“Wisdom of the Rooms,” a terrific compilation of AA-styled thoughts helpful for anyone.
“The Wisdom of the Rooms,” by Michael Z
“The Wisdom of the Rooms” is a terrific compilation of concepts in the form of quotes collected from the “rooms” of Alcoholics Anonymous, which give food for thought and ways of dealing with life’s challenges for anyone, including non-addicts. Michael’s comments on each idea are instructive and thought-provoking yet succinct, and are followed by a series of “reflections” in the form of related questions to ask of oneself and suitable for discussion with others. Some could be straight out of a Tony Robbins book (“Act as though, until it becomes so”), while others are more obviously original to AA or those who should have been in AA (“Many of us get to Heaven by backing away from Hell”). All are thought-provoking.
Many of Michael Z’s insights into the meaning of the concepts are from his own experience, including “When I did my 4th step it felt as if my life was being turned upside down—but it was really being turned right side up.” This step requires that a searching and fearless moral inventory be taken of self. This can cause such an overwhelming amount of pain that the addict, who is responsible for a plethora of wrongful behaviors, inevitably feels like his life is being turned upside down. The fact is, the addict wasn’t the victim and the 4th step requires that the addict take responsibility for his or her actions. As Michael Z points out, the step is “the very thing needed to turn our lives right side up.”
Some of my favorite “other” concepts, many of which I’d forgotten from my days attending 12-step meetings as part of my own recovery from the addict’s misbehaviors and later research include “No is a complete sentence,” “FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real and more…” and “If nothing changes, nothing changes” (a variation on the definition of insanity: repeating the same thing over and expecting a different result).
As reviewers of the book at Amazon.com write, “It is a spiritual journey into understanding that is not bogged down by a lot of esoteric philosophies,” it’s “a great tool to increase spiritual fitness,” and it’s “like family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation that finally get put down on paper.” All 30 reviews give it a well-deserved five stars, including mine. I also recommend subscribing to Michael Z’s weekly Monday morning “Wisdom Quote,” for which you can sign up free. These will ultimately be included in future books (he’s already published Volume Two).
“The Wisdom of the Rooms” is perfect for reading a snippet at a time and is a great book to add to the stack on the bedroom night stand.
By the way, I posted a version of this review at Amazon.com. If you found my review helpful, I’d appreciate a “yes” click where it asks, “Was this review helpful to you?”