Not God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous

I wished this book came in large print or do it. I'd love to read it in large print. Would gladly return recently purchased book for a large print version.

A credible and detailed history of AA. Well researched and documented, this book is a valuable addition to anyone wanting to know more of the beginnings of this wonderful movement. It reads in an easy and engaging narrative providing more details than provided in Bill’s Story in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. While it traces through the entire history of the organization, the early chapters added greatly to my understanding and appreciation Bill Wilson, Doctor Bob, and the earliest influences of AA. I have going it inspiring and highly recommend it.

I bought this book as a replacement for one I had read and given away several years ago. It is a must read for anyone wanting to know how AA came to be and what it's deepest core philosophy is about. This book was written as a research project by a man (who is not an alcoholic or addict) that received authorization from AA to research their archives in preparing the book. The actual reading is split into two parts. The first is the most detailed explanation of the origin and development of AA that exists. It describes what is written in the AA approved literature but goes into so much more detail, particularly about the decisions made by individual groups during the formative years of AA which lead to the development of the "steps" and "traditions" and overall group harmony. The second half of the book describes in painstaking detail the notion of "not God" and how it applies to the AA view of surrender to win. I first bought this book after my AA sponsor requested I read it after I had been sober about 10 years. It is clearly written and concise but 456 pages of microprint. Around the time I read this I became a licensed counselor working in drug treatment facilities and used much of what I gained from this book to pass on to newly recovering addicts trying to understand community based recovery through the various 12 Step programs. I believe the material in this book (along with the approved 12 Step material) allowed me to convey a deeper understanding to people of why to consider 12 step programs after treatment than I could have with only the institutional training I got in graduate school. I reread the first half of the book about 5 years ago after 20 years of sobriety and found it just as interesting and refreshing as the first reading years before. As I say, it is must reading for persons serious about 12 Step recovery. Don't pick it up for light reading because that it is not.

I bought this book for a weekly group study of it, which is producing a much better understanding of the organization that has saved my life and given me a semblance of sanity. It is more of a textbook than a casual read, and, studied with an aim toward understanding the history of A.A. and how it helps in recovery from the soul crippling life of an alcolic, it can broaden and deepen sanity.

. In reading other reviews I see a lot of confusion about aa because people are looking for solid definitions of terms, and absolutes which are intentionally not part of the program. It is a spiritual not religious program because god is defined as god as i/we/he/she understands God. The program doesn’t define God and the program isn’t meant to be understood just on an intellectual level. If that is your sole interest you will be dissatisfied because it is more than that. It will not fit neatly into a box because it’s application and meaning will be different with each individual. There will be some commonalities but each persons experience, like each persons life will be different. Read the 12 traditions aa is set up to always offer a program for anyone. the only requirement is a desire to stop drinking . That’s it

An excellent piece of historical (American Studies) writing. The footnotes alone tell the tale: this was a product of that wonderful period in the 1970s where the "grand narrative" style of post-WW II history fused with the emerging interest in "minority" and cultural studies of hitherto marginalized persons and groups. The mark of Handlin and Hutchison are evident, as is the fact that Kurtz was in full command of the literature of the age (including "post-modern" theory that was just emerging in the American academy at the time). The second half of the text alone is worth the price of admission. My only complaint is the choice of publisher. It may have been personal, but this really deserved a treatment by an academic press like Rutgers, U of California or Cambridge that would have put some additional expense into peer review and copy editing. It reads a bit too much like a dissertation where the reader is walked through the prodigious efforts of seven to eight years of graduate research. That aside, I have enjoyed and profited immensely from this rich and important book. As others have noted, it is an exogenous piece of history written by someone with an endogenous sympathy and understanding of AA.

There's definitely ALOT of information/history in this book! The author really did his job. I learned many things i didn't know. But for me personaly i found it hard to stay engaged because there is SO much in the book and I guess i didn't need to know so many details. (The type font is also too small) But that's just me. I like a book that flows a little better. I'm going to give the book to me friend who's a college professor. She may appreciate the learning aspect more than I did (footnotes & all).All in all if you want to learn a ton about Alcoholics Anonymous, this book is for you!!Book did its job. The reason for 4 stars is the type was too darn small!

This is definitely worth a read. Perfect for any AA history lover.

This is the key textbook of AA history, and as such is really of interest only to hardened AA members. It is written in typical style of AA material, ie turgid and heavy going.

This is an excellent well-researched book for anyone in recovery from chemical dependence and those interested in Alcoholics Anonymous.The book puts the rise and development of AA into an historic context.

PART OF A DISSERTATION TYPE RESEARCH PROJECT - THOROUGH RIGOROUS INFORMATIVE CHRONOLOGICALLY RESEARCHED AND PRESENTED - FASCINATING INSIGHTS - USEFUL TO ANYONE FASCINATED BY ALCOHOLISM AND RECOVERY THROUGH ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

For anyone interested in the recovery movement, not just AA, this is an essential text. It is scholarly yes, but it is permeated with a deeper wisdom which is difficult to describe. This is not a "how to" book. It is about the emergence of a movement which has spread accross the entire blobe in just 75 years, bringing recovery and hope to many.