Anatomy and Physiology Term ProjectBook ReviewFrancesca KorteAlcoholism is a dominant disease in my family. When I was in middle school, my grandmother broke sobriety after many years and had to be hospitalized. The events that transpired between his break in sobriety and his hospitalization left me angry. I was totally exposed to alcoholism. Since I was relatively young at the time, I had difficulty understanding how alcoholism was considered a disease. I just thought that if you like to drink a little more than the average person, then you should stop drinking. So simple. I didn't understand the dependence, both mental and physical, that could develop. Eventually, I came to terms with alcoholism. I learned about Alcoholics Anonymous, even went to some meetings, and my grandmother regained her sobriety. As I got older, I learned to understand what alcoholism really meant and how bad the disease is. A few years ago I was going through my grandmother's books, trying to help her organize them. I came across My Name is Bill. I vaguely remembered my mother giving her the book for Christmas one year and I was intrigued. I got the book and only until this project did I give myself time to read it. My Name Is Bill was written by Susan Cheever and was published in 2004 by Washington Square Press. The biography tells the story of Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. It includes personal letters, journal entries, AA archives and interviews to provide greater insight into the "life... of a man who changed the way the world deals with addiction." (Chicago Sun Times). The story is divided into four parts: his childhood in rural Vermont, his time... middle of paper..., his search for a spiritual remedy for his alcoholism. They began working together to help other alcoholics. By 1938 about 100 alcoholics had become sober. To promote their recovery program, the Oxford Group decided to publish a book and chose Bill as the lead author. It was titled Alcoholics Anonymous and included the Twelve Steps, a list of suggested activities for spiritual growth. From then on, Alcoholics Anonymous, as a group, grew exponentially. As Cheever's writes on page 38, "in hindsight, it appears that [Bill's] experience...[was] systematic preparation for his role as co-founder of Alcoholic's Anonymous and its principal writer." He was, and is, considered the “chosen one” by AA people. They truly believe he is a conduit from God and the impact he has had on the lives of millions of drug addicts around the world is proof of this..