Bill W.

When Bill Wilson with his friend Dr. Bob Smith founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935 his hope was that AA would become a safe haven for those who suffered from this disease. Thirty years after his death AA continues to help millions of alcoholics recover from what had been commonly regarded as a hopeless addiction. Still while Wilson was a visionary for millions he was no saint. After cofounding Alcoholics Anonymous he stayed sober for over thirty-five years helping countless thousands rebuild their lives. But at the same time Wilson suffered form debilitating bouts of clinical depression was a womanizer and experimented with LSD.Francis Hartigan the former secretary and confidant to Wilson''s wife Lois has exhaustively researched his subject writing with a complete insider''s knowledge. Drawing on extensive interviews with Lois Wilson and scores of early members of AA he fully explores Wilson''s organizational genius his devotion to the cause and almost martyr-like selflessness. That Wilson like all of us had to struggle with his own personal demons makes this biography all the more moving and inspirational. Hartigan reveals the story of Wilson''s life to be as humorous horrific and powerful as any of the AA vignettes told daily around the world.