Marya Hornbacher has found words for things I thought but didn t know how to say Her interpretation of the powerful 12 Steps of AA challenges and encourages nonbelievers to approach the steps in a way in which they can be comfortable I would have preferred a few details about Hornbacher s own journey, but am grateful for the insight she shares so unstintingly and with such a ring of honesty.

Horbacher reveals herself as a philosopher within these finely written pages As an atheist myself, I ve often wondered about how to find some sort of satisfying spirituality even with the absence of a god Waiting helped me put into words some of the things I d been feeling Though I am not familiar with AA or in need of its services, Waiting made the introduction for me in a friendly, straight forward manner For anyone who is a part of AA, Waiting would be a great book to take a look at.

An Atheist Agnostic or free thinker s guide This is told from the perspective of an agnostic or atheist s perspective on traversing the 12 steps The only part I was ambivalent about was the author s meandering at the beginning of each chapter, some I liked, some seemed like aimless filler I loved it the rest of it I felt a lot of similarities between her journey and my own I agree that a path to emotional sobriety and a higher power is love and service to other beings on the planet This does not [...]

One of the most profoundly written books I ve read containing pure truth It is scripture like in its message to humanity It will be purchased and find a permanent home in my library of resources to go to in time of need This woman s turmoil with addiction and other experiences in her life has fortunately resulted in an understanding of our responsibility as human beings in proximity to the world we live Her experience and message, in my opinion, is a gift from God to the nonbeliever and believer [...]

A really interesting look into spirituality for atheists Written for alcoholics, I think this book is relevant for those without substance abuse issues who are interested in the idea of a godless spirituality.

Marya s brain on a big topic what bigger topic is there than God and it still ain t a fair fight.

This one I read very out of order and it took forever to finish Fascinating though as someone who is a pagan theist, i.e.I do believe in higher power if not necessarily traditional God I am lucky not to have addiction, although I do have bipolar disorder In fact Marya Hornbacher s Madness A Bipolar Life was my favorite book last year I know twelve step programs are incredibly common I also know they don t work for many people A book like this could help There is than one way to be healed Fascin [...]

Very thoughtful and very well written exploration of the god question in the context of a person working the AA 12 Steps who does not hew to the traditional notions of God as their higher power I came at this book looking for insight than I found but recognize that is likely on me than the author My rating could as easily have been four stars rather than three but three was where I landed A worthwhile read if the topic is of interest to you.

Quit after a couple of chapters Just never grabbed me Mentioned alot about an inner spirituality although no God just finding our own spirituality I did like that at one point she said our connection with others and our ability to communicate was that spirituality but then she abandoned that thought to go on talking about it in vague terms something there for us to find.

This is a technically well written book, but I found it a chore to get through It seemed to lack in narrative voice a primary strength of Hornbachers other three nonfiction books There was also a vagueness that caused me to keep drifting off into other thoughts as I read To whom should we be of service Anyone The world s need is very great How In any way we can So really, reading this book was sort of like meditation My mind would wander and I had to tell myself to keep coming back I m glad she [...]

I picked this up in an effort to combat the AA s Big Book s over religiosity and general poor writing It is a very dense book I enjoyed Hornbacher s introductions to each chapter for example, when she talks about a friend who writes her from the desert trying to lure her out there and begin recovery than the bulk of each chapter in which she discusses each Step I found a lot here to mull over and for such a small book, it is packed.I had an AA friend said that he didn t like the book because it [...]

To say this book is life changing is the absolute truth I felt like she wrote this TO me I identified with everything she wrote about and observed Marya has an amazing mindfulness with what she s experiencing and feeling that is very impressive This is the kind of reading experience I will most likely never duplicate I ve never been compelled to meet an author but this time I am I want to let her know what an impact this book has had on my life

I m not sure if I ll finish this or not when I read it was about an atheist s take on AA, I didn t expect it to feel quite so New Age y spiritual Hornbacher is a weak or negative atheist, who would probably feel comfortable with the term agnostic at least as that term has been appropriated by non philosophers I ll give it another go tomorrow before I make a final decision.

a good read it s very personal, not analytical I like the writing style she has a point of view that although doesn t come across as authoritative, is credible and enriching I prefer the my experience has been books over this is how it should be books and Waiting is a 21st century sounding discussion about recovery, both heartfelt and practical.

This book contains 12 chapters that coincide with the 12 months and 12 Steps An excellent book on spiritual development and mediation for the atheist, agnostic, and believer alike with a touch of memoir and beautiful language I will definitely return to this one

It s difficult for anything regarding religion, atheist, or spirituality to capture my attention Of course Marya Hornbacher would be the one to do it