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Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion Audiobook
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(3.01) - 3,288 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Scientology, created in 1954 by a prolific sci-fi writer named L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world's fastest-growing religion, with millions of members around the world and huge financial holdings. Its celebrity believers keep its profile high, and its teams of "volunteer ministers" offer aid at disaster sites such as Haiti and the World Trade Center. But Scientology is also a notably closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation, even infiltrating the highest levels of government to further its goals. Its attacks on psychiatry and its requirement that believers pay as much as tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars for salvation have drawn scrutiny and skepticism. And ex-members use the Internet to share stories of harassment and abuse.
Now Janet Reitman offers the first full journalistic history of the Church of Scientology, in an even-handed account that at last establishes the astonishing truth about the controversial religion. She traces Scientology's development from the birth of Dianetics to today, following its metamorphosis from a pseudoscientific self-help group to a worldwide spiritual corporation with profound control over its followers and even ex-followers.
Based on five years of research, unprecedented access to church officials, confidential documents, and extensive interviews with current and former Scientologists, this is the defining book about a little-known world.
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"I like the fact this author treated the men and women she interviewed with respect. She let them tell their stories as they experienced it. She didn't berate or jest over their beliefs. She did a good job, even going out of her way, to present both sides. I felt the book is a respectful look at a very controversial group. I came away with more understanding of the group and what draws people to it. Reading this book was compelling and I could not put it down."
— Ardell (4 out of 5 stars)
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A detailed and readable examination of the life of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the church, and his successor, David Miscavige.
— Publishers Weekly
Inside Scientology Listener Reviews
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" This book is a must read for people interested in cult behavior and methods used to push a right wing agenda. "
— Dsinglet, 2/20/2014 -
" Scientology. What a bizarre "religion." All fraud-y and manslaughter-y "
— Elizabeth, 2/18/2014 -
" A must read for anyone who has ever heard of Scientology. Could barely put it down when I started. Scientology is not a religion, it is business that preys on people's weaknesses. I just hope Scientology continues its downward slide in popularity. "
— Bryan, 2/18/2014 -
" Very well written. You get a good idea of why people would be drawn to its beliefs. At the same time she shows you how screwed up the church organization is. David Miscavige is as warped an individual as Jim Jones. "
— Petero, 2/10/2014 -
" A good comprehensive history of Scientology, from it's beginnings as Dianetics in the 50s to the present. The first half is surprisingly dry, considering what a character L. Ron Hubbard was and how kooky some of his ideas were, but if you persevere, you'll eventually get to the Tom Cruise gossip and other more juicy material. "
— Lylah, 2/10/2014 -
" By turns horrifying, stupefying, and maddening, an excellent and comprehensive look into the world's biggest business-as-religion. "
— Saadiq, 2/5/2014 -
" I feel like this book took the easy way out, in that it didn't make a compelling case for what is attractive about Scientology to some people. What kinds of questions are asked in auditing? What happens in Sunday "church" services? Reitman's interviews with younger Scientologists toward the end of the book show some healthy people getting something out of their practice, but that was too little too late for me. I was already aware--largely from a great New Yorker article last year--about the cult-like characteristics of the organization that would seemingly lead any sane person to run away from a free stress test! "
— Kate, 1/27/2014 -
" A comprehensive history/expose into this strange cult. "
— Joe, 1/20/2014 -
" Man those Scientologist are as weird as I thought they were. "
— Beth, 1/15/2014 -
" This is an excellent read. I could not put it down. I was impressed with Reitman's level of access to this secret "religion". While it is obvious which side of the debate she falls on, she does an excellent job of presenting multiple points of view. I would recommend this book. "
— Molecule96, 12/29/2013 -
" A little repetitive at times but overall a very well researched and informative book. "
— Makefetch, 11/26/2013 -
" Managed to make a pretty fascinating topic fairly dull. But worth it for the story of Lisa McPherson alone. Under The Banner of Heaven is an all time favorite of mine...Reitman would've benefited from taking a long look at it prior to writing this. "
— Joe, 11/5/2013 -
" A fascinating and fair-minded look inside Scientology--is wacko but no more or less so than any other religion. "
— Gsmalz, 6/30/2013 -
" My interest in the story behind Scientology was piqued when I saw "The Master." Inside Scientology is a good read for a more in-depth look into this secretive "religion" and its origins. "
— Grant, 6/1/2013 -
" Exceptional read. Engrossing and full of detail. Took me behind the public perception of Scientology and provided insight into the background of LRH, his successors and the various purges that have occurred through the organization's lifetime. "
— Jonathan, 11/8/2012 -
" Those scientologists! A Fascinating read--such a bizarre cult. "
— Whitney, 10/1/2012 -
" Amazing - as informative and enlightening as "Under the Banner of Heaven." "
— Jeffreyd77, 4/26/2012 -
" Excellent book, well researched and well written. Compelling look inside scientology. "
— Amanda, 1/20/2012 -
" READ THIS BOOK!!! You couldn't make this stuff up... "
— Esther, 12/2/2011 -
" Very interesting look into scientology. Recommended for anyone interested in the religion. Ends up strongly against scientology, but has some arguments for scientology in it as well, which means it wasn't overly biased. 4 stars! "
— Parker, 8/10/2011 -
" An impressively researched story - good journalism about a modern 'religion' and its secretive and destructive means. Also has good background on the cult's dirty history, about the mercurial personality of its leader, as well as the abuses and aggressive hounding of its members. Useful. "
— Kaworu, 7/20/2011 -
" Fascinating expose of a deeply secretive organization. "
— jen8998, 7/9/2011 -
" Very good, well researched and clearly written. Minimal bias on a controversial subject. "
— Jim, 7/8/2011 -
" More bonkers than I could have possibly imagined. This book was well written and thorough. I could not put it down until it was done! "
— Kate, 2/9/2011
About Janet Reitman
Janet Reitman is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and the author of Inside Scientology, which was based on her National Magazine Award–nominated story of the same name published in Rolling Stone in March, 2006. She is the first American journalist to publish a major book on Scientology, and the only writer to have charted its full history. Reitman also covered the war in Iraq for Rolling Stone and has reported on a wide range of other topics, including the failure of US and international recovery efforts in post-earthquake Haiti; the death of American aid worker Marla Ruzicka in Baghdad; and the national childhood obesity crisis. She has also reported extensively in Africa, profiling Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, and covering conflicts in Sudan and Sierra Leone. In addition to Rolling Stone, Reitman’s work has appeared in GQ, Men’s Journal, the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, and Salon, among other publications. She and journalist L. Christopher Smith live in Brooklyn, New York, with their French sheepdog, Bode.
About Stephen Hoye
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.