This edition of this title is not available for purchase in your country. Choose an available edition from the options above
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Russell Miller
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard Kindle Edition

by Russell Miller (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,471 ratings
See all formats and editions

New and updated edition of the classic exposé of the life of the founder of Scientology

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    454 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Silvertail Books
  4. Publication date
    March 4, 2014
  5. File size
    824 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A brilliant exposé of Scientology's conman king' John Sweeney 'Unfolds like an epic and ultimately tragic film' Tony Ortega 'Russell Miller did the groundbreaking work on Hubbard and the Church of Scientology that every future biographer relies upon' Lawrence Wright

About the Author

Russell Miller is a prize-winning journalist and the author of several books, including Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard, The House of Getty, and VE Day: The People's Story.

Jonathan Cowley, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a British actor hailing from Eastbourne, East Sussex, but he currently calls Los Angeles home. He has narrated many audiobooks and can also be heard on both sides of the Atlantic narrating film trailers and documentaries. He is also an active television and film actor who has appeared in Grey's Anatomy, Veep, and WestWorld.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00IF9B4OO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Silvertail Books (March 4, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 4, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 824 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 454 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,471 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Russell Miller

Russell Miller

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Russell Miller is an award-winning journalist, scriptwriter and author based in the United Kingdom. The movie "Lorenzo's Oil", starring Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon, was based on a feature he wrote for the Sunday Times Magazine. His first book, "Bunny, The Real Story of Playboy", was voted the best non-fiction book of the year and his biography of L.Ron Hubbard, exposing the lies promoted by the Church of Scientology about its founder, was the subject of ferocious litigation around the world and was eventually withdrawn from publication in the United States. Russell is currently working on a biography of Field Marshal Slim, the hero of the Burma campaign in the Second World War.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,471 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book well-researched, expertly told, and informative. They describe it as excellent, interesting, and worthwhile. Readers also mention the pacing is well-written and compelling. They describe the storytelling as captivating, suspenseful, and riveting. However, some find the book boring at times and difficult to keep their interest.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Research qualityReadabilityPacingStorytellingBoredomPrint size
52 customers mention "Research quality"52 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched, with a wealth of factual material. They say it's highly informative and well-documented. Readers also appreciate the detail and deep dive into the life of L. Ron Hubbard.

"Wow! I kind of love this book. It's a well researched, fascinating biography of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Dianetics and Scientology...." Read more

"...This book is well written, well researched, and a fantastic read." Read more

"...the facts and is an easy biographical read in crisp style with plenty of detail. With these cautionary notes, a worthwhile and informative purchase." Read more

"This is the definitive historical reference work on L Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology...." Read more

37 customers mention "Readability"37 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and factual. They say it's a fun read and well worth its price. Readers also mention the work put into the book is impressive.

"...I found it almost impossible to put down. Excellent read and I wish everyone would read it so that people knew the truth about CoS. As a taxpayer, I..." Read more

"...It was absurd. This work does an excellent job of giving you all the historical facts and exposing Hubbard for the mentally disturbed, charismatic..." Read more

"...This book is well written, well researched, and a fantastic read." Read more

"...With these cautionary notes, a worthwhile and informative purchase." Read more

28 customers mention "Pacing"21 positive7 negative

Customers find the book well-written, compelling, and concise. They say it reads like an insane fiction. Readers also mention the author provides a convincing portrait of a strange, deeply flawed man.

"This is an extremely well-written book about the extraordinary and outlandish life and lies of LRH. I found it almost impossible to put down...." Read more

"...This book is well written, well researched, and a fantastic read." Read more

"...Mr. Russell put into this book is very impressive, the book quickly becomes tedious with his research proving the number of books, pages and words..." Read more

"...All that said: it's well written, presents the facts and is an easy biographical read in crisp style with plenty of detail...." Read more

18 customers mention "Storytelling"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the storytelling captivating, fascinating, and superb. They describe the biography as suspenseful, riveting, and a real page-turner. Readers also mention the material is enthralling.

"A very interesting account of the life of the founder of the cult of Scientology, which suffers from a few defects:..." Read more

"...I enjoyed reading it because it is interesting, however, I did not find it to be a true page turner...." Read more

"...Mr. Hubbard was quite creative, imaginative and charismatic...." Read more

"Fascinating and humorous look at the life of L. Ron Hubbard...." Read more

6 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive6 negative

Customers find the book boring and not worth reading past the first chapter. They also say it's difficult to keep their interest in reading.

"...background info on L Ron Hubbard that it has been difficult to keep my interest in reading...." Read more

"My main issue with this book is that it's boring...." Read more

"I am still trying to get to the good part of this book. So far it is boring." Read more

"Lots ofInteresting info on a nut case. Gets rather wordy and boring at times...." Read more

4 customers mention "Print size"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the print size of the book annoyingly small. They mention the typeface is quite small.

"...Warning: The size of the typeface in this edition is quite small...." Read more

"...NO pictures at all. It also had no index. And the print was annoyingly small...." Read more

"...I could never lend this book to a friend to read, as the tiny print would be a non-starter. That's a shame." Read more

"...The print is very small--- like bible small. The only print readable without eye strain is the bibliography...." Read more

This is a shoddy print-on-demand edition.
2 out of 5 stars
This is a shoddy print-on-demand edition.
After reading large portions of Bare-Faced Messiah online, I ordered the paperback edition pictured here. I was disappointed to find that it contained NONE of the pictures in the online version. NO pictures at all. It also had no index. And the print was annoyingly small. On the back page, it said "Made on Mar 23, 2022," obviously print-on-demand. I returned the book for a refund. I ordered a gently used 1987 hardcover from another source which makes up all the shortcomings of this version. It has 8 pages of photos, an index, and much more readable print. And it was $15 cheaper! I recommend anyone with an interest in L. Ron Hubbard or scientology read this excellent book, but NOT this shoddy print-on-demand edition! Get a good copy of the book.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

NC Mom-Professor-Dog Boarder
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is an extremely well-written book about the extraordinary and outlandish life and lies of LRH. I found it almost impossible to put down. Excellent read and I wish everyone would read it so that people knew the truth about CoS. As a taxpayer, I strongly resent the tax-free status this cult enjoys.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Danyelle
4.0 out of 5 stars Crazy pills, anyone?
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
Wow! I kind of love this book. It's a well researched, fascinating biography of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Dianetics and Scientology. I especially enjoyed the author's angle as an Englishman and his sporadic editorializing and less than thorough understanding of American culture and our legal system.

Having said that, this is quite a tome! Just about everything in Lafayette Ronald Hubbard's life is covered in detail. From his childhood to his death, no phase of life has been overlooked. His writing career, naval career, and his confidence games are here. His many wives and children are in this, too.

I'm glad I read this as I have been reading, watching, and listening to all kinds of media about this schuyster, con artist, and nut job.

I recommend reading this from cover to cover. I loved seeing all the sources of information (that could be listed, since Scientology has their Fair Game policy always in the works).
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
rom
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent biography of a con artist
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
I was involved in Scientology decades ago. One of my first inklings that something was wrong was when I was exposed to his "official" biography. It was absurd. This work does an excellent job of giving you all the historical facts and exposing Hubbard for the mentally disturbed, charismatic charlatan that he was. Miller relies heavily on the work of a couple of other people, one of whom was assigned the job of going through a huge trove of documents that had been in storage. When he discovered that virtually everything about Hubbard was a lie he was expelled from the "church" and harassed for decades both personally and through the court system. It is not a modern history of the cult since it ends with his death and doesn't deal with the atrocities continued by it's "pope" David Miscavige. In case it doesn't show, I don't much care for Scientology.

I found it a riveting read but, in fairness, that could be in part due to my intense interest in the subject matter. Hubbard was not a God. He was a despicable human being, which is something of an insult to the human race.
18 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Stuffologist
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and thoroughly researched bio.
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2021
Verified Purchase
If you are like me, fascinated by the success of Scientology and wanted to grasp just how this dangerous, divisive cult gained such power--read this book. You will get a thorough look at LRH and his history plus the history of the "church" he launched. This book is well written, well researched, and a fantastic read.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
FredZarguna
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
A very interesting account of the life of the founder of the cult of Scientology, which suffers from a few defects:

1) While I don't doubt the overall veracity of the account, it's not as well-sourced as I would have hoped. There are lots of named sources for the material, but there are also a lot of anonymous ones. Given how dangerous Scientology has made itself to its detractors, this probably isn't surprising.

2) As is often the case in works of this type, the author projects thoughts into the minds of his subjects that, while reasonable enough, cannot possibly be verified. As Evander Holyfield's manager said when asked if he thought Mike Tyson _intended_ to bite his fighter's ear: "You can never really know what is in the mind of another person." Good advice for biographers who aren't writing in the Michael Shaara style.

3) The author's understanding of American law and American history is not sound. He should not have ventured opinions in these areas if he wasn't willing to do research into them, which makes one question the soundness of some of his other research. This distraction needn't have happened. For example, the author indulges in the trope that America of the 1950's was an hysterical lunatic asylum of anti-communism. Yet within the pages of his own study he subsequently demolishes his own contention, since none of the many people that LRH falsely accused of being communists were ever threatened -- nor as far as we can even tell given so much as a second look -- by the FBI, and indeed, the FBI came to the (almost certainly correct) conclusion that Hubbard's accusations originated in the mind of a paranoid head-case.

4) Despite the claims by some reviewers, I don't really think was a very even-handed treatment. If the author had dispensed with his snarky remarks about Hubbard and his cult and simply let the facts speak for themselves, the evidence of history presented is enough to indict and convict LRH and his following. His editorializing, while admittedly infrequent, is frankly juvenile and unprofessional, and detracts from the quality of the book overall. It need not have done.

All that said: it's well written, presents the facts and is an easy biographical read in crisp style with plenty of detail. With these cautionary notes, a worthwhile and informative purchase.
38 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Bert Veldman
5.0 out of 5 stars Just wow.
Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I loved how specific, detailed and particular the author was in researching L. Ron Hubbard. I don't understand how anyone can follow such a man.
Kudos to Miller for writing this book and preserving through Scientology's litigious response.
Report
Nightreader
5.0 out of 5 stars Truth is more crazy than fiction - eine unglaubliche Biographie
Reviewed in Germany on September 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
Der Journalist Russell Miller hat - unter beträchtlicher persönlicher Gefahr - ein authentische Biographie des großen OT III zusammengestellt, die sich kein Schriftsteller als Fiktion seinem Verlag anbieten trauen würde. "Unmöglich! Völlig unglaubwürdig! Solche Typen gibt es in der realen Welt nicht!" Doch, es gibt sie. Und ob Ron Hubbard nun ein raffinierter Lügner war, der seinen eigenen Worten zufolge, "den besten Weg, reich zu werden, darin sah, eine Religion zu gründen" oder ein an paranoider Schizophrenie leidender armer Teufel, der genug Charisma besaß, um viele Anhänger zu finden, oder vielleicht sogar beides - seine Lebensgeschichte muss man gelesen haben, um sie zu glauben. Scientologen werden natürlich behaupten, es handle sich um Schmierenjournalismus, von den suppressiven Personen gelauncht, um den Meister anzupatzen. Aber seither haben viele Aussteiger aus dem Kult bestätigt, was Russel Miller geschrieben hat - so einfach ist es also nicht mehr. Ein faszinierendes Buch, bei dem man aus dem Kopfschütteln nicht herauskommt.
Report
Liam
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in Australia on February 7, 2024
Verified Purchase
If this is a subject that interests you, than this is a must.
Fantastic story and information.
Well written and easy to digest even given its size.
Thoroughly enjoyable
Report
Morpork
5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Cruise: Stay away from my sofa
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
The key to understanding this fascinating and pretty exhaustive account of the life of Lafayette Ronald Hubbard is the rather laboured pun in its title - Bare-Faced Messiah = Bare-Faced Liar (geddit?). LRH seems to have emerged from the womb of his long-suffering mother with a yet to be determined genetic defect: the inability to tell the truth when a convenient lie - preferably one that added to the self-aggrandising delusions of its author - could be told in its stead. This trait served LRH well throughout his tumultuous life, but it was a double-edged sword, one that was equally able to get him into scrapes as escape them. As Miller tells it, the scrapes were almost all of LRH's making, whether marital (not only serially unfaithful, he was also a bigamist), familial (no son or daughter had a chance of equalling the fantasy feats of their delusional Dad, so all were condemned to failure), or societal (the secrecy with which he encloaked both the finances and workings of his "church" - founded as a church for tax evasion - couldn't help but evoke the suspicion of law enforcement agencies and governments.
So what's the difference between a 'church' and a 'cult'? Other websites explain the difference better than I can, but I guess that time is the great difference. The Church of Scientology - borne from the science fiction works of its founder's endlessly feverish mind - contnues, although I suspect that after the death of LRH, the farcical circumstances of which Miller details with relish, Scientology may not survive another generation, headline Scientogists such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta (not the sharpest knives in the Hollywood hamper) notwithstanding.
Slightly Fleet Street tabloid in tone, Miller's book is highly recommended for its research, readability and for conveying in its tone the rollicking life of its subject. I was left pondering at the end: Would I have liked to have met LRH? I think I would, since he does come across as a charming, entertaining liar. Certainly the righteousness of his claims would amuse me (although my scepticism would have annoyed him and put me on the scientogist's hit list) I certainly would have been well-wary of signing anything relating to my sanity, finances or anything else over to him, or them. So Tom Cruise, you're not welcome to leap over my sofa.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars All you need to know is here!
Reviewed in France on November 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
Everything you need to know to know about L.R Hubbard and Scientology is in this book. However, the number of misprints in the E-version is quite surprising and must even be confusing for readers whose first language is not English.
Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report