The Collected Ernie Kurtz

by Ernest 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, 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 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 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 The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America

248 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very intellectualized considerations of A.A. and the philosophy behind it. Some readings seemed to delve into areas for the mere sake of over-thinking the issues. Other parts read as very profound and well-considered reviews of issues considering alcoholism and addition in general.