The Lois Wilson Story

"Bill Borchert came into my life during our astounding screen collaboration in My Name Is Bill W.  What a joy to revisit this friendship in his new achievement, The Lois Wilson Story.  Bill Borchert will always be a seminal part of my life, and now millions of others will get to appreciate his selfless devotion to the woman who cofounded Al-Anon and her mesmerizing story.  Bravo, my friend." -- James Woods, Emmy Award-winning actor, My Name Is Bill W.

"An authentic and powerful tale of helplessness, hope, and fulfillment...a page-turning read and a tribute to Lois, cofounder of Al-Anon, and her passion to bring healing to everyone affected by the family disease of alcoholism." -- Johnny Allem, President/CEO, Johnson Institute

The little-known story of Lois Burnham Wilson, cofounder of Al-Anon and wife of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) cofounder Bill W., is told at last in this magnificent biography of one of the recovery movement's most quietly influential figures.  Lois Wilson's uncommon love and unshakeable faith have provided a legacy of hope to millions of families devastated by addiction.

Acclaimed author and screenwriter William G. Borchert does a masterful job in revealing the life and times of this spirited and determined woman, exploring the tender emotional territory beyond Lois's role in the formation of AA and the subsequent foundation of Al-Anon.  From her privileged childhood in turn-of-the-century New York City, to her unexpected but exhilarating courtship with the charismatic Bill Wilson, to her socialite status as a "Wall Street Wife" in the Roaring Twenties, to the couple's audacious cross-country motorcycle excursions in the 1930s, Lois was every bit the adventur-seeker her legendary husband was.  But nothing could have prepared her for the chaos, anguish, and loss caused by her beloved Bill's seventeen-year descent into the depths of alcoholism.

In the end, however, his alcoholism proved not to be the tragic undoing of this brilliant, promising couple, but rather the beginning of one of the twentieth century's most important social movements.