The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous

by Dick B.

Book Overview

Dick B. is a writer, historian, Bible student, retired attorney, and active recovered member of A.A. He has sponsored more than 100 men in their recovery. Dick has devoted 18 years of his life to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1885803176
• ISBN13: 9781885803177
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Paradise Research Publications
• Length: 367 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The first, complete, accurate history of A.A.'s beginnings in Akron

This is an entertaining and very readable book. Some tend to recoil from the word "history" in A.A. But most, like myself, like a good story. And a well-told history story is just as appealing as a drunkalog. Dick begins the tale with the Russell Firestone story, Jim Newton's important catalytic role in life-changing recovery ideas, the famous 1933 Oxford Group meetings in Akron, and the way Akron's Christian Fellowship developed from those roots. There is no lack of discussion and depiction of the important personages in the Akron scene--Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, Anne Ripley Smith, Henrietta Seiberling, Dr. Walter Tunks, Rev. Wright, other pioneers and what they gave to the original A.A. program and its ideas. I found the book very appealing to me as one much involved in recovery work, a person deeply participating in Bible research and history, and a former VMI student and Marine who has a taste for history. Especially when the history demonstrates the potential for victory. There are some who have wondered why the book stops in 1939. But its scope was to cover the "Akron Genesis"--the early beginnings that transpired primarily between 1935 and 1938 and produced such highly successful results. There are other works which cover Rev. Sam Shoemaker,the Oxford Group, New Thought, Father Dowling, Sister Ignatia, Clarence Snyder, and some of the other luminaries of the 1940's. This book is for those who want an accurate and complete picture of the original A.A. program--the one that had a documented 75% success rate among real alcoholics who wanted to get well by relying on God.

enlighting

After 29yrs of reading different books this provided me with a wealth of information of how and were it all begain.

Time to revisit this Akron A.A. Classic History

Dick B. had barely begun his extensive research and publishing on A.A. history before he realized the real hole in A.A. history centered around the total lack of information about the origins, program, and people involved in the Akron A.A. Fellowship. Dick went to Akron, searched the newspapers, interviewed Dr. Bob's daughter and later his son. He spent hours with Congressman Seiberling and later with T. Henry Williams's daughter as well as many Oxford Group and A.A. activists who were knowledgeable of A.A. Bible roots in Akron. These included Rev. T. Willard Hunter, the venerable Mel B., Ray G., the archivist at Dr. Bob's Home, the Clarence Snyder crowd, the Shoemaker family, and many others. The resultant work in this book has become timeless in importance. It has been printed by more than one publisher. It has had several editions. And it is still much in demand. Fortunately, it told the truth. Hence the many additional facts about Dr. Bob, Anne, Henrietta, the Akron AA fellowship, the AA Akron pamphlets, the literature AAs read have served to embellish and enrich The Akron Genesis story rather than contradict it or diminish the value of its contents. Don't miss this book. It is foundational to the understanding of how A.A. really began--in Akron.

Where and How It All Really Began

Most members of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that their program of recovery began with the Twelve Steps. Not true. Many believe that the majority of the pioneer members of AA died drunk. Not so. Still many others believe that AA is at least as successful today as it ever was, and maybe even more successful. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth.Today's mainstream "histories" of AA contain the usual generalizations of purported "facts" about its formative years. They follow the lead of New York co-founder Bill Wilson and his woefully inaccurate description of this period as one of "flying blind." One recently published book by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. suggests, "They were still a little unsure and afraid of this `thing' they had found, still groping for clear guidelines, still largely uneducated about their alcoholism." Yet in 1948 AA co-founder Dr. Bob Smith recalled, "...in early AA days, we became quite convinced that the spiritual program was fine." This should signal the observers to conclude that maybe we haven't been properly educated about our own history.The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous magnificently encapsulates the actual details behind the earliest years of Alcoholics Anonymous and its program of recovery, including its root sources and their practical applications, as led in Akron, Ohio by Dr. Bob Smith. The reader will learn of the vital ingredients of the pioneer program, including: permanent abstinence, complete surrender to God through His only son Jesus Christ, the removal of sins such as hatred and adultery, morning Quiet Time [including reading of the Bible and other religious devotionals], helping other alcoholics, forming social and religious comradeships, and church attendance. This book also introduces the reader to the key people who helped to influence the course of early Alcoholics Anonymous, including early Oxford Group members like James Newton, Russell Firestone, T. Henry and Clarace Williams, Henrietta Seiberling, and perhaps the most overlooked figure in AA history, Anne Ripley Smith, the wife of Dr. Bob.Many revisionist historians are content to say that the Akron influence effectively ended in 1939 with the publication of AA's Big Book. And yet it was the Midwest AA that first commanded the national attention if the media. It was Akron's program that was noticed by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller. It was the Akron formula that produced a 75% success rate for "medically incurable" alcoholics who "really tried." Recently AA's General Service Office concluded that today's fellowship is experiencing a 95% dropout rate for first year members. Maybe there is something in this book that we can all learn from. In an era when an increasing number of individuals are seeking an answer to their problems, it would make sense to start at the beginning. The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous should be the first book on their list.

A must read for anyone who wants to retain their sobriety

Dick B. has done a great service for AA members who want to retain their sobriety. The original spiritual roots of AA are contained in the Bible and in the early spiritual literature. Dick outlines these roots in an informative and interesting manner. During the early days of AA, the recovery rate from alcoholism ranged from 75 - 93%. This was due to the spiritual emphasis of AA's life changing program. Much of that emphasis had been lost, that is, until Dick began to write about where AA really came from. Continuous sobriety in AA is more than just not drinking and going to meetings. As a professional in the treatment field, I have seen too many AA members return to old drinking behaviors by just relying on attempting not to drink. I have also seen AA members go on to lead productive and useful lives after getting in touch with their spirituality and embracing their spiritual roots. In the original Hebrew, Genesis is the word, Bereshith. This means - "In the Begining." The Book of Genesis in the Bible was originally called "Sefer Maaseh Bereshith" or, "Book of Creation." The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous by Dick B. decribes the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous directly from its spiritual roots.