The Hazy Days Memoirs Hitting the Stands

In case you haven't been dead, you might have noticed Gov. "I'm a Gay American" McGreevy making the rounds with his new book. Yes, sordid memoirs are back in the black (were they ever not?) The New York observer has a piece on the lastest in the alcoholic memoirs, writers talking about their A.A. connections. As a person who has dealt with alcoholic friends or family, like everyone else in America, I'm not sure if taking their experiences public is a good thing, a bad thing, or a both thing.

A.A. works because of its anonymity, it's ability to even the playing field, maintaining that all alcoholics are created equal. It's that humility that serves as the keystone in holding up the mental load of a recovering alcoholic. So it seems to me that lowering the veil reduces effectiveness of the program. And how many people now scour AA meetings looking for a good story, or a celebrity autograph? My cynical side says that answer is no something more than zero.

On the other hand, I've read a good number of self-help books. Some self-helpful, some not, but there is value in reading about someone's experiences -- someone that has gone before you. However, at what point does the noise from the memoir set drown out the clear voices of those who have a tale to tell?

Just thinking....