Confessions of a Big Book Thumper

I had a very close friend from Texas, where I got sober, who told me once, "Nobody can stand a walking Big Book." It is true that there are those of us who tend to cling a bit tightly to those precious first 164 pages and many of us refuse to listen or even argue when the conversation tends to drift into non-Conference-approved ways of looking at life, the universe, and sobriety. I am writing this in part to promote an understanding on the less-reactionary side, and partly to explain one alcoholic's reasons--or, if you prefer, excuses--for my hard-hat attitude on this sensitive subject.