans in 1791 . . . knew gun technology would continue to evolve.”
On the other hand, “Those in favor of tighter gun control assert that it’s like taking a law written for bicycles and applying it to an eighteen-wheel truck. Both are vehicles, but they are radically different.”
This easy and fun book delves surprisingly deep into the Constitution. It’s a perfect read during this election year, when so much is at stake in the U.S. of A. Incidentally, I met A.J. in person at a book event in the DC area, and he is a genuinely kind person with an engaging presentation style.
Do you feel safe in “the security of [our] free State”?
