Filled with interviews with friends and family, this deeply researched biography follows A.A. co-founder Dr. Bob S. from his New England childhood to his days as a surgeon and father who couldn't stop drinking; to his transformative meeting with Bill W. and the birth of A.A. in Akron; and finally to his untimely death in 1950. The early history of Alcoholics Anonymous in the Midwest is chronicled along the way. With 26 archival photographs.
General Service Conference-approved.
Beginning with Dr. Bob's last drink and the start of the Fellowship, his story becomes involved ---through interdependence---with those of other early members and of pioneer groups in the Midwest. This development was both exhilarating and tumultuous; Only the trial-and-error method taught A.A. the best approaches for newcomers; connections with the Oxford group grew uneasy; dissension arose over the writing of the Big Book, finances, participation by members' wives, and minorities in A.A. Through it all, Dr. Bob was a steadying central figure. The end of the story returns to the intensely personal view. But even in his last years, Dr. Bob was drawn into hard-fought discussions and eventually decisions that would reach far into the future of A.A. worldwide.
