Description
Jim Burwell of San Diego, CA
The History of Alcoholics Anonymous
at Palm Springs, CA January 18, 1963
15 tracks 79 Minutes
JIM B. is an early New York AA who met Bill Wilson and Hank Parkhurst while Bill still lived at 182 Clinton St.(where the hot flash happened in JIMS words) ;
This is an eyewitness account not a talk by a historian. For example the Rockafeller dinner is not something he read about HE WAS THERE.;
He relates in detail the story of how the book was written and how Bills writings were sifted and strained by "50 alcoholic lawyers".;
How after it was printed they discovered its certain qualities they hadn’t anticipated: like answering questions before they were even asked and how it had an allencompassing quality.;
At the time of this sharing of experience strength and hope he had nearly twenty-five years of continuos sobriety.;
He was famous for his agnosticism and his inststance that the word GOD in step three be followed by the words AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM.;
He beautifully reconciles spirituality with agnosticism in an obviously honest and heartfelt way. When you hear his explanation it’s easy to see how he stayed sober. He’s actually a fairly spiritual guy without the pride to trip over that people who spout off about their great (greater than yours) higher power.;
He talks about how the traditions began quelling uproars and how they were finally accepted. The part that AAs finances played in their accepance. How the groups were empowered by the third legacy changing AAs direction for the better.;
This straightfoward and honest early AA pulls no punches nor does he gloss over and pass by some of the less than glorious mistakes the society and some of it’s erring members have made. ;
At 79 Minutes Practically the entire cd is fille
Very Historic recording on Cd
