My Name Is Bill: Bill Wilson--His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous Book

The funny thing about putting someone on the pedestal of celebrity status is that they seldom live up to our scrutiny which often arrives moments after they have a seat. Bill W. co-founder of AA is very deserving of his celebrity status regardless of his failures to live up to a "sober man" ideal.

AA was created by William Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith along with a dozen other contributors from the medical field, the Oxford Group, prominent psychologists and clergymen. Bill was able to see that addiction was part of the human puzzle. To address addiction one had to heal the whole person and the 12 steps he created did just that. He then traveled to groups around the US and saw strong personalities and petty grievances in many groups of early AA. His creation of the 12 traditions laid the foundation for AA and kept it from breaking apart as other organizations have in the past.

This book tells the story of his life and experiences which brought him to a state of mind and a specific skill-set, which enabled him to get sober himself and pass the gift on. Although profoundly human and apt to make mistakes himself, his contribution to society is undeniably profound and worthy of our hearty recognition.