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Katherine Spallino
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The Bad Cadet: Growing Up in the Church of Scientology's Sea Organization Kindle Edition

by Katherine Spallino (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 108 ratings
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At age six, Katherine Spallino is separated from her parents and sent to train for her future in the Church of Scientology’s clergy—the Sea Organization. Naively happy at first, she thinks it’s a fun adventure to live in a Scientology-owned dorm room in Los Angeles with thirteen other girls, rarely seeing her parents and never going to a normal school. She’s committed to her Scientology studies and her life’s purpose of clearing the planet.

Later, Katherine is sent to live at a secluded ranch with other young prospective Sea Org members, called cadets, where she studies Scientology and does manual labor—weeding fields, digging trenches, and working in the galley. The indoctrination escalates and her family slips even farther into the background. But as she enters her teenage years, a host of new, more immediate concerns emerge—namely boys, popularity, fits of rebellion, and fantasies of what else life has to offer.

As the Sea Org beckons, the fundamental question intensifies—should she commit herself to the church, or reject everything she’s ever known for a chance at a different life?

"The Bad Cadet is the shocking and highly engaging account of a child’s life in Scientology. Katherine’s parents signed a billion year contract, putting aside all of their rights, to serve in Scientology’s Sea Organization. They also signed away Katherine’s rights at birth, tricked into believing that they were saving humanity. Katherine and her siblings grew up without parents, shipped away to a ranch run on military lines, without proper care or education, where they were taught to adulate Scientology’s fabulist creator Ron Hubbard, and forced into child labor. This poignant account is made even more remarkable by Katherine’s lack of bitterness and her eye for detail in a sequence of compelling events. She shows that even her indomitable spirit was almost cowed into belief in the bizarre ideas of Scientology’s narcissistic founder. Every reader will find this well-written book fascinating, but it will be especially useful to survivors of childhoods in authoritarian cults. I cannot recommend it highly enough."

Jon Atack, author of the best-selling history of Scientology, Let’s Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky; Scientology: The Cult of Greed; and Opening Our Minds: Avoiding Abusive Relationships and Authoritarian Groups.

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  1. Print length
    348 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 14, 2023
  4. Reading age
    13 - 18 years
  5. Grade level
    8 - 12
  6. File size
    951 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next slide of product details

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C1TCQ1KQ
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 14, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 951 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 348 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 108 ratings

About the author

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Katherine Spallino

Katherine Spallino

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Katherine is a stay at home mom happily raising three rambunctious boys (two of whom are twins) in Minneapolis with her husband. Katherine is working on her second novel, The Bad Scientologist. Follow her on Instagram @thebadcadet and twitter @badcadet to receive updates and news.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
108 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book a great, fun read. They also say the storytelling envelopes them into the story and makes it relatable. Readers describe the book as interesting and giving an inside look at Scientology. They praise the writing quality as well-written, easy to read, and humorous.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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ReadabilityStorytellingEye openingWriting qualityHumorAccuracy
11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book great, fun, and eye-opening. They also say it's compelling and a quick read.

"...What a great read. I’ve had so many emotions going through me while reading and I’m now in a place of Gratitude...." Read more

"This was such a compelling (and incredibly fun!) read...." Read more

"What an incredible book! "The Bad Cadet" by Katherine Spallino has left an indelible mark on my literary thetan, and I cannot recommend it enough!..." Read more

"...able to put herself back in that scene and tell it so raw and truthfully is incredible...." Read more

11 customers mention "Storytelling"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the storytelling in the book great, relatable, and entertaining. They say the author shares insight into her childhood that most people cannot imagine having lived through.

"...Katherine’s easy to read and entertaining approach to storytelling is mesmerizing. I really could not put the book down...." Read more

"...Katherine Spallino offers a captivating exploration of growing up within the unique setting of the Church of Scientology's Sea Organization...." Read more

"...This truly is a rare peak into a childhood we were never able to speak truthfully about to any outsiders, including family...." Read more

"...She is a very strong-minded woman, and that is certainly *not* encouraged in Scientology! The continual brainwashing flat out didn't "take"...." Read more

6 customers mention "Eye opening"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book eye-opening. They say it gives them an inside look at Scientology from a perspective they don't have.

"...This is such an interesting glimpse into the world we lived in. I was a few years older than Katherine but was raised along side her...." Read more

"Always interesting to dive into this cult. Amazing she could do what her parents couldn’t . Shame they wasted so much time" Read more

"...Eye opening in a way that makes it feel like you where there experiencing it...." Read more

"This is a great book that gives the reader an inside look at being in, and escaping, Scientology as a child...." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written, easy to read, and entertaining. They say the author writes with levity and humor.

"...Katherine’s easy to read and entertaining approach to storytelling is mesmerizing. I really could not put the book down...." Read more

"...It’s an easy read with some tough pills to swallow...." Read more

"...as a Cadet in Scientology's The Sea Organization, she writes with levity and humor...." Read more

"...While the book is well written and filled with amusing anecdotes, keep in mind, it wasn’t all fun and games." Read more

5 customers mention "Humor"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book funny, mischievous, and filled with amusing anecdotes. They say it makes the story palatable, playful, and exciting to read.

"...They’re a playful, mischievous, high-energy crew… They’re KIDS, basically...." Read more

"...infuses the narrative with an infectious sense of energy, excitement, humor, and a dash of mischief ;p..." Read more

"...It makes her story palatable, playful, and exciting to read...." Read more

"...While the book is well written and filled with amusing anecdotes, keep in mind, it wasn’t all fun and games." Read more

3 customers mention "Accuracy"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book incredibly accurate and on point.

"...So accurate...." Read more

"Having grown up as a cadet myself, I thought this book was incredibly accurate and on point...." Read more

"...as a Cadet alongside Katherine - I found the book to be relatable and accurate. So much so, that I couldn't put it down until I was finished...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

CA
5.0 out of 5 stars A different perspective
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
Got my book yesterday and am halfway through and felt the need to leave a review already. This is such an interesting glimpse into the world we lived in. I was a few years older than Katherine but was raised along side her. Her writing is from our point of view; we didn’t know anything else and didn’t realize just how messed up our situation was. She’s not openly criticizing Scientology or the Sea Org in the book and yet it’s pretty clear just how messed up her situation is and how hard it was growing up the way we did and how she had to set aside very human emotions and reactions to situations because she simply wasn’t allowed to display them and had zero control over so many of her circumstances. She rarely saw or spoke to her parents so the kids growing up around her were her family. And yet, if you did something against the rules, you couldn’t rely on them not tattling on you because if it was found out about and they didn’t come forward first, they would be punished right along with you. Our friends were our life lines and yet we couldn’t always trust them with our lives.

It’s fascinating to go along this ride with Katherine as she grows up in such a tumultuous and culty environment.

Also, a special shout out the L Ron Hubbard chapter where she talks about going to the L Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition in Hollywood and how she captured the adulation and adoration we felt for this man. So accurate. We were taught from a very young age about how wonderful he was and were shown all his amazing “accomplishments” over and over so we’d fully believe he could say and do no wrong. The indoctrination started very early for us.

Okay I finished reading before my review even posted but I’m going to leave it.
What a great read. I’ve had so many emotions going through me while reading and I’m now in a place of Gratitude. I’m so damn grateful for my life now, for my children, for the freedom, both mentally and physically, that I now have from the cult of Scientology.
Katherine really captures the camaraderie, the fortitude, the despair, and the Get-Back-Up-Again we all possessed to keep moving despite the desperation we felt for something MORE and despite the brainwashing to believe that the Sea Organization was the only place to be. Although I’m biased, I highly recommend this book. What a journey. Can’t wait to read the next book!
21 people found this helpful
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jennq
5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the secret world of real Scientology
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a great lens into the world of the innermost & secretive parts of Scientology as a child and teenager who did not choose this life but was born into it. I first heard about Scientology when I was a young child and it was explained that we had family in it. I spent years curious about this family who lived in secret, worked, lived, and gave all of their money to this church. I tried to learn as much as I could from magazine stories about these type of situations. Pre-internet days. Just as this author wondered about the outside world, I too, wondered what life was like there. I wondered what they did with their days, if they ever got to go out in public, wondered about their sheltered life. What kind of clothes they wore, if they listened to music, or wore watches. This book really tells a story from a pure and open heart. One that allows me to understand and appreciate the human spirit. One that shows the reality of free mind. No matter what indoctrination a set of people go through, there are those coming through the next generation that say, “no. ..There’s got to be more to life than this”. If you have even been curious about the inners of this Scientology, if you’ve ever entered one of their buildings, taken a course, attended a service, or was ever curious, you must read this book. For my fellow comrades, praying for their family to leave the invisible cuff links of the church, I’m with you. To those who had the courage to leave their old life behind, my heart goes to you. For those who are still inside, unable, too afraid, or brainwashed to read this book and will not read this review, I’ll will never give up on you.

Katherine’s easy to read and entertaining approach to storytelling is mesmerizing. I really could not put the book down. Her writing painted a movie in my mind. And will do the same for you. Order the book.

Looking forward to the next one :)
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Razor Eddie
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected. But excellent.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
This came out of nowhere. I don't think Karen was on anyone's radar in the Scilon watching World. A quick mention by Tony Ortega had me ordering it. It wasn't so much an expose of scientology at the youth level but more a highly enjoyable coming of age story. Although you do get plenty of evidence of the incompetence and cruelty of the cult, I was always more drawn to Karen's story of her youth and friendships. It made for an uplifting read.
For those that didn't explore fully, Karen mentions her story will continue in a follow on book. I look forward to it. She has also spoken to Aaron Smith-Levin and Chris Shelton on their respective youtube channels. Her hair looks great by the way.
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