I have been sober over 24 years and studied all the usual Alcoholics Anonymous books plus many peripheral books about AA. This book has renewed my quest for my ‘spiritual aims’ in a way that is both satisfying and challenging.
I’d recommend it to all who may have been in the program quite a while or may have become moribund with time.
These are extracts of reviewer comments on the wonderful book ‘The Spirituality of Imperfection’.
Although it reinforces the validity of the 12-step recovery approach, this intelligent and wide-ranging book has an undeniable appeal to anyone with the yearning to understand more deeply the nature of spirituality.
It is filled with stories from a variety of cultures, and so many of the tales have stayed with me for weeks now. Some of the points are so simple that I feel like they have been ‘hidden in plain sight’ my whole life.
This book contains gems, nuggets, pearls on every page. It is too good to believe, too good to describe. Just read it.
This book flows with spiritual insights based on the singular point that we are human and thus fallible. Failure is an inevitable part of the human experience.
It is not some deep, impenetrable text, but rather prose that is accessible to anyone at any point of the spiritual path.
One has called the reading a ‘profound experience’. That’s a great way to describe this book….it’s an experience.
I love this book. Great stories. Wonderful insight into humanness. The imperfection of being human. A wonderful book for a recovering people, or for that matter, anyone else.
I have been sober for quite a few 24 hours, and during that time, I have read many spiritual books. I have learned from all of the books I have read; however my two all time favorites are The Spirituality of Imperfection and An Encounter With A Prophet.
This is one of my favorite spiritual books. The Spirituality of Imperfection provides info into the lives of Dr Bob and Bill W. and the earlier years of A.A.
This book cracks me up! The insights and the stories illustrated for me a reality that I was unsure existed outside my own head. To see the experience of brokenness not as the end of a life – but as the beginning is delightful. I have read it cover to cover a few times, and now pick it up randomly on a regular basis, flip it open and read a few pages.
It is a guaranteed day changer.
See also;
- AA Offers Recovery Not Religion
- Humility
- What About This Spiritual Awakening Thing?
- Not God – A History of AA
| The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning by Ernest Kurtz, Katherine Ketcham |
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Thanks Catherine, Its a great book that also proves to me that spiritual principles are ageless and are available to anyone who searches. I’ve heard in AA or read in the Big Book that the door to spiritual freedom is never closed. Its always been slightly open and all we have to do is push to a new life.
It’s so nice to see someone else has gotten so much from this book. It’s a life changer in my opinion. The most memorable thing for me was the story about humus being the root word of humility, humour and humanity. He talks about how these three qualities are vital to our lives in order to be happy and healthy. Me too I’ve read a lot of spiritual books this one is at the top of my list.
Wishing you another 24 and keep one for myself.
17 years for me clean and contented sobriety. – Catherine M. friend of Bill & Lois W. And Dr. Bob
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