The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning

The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham is a remarkable book about, as the title suggests, coming to terms with the imperfections of the human species. The authors draw from a vast array of scholars and philosophers from the most ancient to the very recent. Curiously, the authors particular focus on the writing of Bill Wilson, one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, and they note the wisdom of Wilson’s prolific writing in alignment with more highly regarded thinkers. If you’re interested in Bill Wilson as an important positive force on modern day society, then you’ll find this book to be an important compliment to Wilson’s writings. Unlike most of the rest of the book, I think the authors botched the penultimate chapter entitled “Forgiveness.” As is typical of some other authors, they also give lip service to the psychoanalytic writings of Freud, and then are critical of it without really understanding the concepts they criticize. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful effort. Kurtz and Ketcham have helped me with some better language and concepts to address the many less-than-perfect aspects of human lives we lead.