The Collected Ernie Kurtz

Ernest Kurtz has been the outstanding thinker of the A.A. tradition's second generation, the one who played a constant leadership role in pushing the movement towards the highest professional standards of history writing and supplied some of its most influential interpretive concepts. His ideas are vitally important for anyone who wishes to understand A.A. history during the period following Bill Wilson's death in 1971. As a Ph.D. student at Harvard University in the 1970's, he was the first researcher to be granted full access to the archives of Alcoholics Anonymous. The book that resulted, Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous (1979), is still the classic work on early A.A. history. His book on the spiritual life-Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham, The Spirituality of Imperfection: Modern Wisdom from Classic Stories (1992)-is equally well known, and has also been an enduring best seller through the years since it appeared. His work on Shame & Guilt (orig. pub. 1981, rev. ed. 2007) has given a whole new depth to the discussion of those two vital recovery issues. This present book, containing twelve key articles written by Kurtz between 1982 and 1996, gives us a fourth volume from his hand, displaying the impressive range and breadth of his thought on alcoholism, addiction, and spirituality. "Here under one cover is Kurtz at his best: historian, gadfly, teacher, interpreter, and master storyteller . This is must reading for any student of Alcoholics Anonymous and the evolution of spirituality in America." -William L. White, author of Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America

A fascinating, account of the discovery and program of Alcoholics Anonymous, Not God contains anecdotes and excerpts from the diaries, correspondence, and occasional memoirs of AA's early figures. The most complete history of A.A. ever written. Not God contains anecdotes and excerpts from the diaries, correspondence, and occasional memoirs of A.A.'s early figures. A fascinating, fast-moving, and authoritative account of the discovery and development of the program and fellowship that we know today as Alcoholics Anonymous.

The definitive history of writing and producing the"Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous, told through extensive access to the group's archives. Alcoholics Anonymous is arguably the most significant self-help book published in the twentieth century. Released in 1939, the “Big Book,” as it’s commonly known, has sold an estimated 37 million copies, been translated into seventy languages, and spawned numerous recovery communities around the world while remaining a vibrant plan for recovery from addiction in all its forms for millions of people. While there are many books about A.A. history, most rely on anecdotal stories told well after the fact by Bill Wilson and other early members—accounts that have proved to be woefully inaccurate at times. Writing the Big Book brings exhaustive research, academic discipline, and informed insight to the subject not seen since Ernest Kurtz’s Not-God, published forty years ago. Focusing primarily on the eighteen months from October 1937, when a book was first proposed, and April 1939 when Alcoholics Anonymous was published, Schaberg’s history is based on eleven years of research into the wealth of 1930s documents currently preserved in several A.A. archives. Woven together into an exciting narrative, these real-time documents tell an almost week-by-week story of how the book was created, providing more than a few unexpected turns and surprising departures from the hallowed stories that have been so widely circulated about early A.A. history. Fast-paced, engaging, and contrary, Writing the Big Book presents a vivid picture of how early A.A. operated and grew and reveals many previously unreported details about the colorful cast of characters who were responsible for making that group so successful.

I Am Not Perfect is a simple statement of profound truth, the first step toward understanding the human condition, for to deny your essential imperfection is to deny yourself and your own humanity. The spirituality of imperfection, steeped in the rich traditions of the Hebrew prophets and Greek thinkers, Buddhist sages and Christian disciples, is a message as timeless as it is timely. This insightful work draws on the wisdom stories of the ages to provide an extraordinary wellspring of hope and inspiration to anyone thirsting for spiritual growth and guidance in these troubled times. Who are we? Why so we so often fall short of our goals for ourselves and others? By seeking to understand our limitations and accept the inevitably of failure and pain, we being to ease the hurt and move toward a greater sense of serenity and self-awareness. The Spirituality Of Imperfection brings together stories from many spiritual and philosophical paths, weaving past traditions into a spirituality and a new way of thinking and living that works today. It speaks so anyone who yearns to find meaning within suffering. Beyond theory and technique, inside this remarkable book you will find a new way of thinking, a way of living that enables a truly human existence.

From the authors of contemporary classic The Spirituality of Imperfection comes this long-awaited sequel. A great master once said, “The shortest distance between a human being and truth is a story.” In Experiencing Spirituality, Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham take readers on a journey through storytelling as a means of self-discovery. Recounting and interpreting great wisdom stories from all ages and all cultures, as well as telling many of their own, the authors shed light on such experiences as awe, wonder, humor, confusion, and forgiveness. In story after story, seekers look to those whose lives reveal a special quality—sometimes called spirituality—and ask the masters what they must do to attain that same quality. The answer is simple: “Come, follow me, and see how I live.” Experiencing Spirituality teaches through the example of human experience.

This book focuses on community self-help and support groups specifically in the context of recovery movements in addiction and mental health care. The idea of groups of recovering people meeting together may seem like a simple one and not one requiring much effort and thought; however, as this book will show, this is not the case. In Recovery Groups: A Guide to Creating, Leading, and Working with Groups for Addictions and Mental Health Conditions Linda Kurtz breaks down the recovery movement for addictions and mental health care into three sections. In the first section recovery concepts are broken down into two fields: how they differ and how they come together. The second section focuses on methods of working with independent self-help groups and leadership in support groups. Kurtz touches on the study of helping mechanisms, social climate, group teachings, group structure, and how to use each of these to improve group performance. In the third section of the book, Kurtz examines social and community actions from members involved in Twelve-Step fellowships and consumer survivor organizations. The final section also details programs that provide employment, housing, and mutual support, explaining how to accomplish these goals without a large expense. This book will be useful to students, professional mental health and addiction workers, recovery coaches and peer support specialists, and group members and leaders who are interested in this topic.

Today, there are over two million members of Alcoholics Anonymous. It's a life-saving fellowship. But who started it, and when? Most people know about the co-founders, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, who met in 1935 and formally launched AA. But who are the other "key players" in the history of AA? Well, there's Dr. William Silkworth, Bill's doctor at Towns Hospital. And Marty Mann, one of the first women in AA, and the founder of the National Council on Alcoholism. And Clarence Snyder, who started the first AA meeting in Cleveland. And many more fascinating men and women. Key Players in AA History by bob k not only tells us about these people, but in the process also provides a fresh understanding of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. The book is well researched and a true pleasure to read. As Ernie Kurtz and Bill White put it in the Foreword: "The profiles crafted by bob k are drawn from multiple sources and presented in an engaging manner accessible to all those interested in the history of AA. So let the stories begin."