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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
i dont know whether to laugh or cry. scientology is........ but leah remeni is hilarious and honest and this book is just... wild. i literally don't know how else to describe it. i finished it in one sitting and i couldn't look away.
honestly i knew literally nothing about scientology before, just that it was some weird cult and tom cruise jumped on oprah's couch. thats pretty much it. but this was? i mean, it truly deserves these 4 stars.
also tom cruise..... suuuuuuuch a weirdo.
honestly i knew literally nothing about scientology before, just that it was some weird cult and tom cruise jumped on oprah's couch. thats pretty much it. but this was? i mean, it truly deserves these 4 stars.
also tom cruise..... suuuuuuuch a weirdo.
A largely autobiographical book, it does offer some insight into a devious, dangerous cult. It is shocking how ruinous Scientology is.
I have been looking forward to Leah Remini's synopsis of Scientology since I heard she left the "church" (cult to the rest of us). It was interesting to read about Scientology from her brash, and honest perspective. I had only heard rumors about Scientology so it was fascinating to hear an insider's tale. Remini did cover some 30 years of time in this short book so it did often feel like she was keeping everything simple and brief. And I lost track of roughly how old she was a few times so the timeline, in my opinion, was confusing. It was a quick read and by the end though I feel it was very brave of her to leave and write a book, it seem like this was her justification to herself for leaving. Only at the very end did she refer to Scientology as a "cult-like" group but it seemed in passing. Reading about her experiences it is obvious to me that Scientology is a cult, not a religion or a church. It seems though she still has a way to go to really see that she didn't make a bad decision about a religion, she was brain-washed, controlled and manipulated. Hope she continues to grow and heal from her lifelong experience that was Scientology.
This was a fascinating book. I've love Leah Remini since she was Stacey Carosi on Saved by the Bell, and until she left Scientology, wasn't really aware of her role in the church. But boy did she have a role. Was it a stellar read? Nah. But it was warm and genuine and sad and inspiring. Also, she and JLo are bffs and I love that two outer borough girls found each other in LA.
A real page turner, and definitely worth a read if you have any interest in how totally insane Scientology is.
A fun read. She says "fuck" a lot and talks some smack about Tom Cruise, both things that I find tremendously endearing.
[4.5 Stars]
I read this after reading Mike Rinder's A Billion Years and was glad I did. I didn't know much about Leah Remini as an actress, but after hearing Mr. Rinder talk about her speaking up at a wedding (....Tom Cruises wedding) asking where the COB David Miscaivage's wife, Shelly, was I had an interest in her life in Scientology.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. While her early years in Hollywood weren't what I came to the book for, they were interesting to hear about and I really enjoyed listening to her narrate them.
What I loved most about this book was hearing the other side of the Scientology coin from Mike Rinder's book. You get to see Scientology through the lense of someone who starts out as an average parishoner before reaching status deemed worthy enough to be a part of Scientology's Hollywood Celebrity Center. You get to follow along on the journey of someone who grew up outside of the church and was sucked in and how she continued to stay there. You also get to see the other sides of events that Mike Rinder describes which I thought was really interested to hear both consistency and new perspectives.
I read this after reading Mike Rinder's A Billion Years and was glad I did. I didn't know much about Leah Remini as an actress, but after hearing Mr. Rinder talk about her speaking up at a wedding (....Tom Cruises wedding) asking where the COB David Miscaivage's wife, Shelly, was I had an interest in her life in Scientology.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. While her early years in Hollywood weren't what I came to the book for, they were interesting to hear about and I really enjoyed listening to her narrate them.
What I loved most about this book was hearing the other side of the Scientology coin from Mike Rinder's book. You get to see Scientology through the lense of someone who starts out as an average parishoner before reaching status deemed worthy enough to be a part of Scientology's Hollywood Celebrity Center. You get to follow along on the journey of someone who grew up outside of the church and was sucked in and how she continued to stay there. You also get to see the other sides of events that Mike Rinder describes which I thought was really interested to hear both consistency and new perspectives.
Leah doesn't hold anything back and I'm so glad this is truly a tell all book. So much juicy gossip about Scientology and so much pain with what she went through. The details of Tom and Katie's wedding is truly bizarre. I'm happy that she has such a big support group and is no longer part of that cult.
This is a fast read thanks to the same grotesque curiosity that leads us to rubberbeck at bad highway accidents.
Obviously you're not reading literature here; rather, it's an autobiography on Remini's life, which includes her religion (Scientology), and her career. I estimate this book is about 2/3 Remini's Scientology experience, and 1/3 her Hollywood life.
I was horrified at the craziness sold in the Scientology cult, as described by Remini. Sure, what I learned if it in this book is one-sided, but, duh...it's an autobiography.
One thing unanswered in the book that I'm still curious about is the cross that Scientology uses as part of their logo. Where in Scientology is Jesus? I mean, the cross simply represents one thing in a predominantly Christian-based society, which Scientology is based predominately in the US. So, where is Jesus brought into this Scientology "religion"? ...because of all Remini discusses, no Jesus and no God exists, save for humans who are possibly/perhaps occasionally revered as gods- LRH & Tom Cruise.
Another reason it read so quickly for me was the voice and tone - very conversational and blunt, with a touch of naïveté behind it all. ...which is a lot like how I am, so I felt like a friend was telling me her story.
Obviously you're not reading literature here; rather, it's an autobiography on Remini's life, which includes her religion (Scientology), and her career. I estimate this book is about 2/3 Remini's Scientology experience, and 1/3 her Hollywood life.
I was horrified at the craziness sold in the Scientology cult, as described by Remini. Sure, what I learned if it in this book is one-sided, but, duh...it's an autobiography.
One thing unanswered in the book that I'm still curious about is the cross that Scientology uses as part of their logo. Where in Scientology is Jesus? I mean, the cross simply represents one thing in a predominantly Christian-based society, which Scientology is based predominately in the US. So, where is Jesus brought into this Scientology "religion"? ...because of all Remini discusses, no Jesus and no God exists, save for humans who are possibly/perhaps occasionally revered as gods- LRH & Tom Cruise.
Another reason it read so quickly for me was the voice and tone - very conversational and blunt, with a touch of naïveté behind it all. ...which is a lot like how I am, so I felt like a friend was telling me her story.
The best view into Scientology that I've seen so far in books or documentaries. Leah takes you through her life and where Scientology fit, what it attempted to do for her, and where it failed. She's a flawed person, still imperfect, and ready to admit she can be wrong. But she's also inquisitive, honest and not ready to give anyone a free pass. She's not going to obediently obey whatever she's told.
Through Remini's eyes we see Scientology - it's apparent good intentions, and the greed and flaws in it, a man made religion ultimately looking out for itself more than what it espouses.
This book is an easy and quick read and entertaining. It's a great view into exactly what Scientology is and can be for those who defy it, without you having to slog through anything complex or long and involved.
Through Remini's eyes we see Scientology - it's apparent good intentions, and the greed and flaws in it, a man made religion ultimately looking out for itself more than what it espouses.
This book is an easy and quick read and entertaining. It's a great view into exactly what Scientology is and can be for those who defy it, without you having to slog through anything complex or long and involved.