A Biography of Mrs. Marty Mann: The First Lady of Alcoholics AnonymousThe little-known life of Marty Mann rivals a Masterpiece Theatre drama. She was born into a life of wealth and privilege, sank to the lowest depths of poverty and despair, then rose to inspire thousands of others, especially women, to help themselves. The first woman to achieve long-term sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous, Marty Mann advocated the understanding that alcoholism is an issue of public health, not morality. In their fascinating book, Sally and David Brown shed light on this influential figure in recovery history. Born in Chicago in 1905, Marty was favored with beauty, brains, charisma, phenomenal energy, and a powerful will. She could also out drink anyone in her group of social elites. When her father became penniless, she was forced into work, landed a lucrative public relations position, and a decade later was destitute because of her drinking. She was committed to a psychiatric center in 1938-a time when the term alcoholism was virtually unknown, the only known treatment was "drying out," and two men were compiling the book Alcoholics Anonymous. Marty read it on the recommendation of psychiatrist Dr. Harry Tiebout: it was her first step toward sobriety and a long, illustrious career as founder of the National Council on Alcoholism, or NCA. In the early 1950s, journalist Edward R. Murrow selected Marty as one of the 10 greatest living Americans. Marty died of a stroke in 1980, shortly after addressing the AA international convention in New Orleans. This is a story of one woman's indefatigable effort and indomitable spirit, compellingly told by Sally and David Brown. |
Contents
Part | 4 |
Prologue 36 | 5 |
Introduction | 6 |
Dawn of a Vision 1944 | 152 |
The Entrepreneur 194446 | 164 |
Rocking the Boat 1946 | 179 |
Sowing the Future 194648 | 187 |
Life Happens 1948 | 197 |
Notes | 327 |
Roots 190410 12 | 328 |
Chicago 191018 18 | 329 |
School Days School Days 192125 36 | 330 |
The Sleeping Lion Stirs 192125 46 | 331 |
The Glory Years 192526 53 | 332 |
The Merry MarriageGoRound 192628 58 | 333 |
In the Fury of the Storm 193536 80 | 334 |
Yale Files for Divorce 194850 | 207 |
Part Three | 215 |
Unsettled Weather 195054 | 217 |
The Sun Breaks Through 1954 | 233 |
The Clouds Lift 195460 | 239 |
Leo Redux 196064 | 252 |
Letting Go 196470 | 270 |
A New Path 1970 | 284 |
Sorrow and Serenity 197079 | 293 |
Transcendence 197980 | 311 |
Afterward 198093 | 321 |
Epilogue | 324 |
Rebirth 193839 97 | 335 |
A Pioneer in the Making 1939 III | 336 |
The Learning Curve Steepens 193942 124 | 338 |
Priscilla 194244 138 | 339 |
353 | |
Audiotapes | 359 |
Interviews | 362 |
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous | 364 |
The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous | 365 |
367 | |
About the Authors | 383 |