The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous [Paperback]

Dick B. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

One of the most thorough and finest recent A.A. history books, which brings to the fore the real beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron. It shows the roles of the founding workers--Bill W., Dr. Bob, Anne Smith, T. Henry and Clarace Williams, and Henrietta Seiberling. It shows how A.A. arose from the unusual cure of Russell Firestone in 1931 and the events in 1933 that celebrated his recovery. It explains the Akron crucible and the precise methods adopted in the summer of 1935 by Bill and Bob. The book was immediately acclaimed by Dr. Bob's two children (Sue Smith Windows and Robert R. Smith), by Congressman Seiberling, and by the daughter of T. Henry Williams. This book changed the approach of later historians who realized that the entire Akron beginnings had simply fallen through the cracks in the zeal to talk about Bill Wilson's later Big Book. The contents allows the reader to see the full picture from the beginning. The first three AAs formed the first A.A. group in Akron. The 75% success rate was achieved in Akron. Public recognition of the A.A. program grew from Akron's miraculous cures. These are the details.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This book by a retired attorney and active AA member is the fourth title in a series covering the history of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Here the author traces the origins of the 57-year-old recovery program from its roots in the Akron, Ohio home of co-founders Dr. Robert Smith and Bill Wilson. Not intended to be a guidebook, this is instead a lengthy introduction to the forces, personalities, and core groups that provide the spiritual base for AA and other 12-step programs. Other titles in the series include Dr. Bob's Library (Glen Abbey Bks., 1992); Anne Smith's (Dr. Bob's wife) Spiritual Workbook (Good Book Pub., 1992); and The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous (Glen Abbey Bks., 1992). Purchase where there is demand for the history of AA.
- Linda S. Greene, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

The author is a writer, historian, Retired attorney, Bible student, and active, recovered AA who has sponsored more than 100 men in their recovery. He has published 32 titles and over 180 articles on A.A. history and devoted 18 years of his life to researching, reporting, and disseminating the real, comprehensive history of A.A. Clergy, scholars, historians, and old-timer AAs have frequently called Dick B. the leading A.A. historian today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Paradise Research Publications, Inc.; Rev edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885803176
• ISBN-13: 978-1885803177
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,443,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an active, recovered member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I use the pen name Dick B. to conform to A.A. Traditions. I am also a writer, an historian, a Christian, a Bible student, a certified CDAAC, a retired attorney, and A.A. with over 25 years of continuous sobriety. As of October, 2011, I had, for more than 21 years, been researching the roots of early A.A. in the Bible, United Christian Endeavor, the Salvation Army, the Rescue Missions, the Young Men's Christian Association, the evangelists of the 1800's, the life-changing program of the Oxford Group, the teachings of Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Quiet Time, the teachings of Anne Ripley Smith (Dr. Bob's wife), and the roles of William James, Carl Jung, Richard Peabody, New Thought writers, William D. Silkworth, Christian literature and devotionals of the day. And published 42 titles and over 675 articles on all aspects of A.A.'s spiritual history, biblical roots, and astonishing successes in the 1930's and very early 1940's. And why? Because many in the 12 Step Fellowships tire of hearing about a 'higher power' that can be a tree, a radiator, a lightbulb, the group, or Gertrude. And they tire of seeing Biblical expressions in A.A.'s basic text and early literature and yet hearing today's literature stating that A.A. is 'spiritual, but not religious' when outsiders and the courts readily see its religious character and many therefore believe they should be able to learn A.A. Christian roots. And they tire of the fatalism that abounds in recovery writings and talk today. So I decided to find out where A.A. came from, and then pass on to the 100 plus men I have sponsored, the truth about A.A.'s roots. Currently and still today, one history after another appears in print and purports to talk about A.A.'s beginnings. Yet there is little or no mention of the Bible, of God, of Jesus Christ, of Divine healing, of redemptive forgiveness, or of deliverance from the power of darkness. Nonetheless, these unmentioned or little mentioned Christian elements were relied upon by early AAs for their astonishing recoveries. The fact is that they declared they were cured by the power of God and had a documented 75 to 93% success rate among seemingly hopeless, medically incurable, alcoholics who gave the program their best shot. So each of my 42 published titles and innumerable articles cover some aspect, and often more than one, of A.A.'s seven major Biblical and basic roots: (1) The Bible. (2) Quiet Time and the daily devotionals. (3) The teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Jr. (4) The life-changing program of the Oxford Group. (5) The details in the spiritual journal kept by Anne Ripley Smith (co-founder DR. Bob's wife) and shared with the pioneers and their families, but unmentioned today. (6) The extensive Christian literature ranging from St. Augustine to Brother Lawrence to Henry Drummond to John Mott to Harry Emerson Fosdick to Glenn Clark to Oswald Chambers, and a host of others. (7) One of the most recent finds has been the roots of Akron A.A. in the United Christian Endeavor Society. If one wants to understand the role, power, and love of God our Creator in A.A. today, that person will not accomplish much in the meetings, nor even in the "something" or "somebody" definitions that are pumped out today as a "power" to seek. Nonetheless, they can find accurate facts in my thoroughly researched and documented work of the past 21 years. For A.A. history abounds with truths from the Bible: how to come to God through His son Jesus Christ, how to be healed, how to comport yourself in accordance with Christian principles, how to pray, and how to receive guidance as one of God's kids. It's all there; and I welcome your comments and the many I receive each day. There's still plenty to learn and pass on. God Bless, Dick B. PS: Many of our latest findings are in The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed., 2010 www.dickb.com/Christian-Recov-Guide.shtml. Many are frequently posted on my blog www.mauihistorian.blogspot.com, as well as my facebook and twitter entries

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who wants to retain their sobriety, April 2, 1998

By 

Mitchell R. Klein "mitchellk" (NYS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first, complete, accurate history of A.A.'s beginnings in Akron, March 27, 2008

By 

Daxton Lyon (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enlighting, January 4, 2007

By 

Ronald Furtado - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous (Paperback)

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