Ebby: The Man Who Sponsored Bill W.

by Mel B.

This is both a fascinating history of the formative years of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the bitter-sweet tale of the troubled man Bill W. always referred to as "my sponsor."

In 1934, Ebby Thatcher called an old drinking buddy to tell him about the happiness he was finding in sobriety. His friend's name was Bill Wilson, and this book is the story of their life-long friendship. It is both a fascinating history of the formative years of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the bitter-sweet tale of the troubled man Bill W. always referred to as "my sponsor.""Deeply informative and moving, a valuable contribution to the history of A.A. A 'must' reading for anyone interested in one of the more fascinating chapters in A.A.'s history."--Nell Wing, Retired A.A. Archivist and Bill Wilson's Secretary

Genres: Biography

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 22, 1997

Reviews

[Susan Baranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this from several points of view; of being a native of Akron, Ohio where AA was founded, as a counselor, and as a person who has seen AA succeed and seen it be less that successful. We so often have Bill W. touted as the poster child for AA because he was a "success". It is interesting to see that the man who led Bill W to the idea of AA through the Oxford Group was less successful and remained out of recovery more than he was in it. Ebby himself reminded me of a couple of addicts I have known. Perhaps, in time, having read this book will help me resolve my lingering issues with those people.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bittersweet read. Ebby, the man who originally carried the message to Bill W., was only able to put together about fifteen years of sobriety during the thirty-two years following his initial contact with the Oxford Group. But it was during his initial 2 1/2 years of sobriety that he carried the message to Bill, who would go on to become one of the co-founders of A.A. In his biography on Ebby, Mel B. said:

"Whatever troubles Ebby had, he carried the right message to the right person at the right time. For that we should always be grateful—to Ebby as well as to the Higher Power that set all of this in motion."

[Dick Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a difficult book to write. Ebby is so often thought of as the one who "failed" in sobriety. But to reconcile this to the fact that without him perhaps millions would not be sober. The good that Ebby did lives on long after his death. To me it shows the power of doing good along the way as we live as best as we can. I thought the book was very well written.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ebby was a heartbreak for Bill and for AAs that knew him. I got this book because I wanted to know why. The more thorough history filled in gaps and helped get an idea of the character of the person. The why still remains but I was impressed by people, events and history of this time. RIP Ebby. A grateful heart appreciates your message.

[zogador · Rating 2 out of 5]

Throughout his sober life, Bill claimed this man was his sponsor. Ebby played a vital role in pre-AA history by placing ideas in Bill's head about finding sobriety through "religious experience". That seems to be the full extent of his contribution. Why Bill didn't take a sponsor with a solid program and successful sobriety is a true mystery.

Ebby did not work the program after it developed, did not attend meetings, and did not let go of the idea that someday he could control and enjoy his drinking. For that reason he was never a true member of AA and could not stop from relapsing. But that didn't stop him from using the people of AA as a means to get money for the next drink. He was the only wet drunk allowed to sleep on the couch at the General Service Office in New York.

In this book we learn Ebby is a charming manipulator who used many people in and out of the program to pay his way. Throughout his entire life, Ebby's expenses were mostly or completely subsidized by others. Early on, his rich family paid his way and later on, Bill Wilson became his biggest enabler by covering many of his expenses or convinced other AA's to contribute.

If we're honest with ourselves, Ebby was canonized to a level which he truly did not deserve. Perhaps a higher power used Ebby briefly for his close association with Bill as a way to get through to Bill in his drunken days, but aside from that, the story of Ebby is a sad one, and probably not worth reading unless you are an AA historian.

I was hoping this book might reveal some important insight into the early program. The title seems to suggest that we're going to learn something about the way in which Bill and his sponsor worked the program together. There was nothing of the sort.

The book is well written and concise based on the information available. But the only useful insight I pulled out, was that Bill was human and made some mistakes. His feelings for Ebby clouded his judgement. He convinced the trustees of the AA General Service Board to pay $100 monthly to Ebby as a gratuity for helping Bill get sober in the first place. Unbelievable, right?

[Robert Cymbala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saying "suicidal" in ch. 13 is a logical contradiction with the principle of not taking anyone else's inventory***