Book excerpt: The classic New York Times bestseller: Real-life stories from prominent people talking about their experiences as alcoholics. As an alcoholic himself, PBS host Dennis Wholey set out to collect the powerful stories of well-known people who have struggled with this disease. Included in this volume are personal accounts by Jason Robards, Grace Slick, Sid Caesar, Pete Townshend, Don Newcombe, Bob Welch, Graham Chapman, Elmore Leonard, and many more. Whether they come from the worlds of entertainment, as actors, authors, comedians, or musicians, from politics or sports or other public lives, they share the private nightmare of drinking and the hard work of recovery. The Courage to Change also explores how alcoholism is truly a family disease. Rod Steiger talks about his alcoholic mother; the Reverend Jerry Falwell tells about growing up with an alcoholic father; Lois Robards, Sybil Carter, and Florence Caesar relate their own stories as wives of alcoholics. How do you know if you are an alcoholic? What are the symptoms? What should you do if someone in your family is an alcoholic? Where is the help? Is there hope? With inspiration and practical advice from members of Alcoholics Anonymous, this is a book that can save lives. “A brave and powerful work for anyone who cares about people, who desires to be more knowledgeable about human behavior.” —Leo Buscaglia, author of Living, Loving, and Learning “Should be required reading in every school system in America . . . If there’s an alcoholic in your life, one of the best investments you can make is this book.” —Detroit Free Press