406 A.J. Jacobs, author, "The Year of Living Biblically"

Published: Feb. 8, 2017, 6:47 p.m.

(2007) A.J. Jacobs must have the best magazine job in America. As editor-at-large for here are a few examples of recent stories appearing under his byline: • “My Outsourced Life,” detailing his effort to send his writing assignments to India, • “Googling A.J. Jacobs’s Brain,” about his proposed effort to catalogue his thoughts, dreams, and desires • “The Sexiest Woman Alive 2005” and “2006,” in which he spent five months teasing readers as to the identities of Jessica Biel and Scarlett Johansson. And, yes, he was required by law to spend time with each of them, passing off flirtation as research. And then there was his equally painful interview with Eva Longoria of “Desperate Housewives” in which he described each of her body parts in languorous detail. Oh, I could go on and on about the women in his professional life. They also include Mary Louise Parker and Rosario Dawson. But then we’d never get to the reason for this interview, which is to celebrate his hysterical, yet thought-provoking new book, The Year of Living Biblically. A.J. JACOBS podcast excerpt: "I was walking around Manhattan in a white robe and sandals carrying a staff. I didn’t have sheep with me most of the time."