Title

Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny: The Gift Economy in Early Alcoholics Anonymous History and the Creation of The Big Book

Author(s) Information

Timothy J. Parker, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoFollow

College - Author 1

College of Liberal Arts

Department - Author 1

History Department

Degree Name - Author 1

BA in History

Date

3-2021

Primary Advisor

Thomas R. Trice, College of Liberal Arts, History Department

Abstract/Summary

In 1939, Bill Wilson and his peers published Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, and in doing so, codified a spiritual gift economy through which millions of people have recovered from alcoholism and other addictions. This project examines the pragmatic formulation of this economy and argues its origins were driven as much by self-interest as altruism. It further explores the syncretic leadership of Bill Wilson and his mark on "The Big Book."

URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/histsp/57