The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning

Journalist Jacobs (The Year of Living Biblically) delivers another playful account of a zany lifestyle experiment—this time to live by the letter of the U.S. Constitution. Pointing out the uniqueness of America’s continued dependence on this centuries-old document—unlike other countries which have more recently rewritten their constitutions—Jacobs explains that those who utilize it (most significantly, Supreme Court justices) are divided into originalists, who want to “hew to the original meaning,” and those who think interpretation should evolve with the times. Originalism serves as the inspiration for his goofy attempts to live a Constitutional existence, which include dressing, eating, and acting as the founders did (he discovers that writing with a quill, which sounds like nails on chalkboard to his wife, has a kind of lulling ASMR quality for himself); questioning historian Eric J. Dolan about the best way to become a privateer (Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the power to “grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal” to ship captains, basically a legalized form of piracy); and acquiring a mail-order pillory for punishing his wife and teenage sons (the Eighth Amendment’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment” did not apply to pillories—also, his family declined). Jacobs’s well-researched romp carefully reckons with the Constitution’s ethical blind spots while staying consistently entertaining. U.S. history buffs will have fun with this one. (May)