Drunks, Christopher M. Finan
Drunks, Christopher M. Finan
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Drunks
An American History

Author: Christopher M. Finan

Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner

Unabridged: 11 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/27/2017


Synopsis

A social history of alcoholism in the United States, from the seventeenth century to the present dayToday, millions of Americans are struggling with alcoholism, but millions are also in long-term recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous and a growing number of recovery organizations are providing support for alcoholics who will face the danger of relapse for the rest of their lives. We have finally come to understand alcoholism as a treatable illness, rather than a moral failure. Today’s advocates can draw inspiration from the victories of sober drunks throughout American history.Christopher Finan recounts the nation’s history with alcohol and its search for sobriety, which began among Native Americans in the colonial period, when liquor was used to cheat them of their property. He introduces us to the first of a colorful cast of characters, a remarkable Iroquois leader named Handsome Lake, who dedicated his life to helping his people renounce hard liquor. And we meet Carrie Nation, the wife of an alcoholic who destroyed bars with an ax in her anger over what alcohol had done to her family, as well as the idealistic and energetic Washingtonians, reformed drunks who led the first national movement to save men like themselves.Finan also tells the dramatic story of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, the two drunks who helped each other stay sober and then created AA, which survived its tumultuous early years and has made it possible for millions of men and women to quit drinking. This is narrative history at its best: entertaining and authoritative, an important portrait of one of America’s great liberation movements.

About Christopher M. Finan

Christopher Finan is the president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and the chair of the National Coalition Against Censorship. He is also the author of Alfred E. Smith: The Happy Warrior. Finan lives in Brooklyn, New York.

About Malcolm Hillgartner

Malcolm Hillgartner is an accomplished actor, writer, and musician. Named an AudioFile Best Voice of 2013 and the recipient of several Earphones Awards, he has narrated over 250 audiobooks.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Erin

I was expecting a more light hearted funny non fiction book about the history and plight of the American drunks, but instead got the in-depth history of drunks (starting with American Indians) trying to reform and become sober. It's my bad for not reading the complete description! Every chapter goes......more

Goodreads review by Denny

2.5 stars. Finan's account is good history but is a little bit dry. More than anything else, it's a history of the abstinence movement in Colonial through mid-20th century America with a heavy reliance on the sensational literature of personal revelations of the ravages of alcoholism, which become r......more

Goodreads review by Israel

Drunks is an important and very interesting and informative book. Much of it is written so well that it reads like a novel. We not only learn about the effects of alcoholism, but how it impacted the history of America. There is a rather long fascinating disturbing narrative of how alcohol destroyed......more

Goodreads review by Violet

A well-written look at the evolution of recovery programs, treatment centers, and the conception of alcoholism as a chronic disease rather than a moral failing. It was very interesting to see some of the aspects of my own recovery reflected in early movements like the Washingtonians of the 19th cent......more


Quotes

“A lively, engaging, and enlightening account of a major strain of the American character. We drank our way to nationhood, and some of us drank too much.” Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize recipient

“An appropriately harrowing account of booze and its discontents…A worthy treatment of recovery movements in American history, unsung heroes and all.” Kirkus Reviews

"[A] portrait of the power alcohol has on those addicted to it…Offers captivating stories in a well-researched, in-depth manner, shining a light on a topic well worth exploring.” Publishers Weekly

“Finan…provid[es] well-researched and dense windows into selected stories of how alcoholics have been perceived by both society and the medical community over time…The vignettes Finan selected provide relevant facts about important players associated with the history of alcoholism and how it has been treated in the United States. An interesting read for fans of American history.” Library Journal

“A fascinating history of the recovery movement that allowed me to consider my own sobriety in a broader context…Finan has written an outstanding book that should take its place alongside the definitive texts detailing other medical and cultural issues in American society.” Lisa Smith, author of Girl Walks out of a Bar


Awards

  • Voice Arts Award