Drunks: An American History
Christopher Finan
Jun 2017 · Beacon Press
Ebook
344
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About this ebook
BOOZE AND ITS DISCONTENTS: Explore the history of the United States’ struggle with alcoholism—and the emergence of a search for sobriety as old as our nation.
“An interesting read for fans of American history.” —Library Journal
Christopher Finan introduces a colorful cast of characters who were integral in America’s moral journey to understanding alcoholism. Discover a lesser-known side of American history as you meet:
• Iroquois leader Handsome Lake, a drunk who stopped drinking and dedicated his life to helping his people achieve sobriety
• The “Washingtonians” of the early 19th century, a group of reformed alcoholics who led the first national movement to save men like themselves
• Dr. Leslie Keeley, who invented a “gold cure” for chronic drunkenness that was dispensed around the country
• Carrie Nation, the wife of drunk who destroyed bars with a hatchet, furious about what alcohol did to her family
• Men and women of the Prohibition-era, when even the law couldn’t stop the drinking
• Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, founders of Alcoholics Anonymous—who finally proved alcoholics could stay sober for a lifetime
Drunks is narrative history at its best. Entertaining and authoritative, it’s at once an important portrait of one of America’s great liberation movements and essential reading for American history nerds, the sober curious, and anyone involved in the addiction recovery community.
“An interesting read for fans of American history.” —Library Journal
Christopher Finan introduces a colorful cast of characters who were integral in America’s moral journey to understanding alcoholism. Discover a lesser-known side of American history as you meet:
• Iroquois leader Handsome Lake, a drunk who stopped drinking and dedicated his life to helping his people achieve sobriety
• The “Washingtonians” of the early 19th century, a group of reformed alcoholics who led the first national movement to save men like themselves
• Dr. Leslie Keeley, who invented a “gold cure” for chronic drunkenness that was dispensed around the country
• Carrie Nation, the wife of drunk who destroyed bars with a hatchet, furious about what alcohol did to her family
• Men and women of the Prohibition-era, when even the law couldn’t stop the drinking
• Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, founders of Alcoholics Anonymous—who finally proved alcoholics could stay sober for a lifetime
Drunks is narrative history at its best. Entertaining and authoritative, it’s at once an important portrait of one of America’s great liberation movements and essential reading for American history nerds, the sober curious, and anyone involved in the addiction recovery community.
About the author
Christopher M. Finan is the author of From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America and Alfred E. Smith: The Happy Warrior. He is the executive director of National Coalition Against Censorship and former director of American Booksellers for Free Expression, a program of the American Booksellers Association. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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