Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A.
Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A.
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Overview
Alcoholics Anonymous is arguably the most significant self-help book published in the twentieth century. Released in 1939, the “Big Book,” as it’s commonly known, has sold an estimated 37 million copies, been translated into seventy languages, and spawned numerous recovery communities around the world while remaining a vibrant plan for recovery from addiction in all its forms for millions of people. While there are many books about A.A. history, most rely on anecdotal stories told well after the fact by Bill Wilson and other early members—accounts that have proved to be woefully inaccurate at times. Writing the Big Book brings exhaustive research, academic discipline, and informed insight to the subject not seen since Ernest Kurtz’s Not-God, published forty years ago.
Focusing primarily on the eighteen months from October 1937, when a book was first proposed, and April 1939 when Alcoholics Anonymous was published, Schaberg’s history is based on eleven years of research into the wealth of 1930s documents currently preserved in several A.A. archives. Woven together into an exciting narrative, these real-time documents tell an almost week-by-week story of how the book was created, providing more than a few unexpected turns and surprising departures from the hallowed stories that have been so widely circulated about early A.A. history.
Fast-paced, engaging, and contrary, Writing the Big Book presents a vivid picture of how early A.A. operated and grew and reveals many previously unreported details about the colorful cast of characters who were responsible for making that group so successful.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781949481297 |
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Publisher: | Central Recovery Press, LLC |
Publication date: | 09/24/2019 |
Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
Format: | eBook |
File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Author's Note xi
Chapter 1 Challenging the Creation Myths November 1934 to October 1937 1
Chapter 2 The Akron Vote October 13, 1937 13
Chapter 3 Meeting Mr. Richardson Late October to November 1937 29
Chapter 4 The Rockefeller Dinner December 1937 51
Chapter 5 Dr. Bob's Hospital January to February 1938 67
Chapter 6 The Alcoholic Fund March to April 1938 89
Chapter 7 Bill's Stories Late May 1938 107
Chapter 8 "There Is a Solution" Early June 1938 129
Chapter 9 Hank's Ideas Early June 1938 157
Chapter 10 The Outline Late June 1938 177
Chapter 11 Chasing Testimonials July 1938 201
Chapter 12 The Alcoholic Foundation August 1938 229
Chapter 13 This Week Magazine September to October 1938 251
Chapter 14 "More About Alcoholism" and "We Agnostics" September 1938 271
Chapter 15 The One Hundred Men Corporation October 1938 289
Chapter 16 Meanwhile, Out in Akron… October to December 1938 315
Chapter 17 "Working with Others" October to November 1938 333
Chapter 18 "To Wives" October to November 1938 347
Chapter 19 "The Family Afterward" and the Authorship Question October to November 1938 363
Chapter 20 Hank Parkhurst: Managing Editor and "To Employers" November 1938 383
Chapter 21 "The Q&A Chapter" November 1938 403
Chapter 22 "A Vision for You" November 1938 423
Chapter 23 Writing the Twelve Steps December 1938 439
Chapter 24 Editing Bill's Steps December 1938 459
Chapter 25 "How It Works" and "Into Action" December 1938 471
Chapter 26 The Book Goes to the Editor and Is Approved by the Board January 1939 491
Chapter 27 Editing the Manuscript January to March 1939 503
Chapter 28 The Multilith Printing February 1939 527
Chapter 29 Promoting and Editing the Multilith Copy March 1939 547
Chapter 30 Publication Day Late March to April 1939 573
Chapter 31 Aftermath April 1939 587
Bibliography 607
Endnotes 613
Index 681
What People are Saying About This
If you have read my husband’s book, Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, you may think as I did, that you have a good understanding of that history. And you would be wrong. Writing the Big Book zeroes in on the first five years in a way that no other history of A.A. has captured. And these years were critical. Like a good suspense novel, this book captures the day to day struggles these few intrepid men encountered over those years – in the heart of the great depression…. How does a bunch of homeless alcoholics start a worldwide movement? Schaberg’s book tells us how they did it, tiny step by tiny step.
Linda Farris Kurtz, Professor Emerita, Eastern Michigan University, Author of Recovery Groups
Writing the Big Book is the most important work on the history of A.A. since Ernie Kurtz’s Not-God. Finally, we have a resource that draws upon decades of recent research to separate fact from myth regarding the origin of Alcoholics Anonymous.
William L. White, author of Slaying the Dragon
This is a book that A.A. historians will want to read and reference from now on . . . the product of incredibly detailed research in the archives at the central A.A. office in New York City and at Stepping Stones in Bedford Hills, New York, along with Lois Wilson’s diary, and a host of other primary sources.
Glenn F. Chesnut, Emeritus Professor of History, Indiana University South Bend
Writing the Big Book details the chapter-by-chapter authoring of Alcoholics Anonymous and provides a revealing anthology of its primary contributors . . . .The revelations about Hank Parkhurst’s role in particular cast a welcome and inclusive light on his critical importance, as he is shown to be a true unsung hero.
Arthur S., A.A. historian from of Arlington, TX
Schaberg’s in-depth research and masterful presentation of previously unpublished facts about A.A.’s early history makes for an explosive package . . . Far from presenting a dry historical record, Writing the Big Book is lively, fascinating, compelling, and insightfulmore like a thriller than a documentary.
Jay Stinnett, A.A. historian
Writing the Big Book is an invaluable contribution to Alcoholics Anonymous and its membership. Relying on outstanding research and thoroughness, Schaberg shapes a coherent story out of a vast trove of archival materialand reveals that the Big Book, far from being simply,
Kevin Hanlon, co-creator of the documentary Bill W.divinely inspired
, was the work of perfectly flawed human beings, living and striving under great stress and difficulty.
Writing the Big Book surprises in how well it defines and demonstrates the condition of alcoholism, while so clearly rendering portraits of its interesting cast of characters. I came away with a much better understanding of what some of my dearest friends and family struggle with as alcoholics, along with a deep appreciation for the work that went into the creation of A.A.
David Stickney, contributing editor of The Nietzsche Canon
For many in recovery, Bill Wilson is a Moses freeing them from the bondage of addiction. As a result, a variety of myths have evolved around him, some encouraged by his own efforts to tell the story and to sell the spiritual program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill Schaberg does a great service to the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous with his exhaustive examination of archival documents, separating myth from fact. The result is a clearer picture of the beginnings of A.A. and the development of the Big Book, along with a rich and compelling portrait of Bill W. Less myth produces a much better story. This volume is a must read for any interested in the history of A.A.
The Very Rev. Ward B. Ewing, D.D., Trustee and past Chair of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Retired Dean and President of The General Theological Seminary, New York, NY