Pass It On

Pass It On is A.A.W.S.’s biography of co-founder Bill W. The official description says it is based on first-person accounts and primary-source material, giving readers a documented route through his life and A.A.’s early development.

The biography begins with Bill’s Vermont childhood and continues through military service, marriage to Lois W., his Wall Street years, and alcoholism. It then follows the events that led to his sobriety and his meeting with Dr. Bob in Akron.

The founding chapters cover the emergence of Alcoholics Anonymous and the work of writing and publishing the Big Book. They place those developments within Bill’s life rather than separating the Fellowship’s literature from the people and circumstances involved in producing it.

Later chapters trace the development of the Twelve Traditions and the General Service Conference. These sections show how questions of group unity and service became part of A.A.’s history as the Fellowship grew.

The book continues through Bill’s final years of challenge and change and contains thirty-nine photographs. The official A.A. timeline and Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers provide two additional official routes into the same period.