Bill W. and Mr. Wilson
Subtitle: The Legend and Life of A.A.'s Cofounder
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Published: June 2000
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 206
ISBN-13: 9781558492455
Subjects: Alcoholism; Biography: general; Institutions & organizations: general; 20th century; Biography / Autobiography; Alcohol Abuse; Biography & Autobiography; Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism; Biography/Autobiography; USA; Specific Groups - Special Needs; Alcoholics Anonymous; Artists, Architects, Photographers; Sociology - General; Alcoholics; Biography; W., Bill
First sentence: When A.A. speakers tell their stories, they ordinarily follow the triadic formula suggested in "How It Works," a passage, often read at meetings, from the fifth chapter of the Big Book: "Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now" (AA, 58).
Description: "William Griffith Wilson, recently cited by Time magazine as one of the hundred most influential individuals of the twentieth century, is better known to many as Bill W., cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous. In Bill W. and Mr. Wilson, Matthew J. Raphael presents a revealing new look at both the legendary Bill W. and the private Mr. Wilson, who tried to live apart from his own celebrity.".

"In quest of a more historically accurate and complete account, Raphael separates fact from fiction in the standard biographies of Wilson and finds reason to doubt the literal truth of some foundational A. A. stories. He also provides a context for Wilson's (and thus A. A.'s) key ideas in the work of William James, Carl Jung, and other modern thinkers.

What emerges is an unvarnished portrait of a charismatic man and social visionary; whose true greatness is all the more apparent in view of his human imperfections." "Readers already familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous will find much to engage them. Others will discover A. A. and its cofounder from an insider's perspective."--BOOK JACKET.