Seeds of Grace: A Nun's Reflections on the Spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous

Much attention has been paid in recent years to the spiritual underpinnings of that quiet fellowship known as Alcoholics Anonymous and its famous ""12-step"" recovery program. Monahan, a Catholic nun and self-described alcoholic who knows the program from the inside out, writes about AA's spirituality from a refreshing, insightful perspective. In doing so, she has remained true to AA's revered 11th and 12th traditions of maintaining anonymity by using a pen name. Weaving knowledge gleaned from more than 40 years as a religious woman into her personal experience of AA, which spans 17 years, she manages to mine the depths of the program without making its members, and especially herself, appear saintly or overly pious. At AA meetings, she writes, ""I heard the truth of my own feelings, faults, and sneaky motivations played back for me with uncommon honesty."" The narrative draws heavily from AA's ""Big Book"" and the 12 traditions and 12 steps that form the program's foundation. Monahan overlays AA's principles with the purgative, illuminative and unitive stages of growth in the spiritual life, explaining how she recovered not only her sobriety through AA, but her spirituality as well. This bookDpart candid memoir, part spiritual meditationDis sure to attract readers who are familiar with AA, as well as those who will be interested purely in its message of spiritual renewal. (Mar.) Forecast: This book has great crossover potential into several markets: 12-step recovery, spirituality, women's issues and health. Riverhead plans to protect the author's anonymity with online, print and radio interviews.