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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
This was interesting. I knew almost nothing about Scientology going into this except for the fact that they hold some unconventional beliefs, seem cult-like, and are popular in Hollywood. I wish there had been a little more about the why behind their beliefs; there must be some stories or something that support the "people clearing" and more info on overts that I'm sure Remini just assumed the reader would know or could find out elsewhere. Until she started explaining about her time in Sea Org, I was having a hard time buying into it and taking Scientology seriously. I mean, it seems nice to want to help people and be a good person. A few things that stuck out:
* They treat children like adults in that children often oversee adults in their job assignments and aren't allowed to have a childhood. It's assumed that they are responsible and capable enough to carry out adult-level tasks. Including running a nursery at Sea Org. Which was really disturbing - Remini recounts that the babies were being neglected because the kids in charge were... well, kids.
* The Miscavige stuff is crazy - I want to hear more about him! His wife went missing and church officials refused to discuss it with anyone, including Remini who asked repeatedly. When Remini left the church, she did so by filing a missing persons report on Shelly. The report was later closed with little to no investigation.
* Remini went to Tom and Katie's wedding and invited J. Lo and Marc Anthony for Tom and Katie, which is a bit odd and I don't think Remini/J. Lo/Anthony ever really understood. There was lots of weirdness about Tom and Katie trying to get J. Lo and Anthony alone; the whole thing was just really odd.
* Members are punished by being forced to do hard labor and work long shifts. When Remini was at Sea Org her days were 14 hours (!!!) long. She was a young teenager at the time.
* Members are discouraged from pursuing their education as Scientology teaches them everything they need to know! Remini dropped out at age 13.
* It's expensive! You have to pay to take courses to "move up the bridge". Remini alleges that the Church preys on middle class members and will call their credit card companies with the church member, helping them get increases on their cards which they then use to "donate" money to the church. Also, members are discouraged from giving money to non-Scientology agencies like the Red Cross. Remini was dissatisfied when she asked to see an accounting of how her donations were used.
* The church ex-communicates members they deem SPs, or suppressive persons. Members are expected to cut off all contact with SPs.
* Knowledge Reports - where you tattle on all your friends for their transgressions. You're then called to be audited and endure sec-checks (security checks). Auditing is like counseling and involves the use a machine that supposedly measures your thoughts.
* Remini felt that Tom Cruise held way too much sway over the church. When she brought it up, she was repeatedly shut down.
Overall, an interesting read. I'm still amazed that Remini would work long days on the set of TKOQ and would then go log hours a night at the Scientology Celebrity Centre. It sounds like she was on the brink of exhaustion during those years.
* They treat children like adults in that children often oversee adults in their job assignments and aren't allowed to have a childhood. It's assumed that they are responsible and capable enough to carry out adult-level tasks. Including running a nursery at Sea Org. Which was really disturbing - Remini recounts that the babies were being neglected because the kids in charge were... well, kids.
* The Miscavige stuff is crazy - I want to hear more about him! His wife went missing and church officials refused to discuss it with anyone, including Remini who asked repeatedly. When Remini left the church, she did so by filing a missing persons report on Shelly. The report was later closed with little to no investigation.
* Remini went to Tom and Katie's wedding and invited J. Lo and Marc Anthony for Tom and Katie, which is a bit odd and I don't think Remini/J. Lo/Anthony ever really understood. There was lots of weirdness about Tom and Katie trying to get J. Lo and Anthony alone; the whole thing was just really odd.
* Members are punished by being forced to do hard labor and work long shifts. When Remini was at Sea Org her days were 14 hours (!!!) long. She was a young teenager at the time.
* Members are discouraged from pursuing their education as Scientology teaches them everything they need to know! Remini dropped out at age 13.
* It's expensive! You have to pay to take courses to "move up the bridge". Remini alleges that the Church preys on middle class members and will call their credit card companies with the church member, helping them get increases on their cards which they then use to "donate" money to the church. Also, members are discouraged from giving money to non-Scientology agencies like the Red Cross. Remini was dissatisfied when she asked to see an accounting of how her donations were used.
* The church ex-communicates members they deem SPs, or suppressive persons. Members are expected to cut off all contact with SPs.
* Knowledge Reports - where you tattle on all your friends for their transgressions. You're then called to be audited and endure sec-checks (security checks). Auditing is like counseling and involves the use a machine that supposedly measures your thoughts.
* Remini felt that Tom Cruise held way too much sway over the church. When she brought it up, she was repeatedly shut down.
Overall, an interesting read. I'm still amazed that Remini would work long days on the set of TKOQ and would then go log hours a night at the Scientology Celebrity Centre. It sounds like she was on the brink of exhaustion during those years.
inspiring
reflective
More like a 3.5. Quick, easy and entertaining read. Learned a couple new things about Scientology but mostly just made me want to delve I to Lawrence Wrights book.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Leah Remini is known for being loud and brash but always comes across as being loyal, loving and hardworking. This book definitely reinforces that persona. She owns her own mistakes and transgressions early on and that makes this a refreshing "autobiography" to read. Her peek behind the Scientology curtain is just fascination.
She tells the story of being brought into Scientology as a young tween/teen. How a lot of the "policies" made sense to being a better person and helping the planet be better. As time goes on, she starts to notice more and more incidents that don't line up with that doctrine. She sees the power plays going on. She realizes that the fundraising and the costs of each "course" a member is required to take doesn't add up to improving the flock. It really goes to buying more buildings and other infrastructure. Her descriptions of the living and working conditions in Florida as part of the SeaOrg are horrifying. Her firsthand account of the "wedding of the century" show just how creepy Tom Cruise and his minions are. She makes me wonder, where the heck IS Shelly? Is she dead? Is she stuck cleaning toilets with a toothbrush and licking floors as punishment?
She mentions that she always had friends outside Scientology. She would have had some support when she left Scientology. The fact that her mother, stepfather, sister and brother-in-law left with her really helped her survive. If they stayed in Scientology, Leah would have lost all ties to them. And they'd continue to be brainwashed into thinking that Leah is an awful person who only wants to harm Scientology.
Her co-author did a fantastic job of keeping the tone of this book just right. You could tell there were more details that could have been shared - but probably would open up an infamous Scientology lawsuit - so most of the details are from Leah's first hand accounts or other SPs who left Scientology.
This counts as a book written by a celebrity for the 2016 PopSugar Reading Challenge.
9/41
She tells the story of being brought into Scientology as a young tween/teen. How a lot of the "policies" made sense to being a better person and helping the planet be better. As time goes on, she starts to notice more and more incidents that don't line up with that doctrine. She sees the power plays going on. She realizes that the fundraising and the costs of each "course" a member is required to take doesn't add up to improving the flock. It really goes to buying more buildings and other infrastructure. Her descriptions of the living and working conditions in Florida as part of the SeaOrg are horrifying. Her firsthand account of the "wedding of the century" show just how creepy Tom Cruise and his minions are. She makes me wonder, where the heck IS Shelly? Is she dead? Is she stuck cleaning toilets with a toothbrush and licking floors as punishment?
She mentions that she always had friends outside Scientology. She would have had some support when she left Scientology. The fact that her mother, stepfather, sister and brother-in-law left with her really helped her survive. If they stayed in Scientology, Leah would have lost all ties to them. And they'd continue to be brainwashed into thinking that Leah is an awful person who only wants to harm Scientology.
Her co-author did a fantastic job of keeping the tone of this book just right. You could tell there were more details that could have been shared - but probably would open up an infamous Scientology lawsuit - so most of the details are from Leah's first hand accounts or other SPs who left Scientology.
This counts as a book written by a celebrity for the 2016 PopSugar Reading Challenge.
9/41
Giving a memoir five stars is big for me! This story is fascinating, insightful, and well-written.
I read this book while on vacation, fully expecting it to only cover what she's discussed in on air or magazine interviews. I was wrong, there is so much more!
When you read her story, you better understand how someone whose persona is 'no nonsense' would get caught up in a whole lot of nonsense!
I kept finding myself wanting to read aloud passages to whomever had the misfortune of sitting near me. Her experience is that nuts! The punishments for 'bad scientologists', the absolute lack of education for children brought up in Sea Org, and Cruises crazy wedding fiasco. oh, and JLo who surprisingly went up in my book.
Anyway, read it, then call me to discuss! :)
When you read her story, you better understand how someone whose persona is 'no nonsense' would get caught up in a whole lot of nonsense!
I kept finding myself wanting to read aloud passages to whomever had the misfortune of sitting near me. Her experience is that nuts! The punishments for 'bad scientologists', the absolute lack of education for children brought up in Sea Org, and Cruises crazy wedding fiasco. oh, and JLo who surprisingly went up in my book.
Anyway, read it, then call me to discuss! :)
As soon as I saw this book for sale, I wanted it. I got it for Christmas and started on it while I was cooking Christmas dinner. I was actually anxious to get my family stuff over so I could get back to reading it. I took it with me outside each cigarette break, snuck reading it while pretending to listen to other people talk. It was that good.
I didn't want to put it down. Leah Remini is honest, real and I loved the way the book was written, with her own words, cuss words and ALL! It made me hear her voice, feel her pain and understand how difficult it was to leave the religion she'd based her life around for over thirty years.
For her to speak out, especially against people who are known for retaliation, shows how brave she is. She didn't have to do this. She could have let it all fall to the wayside, but in this book is not only her experience, but a warning to those who are thinking of joining.
I admit to never liking Tom Cruise. Never, but now, he sickens me.
Leah, bravo to the book! I truly hope it makes you all the money you forked over to them and much, much more!
I didn't want to put it down. Leah Remini is honest, real and I loved the way the book was written, with her own words, cuss words and ALL! It made me hear her voice, feel her pain and understand how difficult it was to leave the religion she'd based her life around for over thirty years.
For her to speak out, especially against people who are known for retaliation, shows how brave she is. She didn't have to do this. She could have let it all fall to the wayside, but in this book is not only her experience, but a warning to those who are thinking of joining.
I admit to never liking Tom Cruise. Never, but now, he sickens me.
Leah, bravo to the book! I truly hope it makes you all the money you forked over to them and much, much more!
More like 2 1/2 stars.
This was an okay read but nothing I haven't already read elsewhere or didn't already know about Scientology. Leah seems very bitter ( and rightly so, I guess) but she seems to want to blame David Miscavige and Tom Cruise for some of scientology's more egregious flaws. But the truth is the whole thing is a sham even if LRH policy is followed to the letter. The "tech" is a bunch of hooey made up by a hack science fiction writer. This is a money making enterprise at best and a dangerous cult at worst. The whole thing is a house of cards built on a shifting sand foundation. There is no RELIGION. It's a self help set of introductory courses that anyone would find "helpful" like "how to communicate effectively" that sucks you in, then subsequent courses teach you how to build the trap that you create in your own mind to keep yourself trapped. It is evil.
This was an okay read but nothing I haven't already read elsewhere or didn't already know about Scientology. Leah seems very bitter ( and rightly so, I guess) but she seems to want to blame David Miscavige and Tom Cruise for some of scientology's more egregious flaws. But the truth is the whole thing is a sham even if LRH policy is followed to the letter. The "tech" is a bunch of hooey made up by a hack science fiction writer. This is a money making enterprise at best and a dangerous cult at worst. The whole thing is a house of cards built on a shifting sand foundation. There is no RELIGION. It's a self help set of introductory courses that anyone would find "helpful" like "how to communicate effectively" that sucks you in, then subsequent courses teach you how to build the trap that you create in your own mind to keep yourself trapped. It is evil.