Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion [Kindle Edition]

Janet Reitman (Author)

Book 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 the 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 evenhanded 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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, July 2011: Whatever your opinion of Scientology, the truth is more extreme. Inside Scientology is journalist Janet Reitman's incredible book-length follow-up to the Rolling Stone cover story of the same name, a 2007 finalist for the National Magazine Award. Founded by wayward science-fiction writer and historical revisionist par excellence L. Ron Hubbard, "America's Most Secretive Religion" is perhaps best known for high-profile adherents like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, but its tenets, processes, and internal organization form a story as surprising and captivating as that of any investigative work released this year. Reitman's extensive research--including hundreds of interviews with devotees and defectors alike--culminates in an expansive, page-turning survey of the origins, development, crises, beliefs, and scandals of this fascinating incorporated religion, all with a fair-minded approach that favors diligent curiosity over judgment at every turn. "It has been my goal to write the first objective modern history of the Church of Scientology," Reitman writes in the book's introduction, and to this end, Inside Scientology succeeds in spades. This book will remain the definitive study of the subject for a long time to come. --Jason Kirk

Review

"[a] meticulously compiled exposé, culled from hundreds of interviews with active Scientologists and defectors alike. [Reitman's] revelations including abuse allegations against church leader David Miscavige and details about the organization's aggressive courtship of Tom Cruise come with impressive backup." - Entertainment Weekly

"a serious, painstaking investigation of the organization's unique structure and bare-knucled business acumen." - GQ

"In a new book, Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secret Religion, author Janet Reitman tell the fascinating history of the mysterious organization and its members." - Time.com

"the most complete picture of Scientology so far." Garry Wills, New York Times Book Review

"Reitman's book delivers all it promises, and it promises a lot... [Reitman] has put together the most masterfully written, narratively rewarding, and thorough yarn about L. Ron Hubbard, David Miscavige, and Scientology and its strange past, present, and possible future....In Inside Scientology, we have a thorough, brave journalist backed by a major publisher, and soon what no doubt will be a major publicity push: Reitman's book should soon become Scientology's biggest headache in years." - Village Voice

"this book is fearless" - Wall Street Journal

"[a] meaty, engaging new book" -Slate.com

"[a] meticulously researched history and revealing exposé, a frightening portrait of a religion that many find not just controversial, but dangerous...Throughout the book, the author displays consummate journalistic skills. Her accumulation of evidence is particularly impressive and gives rise to one of the more memorable works of investigative nonfiction in recent years."- Boston Globe

"a well-researched and compelling read" - Los Angeles Times

"[a] richly narrative history of the organization... The book is convincing and compelling. It will be interesting to see how the Scientology leadership responds." - St Louis Post Dispatch

"So most journalistic accounts of Scientology fall into two categories: ax-grinding expose or fawning apologism. Fortunately Janet Reitman finds a third way in her authoritative, absorbing "Inside Scientology": nuanced reporting that lets the facts speak for themselves..."Inside Scientology" will remain a thoughtful, fair-minded record of its tumultuous first generation." - San Francisco Chronicle

"Inside Scientology is a masterful piece of reporting....a compelling introduction to "America s most secretive religion," as the subtitle has it. Even for those who have no interest in parsing when cults become religions or why faith upends fact, Reitman tells a spellbinding story of a larger-than-life personality whose quirks, ticks and charisma shaped America s newest homegrown religious movement." - Washington Post

"INSIDE SCIENTOLOGY is notable for its depth and sweep. Reitman's research pays off not only in rich portrayals of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and current leader David Miscavige, but in intimate portraits of people who have been swept up along the way....Reitman's analysis of Scientology's ability to survive scandal and mockery is compelling and persuasive." - Seattle Times

"The inside scoop on Scientology, the steeped-in-secrecy religion of L. Ron Hubbard." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

" --Infinite Complacency

[Audio Review] Stephen Hoye proves a perfect pick as narrator. His tone and inflection communicate the book s nuanced ideas. --Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 726 KB
• Print Length: 469 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0618883029
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (June 13, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004X7TLU6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,470 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #15 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Cults & Demonism
  • #16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts > Scientology
  • #27 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

264 of 279 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This is an Important and timely book June 16, 2011

By Mary McConnell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion is objective, nonbiased and well written. It will raise the blood pressure of the management of Scientology, as well as the hairs on the arms of those unfamiliar with what goes on inside.

I heartedly whipped through this informative book and I highly recommend for general readers,as well as current and former members.

The most important thing I came away with after reading it was that this well researched and written book is an must read for anyone wanting to know why Scientology is so controversial.

The subject and history of Scientology and it's leaders current and past, is such that it would fill volumes. So, I think Janet Reitman accomplished, in good part, what she set out to do with this book:

"It has been my goal to write the first objective modern history of the Church of Scientology," Reitman proclaims in her introduction. "It is the goal of Inside Scientology to translate [L. Ron Hubbard's arcane] language and separate myth from fact."

What to include must have been a real dilemma. As a former member, I just wish there had been more. But for the outsider wanting to know the inside story of the secretive religion called Scientology, they will come away very informed and quite surprised. It does not provide all that there is to know but she provides the essential information and gives the reader enough so that they will have an historical understanding. She compliments earlier works and provides such that one will want to read up on previous works if they have not read them already.

She really did her homework. Hence the large Notes Section and 'Selected Bibliography at the end of the book. Additionally, the internet played a large part in the history of Scientology and she provides information on where to find information, as well.

Reitman does a very good job on the things she covers and for those not intimately aware of the cult as I am, the book provides riviting accounts of members recollections aided by well researched information on the organization, it's policies, procedures and culture. She does this in the most unbiased manner and backs up her work with meticulous researched references.

I was glad to see that she included interviews and information which I either did not expect to be in it, or never knew about before. I was also dismayed that certain events and names were not mentioned but, as I said, it would take volumns. She did her best to fit in what she could without overwhelming the reader. Shje explains scientologese and did it in a very easy to digest style. The research is excellent, as well. The book flows and is an enjoyable read. All that says a lot about this book and the author.

262 of 282 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Vital Read July 5, 2011

By Denise Brennan

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The three chapters about Lisa McPherson in this book pretty much sum up what is wrong with scientology.

The story of Lisa will tear your heart out. But it will also show you an example, if an extreme one, of an organization based on lies, taking advantage of others and itself being highly dangerous.

Lisa died receiving what organized scientology called "The Introspection Rundown".

In the book Janet Reitman tells of scientology's founder L Ron Hubbard announcing this rundown as a cure for the last unsolvable mental condition "the psychotic break". As quoted from Hubbard in Janet's book: "'I have made a technical breakthrough which possibly ranks with the major discoveries of the Twentieth Century,' he proclaimed in a bulletin dated November 24, 1973. 'THIS MEANS THE LAST REASON TO HAVE PSYCHIATRY AROUND IS GONE'."

Who is Hubbard to make such a "breakthrough"? The point is not whether the introspection rundown should have been two days or seventeen days as is argued by true believers in Hubbard's "technology". The point is this "tech" was written by a man with zero credentials in the field of mental health, who was an academic fraud, who abused people on a wholesale basis and who ripped off many millions from the proceeds of scientology while countless staff were cash starved and countless public were financially ruined.

In every way organized scientology destroyed a beautiful, young woman and took advantage of her for her money. It was completely incompetent without a technology to truly help others. And then it covers up what in my opinion is serious crime knowingly and willingly so that justice even to this day will never be done. It hides evidence and people from investigating authorities and then attacks the investigators brutally and continually.

This organization is built on a foundation of lies. It lies about its founder and its so-called "tech". There are countless examples of this in this book.

To exist it constantly must lie about what it is as one person and family after another is devoured for worldly gain.

And now organized scientology is using its myriad of "secular", benign-sounding front groups to penetrate our schools, businesses, mental health and other sectors of society with their "tech", pretending it is not 100% controlled by organized scientology.

This book is a vital piece of well written information that should be read by millions in order to protect themselves and their loved ones.

240 of 263 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientologists: You Don't Know Scientology! June 13, 2011

By TheHoleTracker

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book despite knowing many details over the span of Scientology history and because of it. Here was an author who reportedly had done intense research, but noone has been able to capture with any depth the full panomara in one full swoop. How could anyone?

Janet Reitman has accomplished this exhausting and trying feat not reading like a dry history book, but a drama/scifi/mystery. I could not put it down until finished. There were many details I didn't know. More important to me personally was even after all this time I was able to piece together various plans and schemes that never made sense until Janet laid it all out.

I hope your steadfast labor, Ms Reitman, finds the tremendous success and widespread distribution it deserves. I firmly believe this will be The Book on the Real Scientology that will be referenced more than any other. I just finished it and am a bit awestruck. I certainly hope politicians, lobbyists, social groups, humanitarian groups and others will read this book and educate themselves fully, as well as parents, and teens, young adults.

The one group that needs to read it the most are Scientologists. In reality, they will be the last. Sincere thanks. Oh, there are juicy details in each chapter that make it a Must Read for almost anyone. When it comes to Scientology bizarre elements, you just can't make this stuff up. Hope to see you interviwed by Steven Colbert in the very near future!
More thoughts after a second read:

It is impossible for any one book to cover All of sci history from All angles. It would take a series, a long one.

There's a very important factor that sometimes gets missed so I'll repeat it. Janet Reitman discusses her sources and research in great depth. She made it clear that she didn't include anything that didn't have many backups of a story or incident.

There's also that tired, old elephant in the room. Sci's legal soldiers always at the ready, and Janet had a well founded, major publishing team behind her with their own legal eyes. Imagine how many keystrokes were deleted to make this book possible at all. It simply would not have gotten published if it had everything many of us would like to see inside.

But then there's the three, three chapters re: Lisa McPherson. And so much more. It's done in chronological order, and contains an enormous amount of background and major moments of the masterminds behind the battlefronts. Additionally I favor this book because there are so many other resources referenced within that any paricular area or point or person someone wants to find out more, there's no spending hours of googling necessary. It's provided and it makes it easy.

Sci's Bridge publications has their "What is Scientology" three-inch (?) tome and how much Truth is inside that piece of work? If someone was curious about sci, would you hand them that garbage? Janet Reitman's "Inside Scientology" holds more truth than all the thousands of sci's "library".

It should come in very handy for press questions or needs for background on a story, for families concerned about a loved one thinking about joining, and for those who know something about it, but want to know more. And like I said, there is a long list of references and links for more info throughout.

More About the Author

Janet Reitman is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and the author of "Inside Scientology," (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July 2011), 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 Duke lacrosse scandal; 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.