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Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Marc Headley (Author, Narrator), BFG (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,235 ratings
See all formats and editions

As seen on the Emmy Award-winning TV show - Leah Remini - Scientology & the Aftermath

Nominated by Foreword Magazine as 2009 Book of the Year Award Finalist

Marc Headley provides an insider's view of life as a member of Scientology's "Sea Organization". Marc worked at Scientology's secret desert compound, which houses all Scientology management, for 15 years. The 500-acre property is located deep in the California desert. The local townspeople were told lectures and films were made there. But is that all that was happening? It is the location of a multi-million-dollar home for L. Ron Hubbard, built two decades after his death. It is the home of Scientology's current leader, David Miscavige.

So what really happens at the Int Base? Are the stories on the Internet true? How does Scientology conduct management of its day-to-day operations? Could stories of armed guards, weapons, staff beatings, and razor-wire fences be true? If so, how could a facility like this exist in modern-day America?

Hundreds of staff tried to escape over the years. Some succeeded but were never seen or heard of again; most failed. Why were people kept here? What really went on at the headquarters of Scientology? This is the story of what happened behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology.

"...the Scientology cult, is I guarantee you, a thousand times more bizarre than you could have ever imagined." (The John & Ken Show, KFI AM 640)

"Headley's book also provides stunning material that has rarely been collected in one place...a damning account of life working for Scientology leader David Miscavige at the secretive desert base...." (Tony Ortega, The Village Voice)

"Marc Headley, a former insider at the church, has written a tell-all book, called Blown for Good, about his 15 years of work with Scientology. And folks...you can't handle the truth...." (The Frisky)

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  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 56 minutes
  2. Author
    Marc Headley
  3. Narrator
    Marc Headley
  4. Audible release date
    August 14, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    BFG
  7. ASIN
    B07GC6ZKGQ
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,235 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book to be a great must-read. They praise the writing quality as very well-written and entertaining. Readers describe the story as compelling, wonderful, and horrible. They appreciate the personal insights and unvarnished account of life inside Scientology. Customers also mention the author is astounding in his believability. They find the humor funny and riveting.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityWriting qualityStory qualityEnlightenednessAuthenticityHumorLookSuspenseful
123 customers mention "Readability"123 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting, fun, and well-written. They say it holds their interest completely and is a great survival and escape story.

"...I've read most of the book, and have found it fascinating...." Read more

"...Probably added to my thetan count but still well worth the read!" Read more

"...this book was an absolutely fascinating read...." Read more

"...including a vehicle chase (he provides the police report), makes for an exciting read." Read more

72 customers mention "Writing quality"55 positive17 negative

Customers find the book well-written, entertaining, and entertaining. They say it stands out in its readability, has many details about the time and place, and is written by an amazing storyteller. Readers also mention that the author does an admirable job defining and explaining the jargon.

"...Now, back to the book. Mark's detail is amazing, I can't believe the detail he remembers. I can't remeber my kids teacher's name lol...." Read more

"...Mr. Headley's writing style is very casual, written as though he was sharing a dinner with you over a glass of beer...." Read more

"...This book is fairly easy to read and contains a nice first person narrative from someone who lived within the bowels of Scientology for a..." Read more

"...It's not true. The book is written well enough to keep the pace going without getting distracted by misspellings and strangley constructed sentences...." Read more

49 customers mention "Story quality"46 positive3 negative

Customers find the story compelling, wonderful, and horrible. They say it's well-written and personal. Readers also describe it as a shocking, fascinating story of survival.

"...Quick paced and draws you in within the first pages.Well written. Marc did any amazing job of describing the environment, people, and events...." Read more

"...Marc’s story is full of insane details - details corroborated by other Scientology survivors - but crazy nonetheless...." Read more

"...Although it is a fascinating story, it took me a long time to get through, guess its just not a typical read for me." Read more

"...It's a well written, page turner that left me amazed that such conditions could exist in this day and age...." Read more

48 customers mention "Enlightenedness"48 positive0 negative

Customers find the book peppered with personal insights. They also say it's a fascinating account of life inside the Scientology clergy. Readers appreciate the good information and first-person narrative.

"This book is a refreshingly honest and unvarnished story of indoctrination and escape from the bizarre and misunderstood world of the Scientology..." Read more

"...The book is peppered with personal insights as well as his interpretation of the "religion" as he moved upwards through the ranks...." Read more

"...This book is fairly easy to read and contains a nice first person narrative from someone who lived within the bowels of Scientology for a..." Read more

"...This book humanizes the people working in Scientology, which I think is desperately needed if we are going to empathize with the people working for..." Read more

13 customers mention "Authenticity"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book honest, real, and believable. They say it contains amazing claims against Scientology. Readers also mention the author is candid and frank.

"...So, I do recommend it because it contains a lot of amazing claims against Scientology (though no proof is offered other than this one mans story)...." Read more

"...his thoughts about various women he encounters, it seems honest and real. He comes across as a reliable narrator of his own experiences...." Read more

"...on the premises is even more horrible..this author is astounding in his believability and capability of sharing his and others experiences in such a..." Read more

"...Firm", but scarier because it's far more sinister and, oh yeah, TRUE...." Read more

13 customers mention "Humor"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book funny and riveting. They say the author has a good sense of humor while detailing the horrors of his childhood. Readers also appreciate the wit and poignant comments that keep the story interesting. In addition, they say the book is refreshingly honest and unvarnished.

"This book is a refreshingly honest and unvarnished story of indoctrination and escape from the bizarre and misunderstood world of the Scientology..." Read more

"...A good read and a great conversation starter." Read more

"...Entertaining and surprisingly funny, it's an enjoyable read." Read more

"...book and anticipated a well-written, well-organized expose, infused with a bit of humour...." Read more

12 customers mention "Look"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and fascinating. They say it provides an in-depth depiction of what is happening behind the scenes of Scientology. Readers also mention the kids are cute.

"This book is a fascinating and often frightening look at what life is like for people within Scientology's notorious Sea Org, working..." Read more

"...about why Sea Org members stay, I thought that this was a very human look at what they go through and the decisions that they face...." Read more

"This is a really interesting book offering a great look inside this insane cult...." Read more

"This is a great look into the sea org and the abuses they cause to people...." Read more

31 customers mention "Suspenseful"18 positive13 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book. Some find it fascinating and terrifying, while others say it's disturbing, depressing, creepy, and repulsive.

"...Deeply personal and pleasantly engaging!..." Read more

"...It was very creepy, and I saw what they did to their perceived enemies, harassing them with phone calls, stalking them...." Read more

"...to know the truth and now that I do, all I can say is this CULT is so frightening...it makes me hope that nobody drinks the koolaid!!!!..." Read more

"...childhood was stolen from her, she was clearly brainwashed and mentally tortured...." Read more

Extremely good book about the inner workings of the Gold Base ...
5 out of 5 stars
Extremely good book about the inner workings of the Gold Base ...
Extremely good book about the inner workings of the Gold Base in California. Marc does an excellent job telling his jaw-dropping story of the abuse he went through while indoctrinated in the cult of Scientology. His writing style ranges from hilarious to horrific as he goes through the trials and tribulations of maintaining a relationship and his sanity while overworking himself for years to stay out of the hot-seat with Captain David Miscavige.This story is a must read for anyone that is interested in how Scientology works behind the scenes through the eyes of a trapped Sea Org member. If you cant get over a self-published book by a first time author then skip this book and read Lawrence Wright or Tony Ortega. Most of the people giving bad reviews are Scientology shills.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars America Wake Up!
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2012
Verified Purchase
I am in the middle of reading this book, and I first want to thank Mark for writing it. It would have been much easier for him and his wife to go into hiding, they would have saved themselves alot of harrassment, but instead, Mark was brave enough to write down his experiences. When I was in my early twenties, I worked for a family owned Chiropractic clinic, and the owners were Scientologists. While reading Mark's book, I've learned that they were public, and the other kind is employee ( slave more like it). My husband was deployed to war in the Middle East, and every morning when I came in they would ask me what was wrong. They'd make me point to a feeling chart, they'd want me to discuss my private life, and if I caught a cold, they'd pull me into the office and tell me I was sick because I was keeping stuff inside and not telling them. It was very creepy, and I saw what they did to their perceived enemies, harassing them with phone calls, stalking them. These people were just public, the Sea Orgs are much worse according to Mark's book. I don't know how he live like that for so many years. I quit that job after less then a year, I couldn't take it any more. One of my co-workers also quit and tried to talk me into filing a complaint against them, but I was too scared. My heart goes out to the young children that I read about in the book that have no choice but to be there. They have no rational adults looking out for them. The public split between Tom Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes is what made me curious enough to research Scientology, that's how I came upon Mark's book. I'm so glad Katie got out, but I think Tom Cruise and David Miscavige are ruthless people and will find a way to get back at Katie and take Suri from her. Now, back to the book. Mark's detail is amazing, I can't believe the detail he remembers. I can't remeber my kids teacher's name lol. I've read most of the book, and have found it fascinating. Scientology has all the markers of a classic cult that has fine tuned their craft of brainwashing to an art so that, of course, the "new meat", doesn't even know it's happening. Mark, if you read this, I send good blessings your way, to you, your wife, and your two beautiful children. Stay strong, protect your family, and thank you again :)
10 people found this helpful
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Howard G.
5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable insight into Hollywood cult life
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book is a refreshingly honest and unvarnished story of indoctrination and escape from the bizarre and misunderstood world of the Scientology Sea Organization. Deeply personal and pleasantly engaging! If you are interested in the dark side of a popular pseudo religious cult that has spread its tentacles into Hollywood and the arts, Marc’s memoir is right up your alley. Probably added to my thetan count but still well worth the read!
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LeeAnne
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, if slightly flawed, look inside a spirit-crushing cult
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2009
Verified Purchase
One might think that this book would be most compelling to ex-Scientologists. But to this non-Scientologist (I guess that makes me a "wog"?), this book was an absolutely fascinating read.

I have had a passing interest in Scientology ever since the late 70's when a college boyfriend dabbled in it, quickly realized it was a bunch of hooey, and was subsequently harassed for months when he tried to drop out. I've followed the various happenings in the news over the years, rolled my eyes at the Celebrity devotees, and laughed along with the jokes made about it by Conan O'Brien and others in the media...but I always knew there was a much darker side to it. This book peels away the layers and exposes the scary truth behind the criminal conglomerate...which, in the end, is what Scientology is.

One can only hope that this book will have some impact in both reducing new recruits, and helping those still trapped inside to find the courage to get out.

What I learned the most from Marc Headley's often gripping and sometimes humorous account is that Scientology is really nothing more than a for-profit corporation - and if you are an adherent you are either an overpaying customer, or an underpaid employee. Those who sign the "billion year contract" and join Sea Org are employees, and their entire lives are solely dedicated to producing and/or selling more product (primarily books, videos and useless "auditing" services). And the "public Scientologists" are simply customers who spend the rest of their lives getting skillfully pressured and manipulated into the worst corporate fleecing since Enron...worse, actually.

It's unfortunate that Scientology's corporate lawyers were able to terrorize our government into granting religious status to what is, in every sense, nothing more than an unregulated company (which happens to be headed by a violent megalomaniac with the worst management skills in the history of business). There isn't another corporation in America that could get away with the employee abuses that this one does. Can you imagine AT&T or IBM being allowed to enforce 100 hour work weeks, pay wages of pennies per hour, or exact punitive measures like denial of sleep, food, and days off - not to mention creepy games of musical chairs, pool dousings and actual in-house inprisonments? OSHA should have been called out decades ago!

There are flaws to the book - it could use a good editing, as its occasional grammar and punctuation errors (mostly quotation mark problems) serve to pull you out of the story and remind you that this was a self-published book. The narrative gets bogged down at certain points with inconsequential details of the author's work in video production. And throughout, you can't help but keep asking yourself WHY! Why did he put up with it, when from his earliest years he questioned the legitimacy of their bizarre beliefs? Why did any of them? While their living situation was undeniably horrific, it was essentially optional. Those of us who haven't been in it have a hard time understanding why anyone wouldn't just walk away at the abuses...not to mention the laughable absurdities of their engram-and-alien dogma. But when you think about the fact that so many of these people were raised with this, knew nothing else, and had no concept of how to live outside of the confines of the corporation, it becomes easier to grasp. And let's also not forget that man has a long, dramatic history of unquestioning belief in silly supernatural fictions to help them deal with the vagaries of human existence

Mr. Headley does an excellent job of detailing his own journey to reality, and the steps he went through to begin to see it, force himself to face it, come to accept it, and ultimately act on it.

One thing I would have liked to see was an epilogue...a telling of the author's discovery of what life really IS like out in the real world. All we really get is a quick description of how it felt to sleep more than a few hours at a time, and to eat a meal in less than 5 minutes. Did he eventually discover what it's like to live in a world in which pleasure is allowed, even encouraged? What did it feel like to realize that, in a healthy work environment, people do their best when motivated with positivity, rather than torture and punishment? In freeing himself of those chains, what did he learn about humanity, and about himself? Is he happier? Perhaps sharing how his life has changed might have helped some Scientologists to want to make the same journey.

I do hope that some current Scientologists manage to find the inner resources to actually read this book. Sadly, it's clear that too many of them are too deeply under the influence of the terroristic mind-control tactics of this cult. But I'd be willing to guess that at least a few copies have made their way onto Int Base.

In these days of such easy access to information, it is inevitable that Scientology is going to founder. It's just a matter of time before those who continue to be subjected to such inhumane treatment will learn that this is not all there is...that life can and SHOULD involve joy and free will, that they have been spoon-fed a huge pile of steaming horse manure, and have allowed themselves to be put through years of misery in the process. After reading this book, I personally feel inspired to help this process, to add my own voice to the outcry to STOP this nonsense, and save the victims of this criminal enterprise. So in that regard, Marc Headley has done a great service, and I applaud him.

I will also never be able to watch a Tom Cruise movie again. SHAME on him.
61 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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David
5.0 out of 5 stars Inner view of cult operation
Reviewed in Canada on September 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
Informative description of how Scientology cult operates. Such an evil system. Glad Mr. Headley and wife were able to escape from it. Hopefully his story encourages many others to escape too.
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Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro informativo ed emozionante
Reviewed in Italy on April 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
Un libro molto informativo per chi vuole iniziare a comprendere Scientology, i suoi meccanismi interni e che cosa fa andare avanti i suoi membri nonostante tutti i maltrattamenti e le (evidenti) contraddizioni. L’autore è molto bravo a raccontare le vicende in modo autentico (utilizzando il linguaggio di Scientology, ma in modo comprensibile) ed emozionante.
Risate e lacrime assicurate!
Consiglio a tutti anche di seguire Marc e Claire Headley su YouTube e ascoltare il loro podcast nel quale intervistano ex-scientologist. (Cercate sempre Blown for Good)
E se pensate che questi episodi si limitino sul suolo americano, seguite anche Apostate Alex sempre su YouTube.
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Melissa Valentine-Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, Shocking and insightful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
Have been following Blown for Good on YouTube for awhile and thought was time I read his story.
The book flows really well and you become sucked into this story.
I could not put it down. The daily life at the Gold base what he and others went through is shocking. The living conditions and environment of stress and abuse is so far from normal I have no idea how he kept going.
The bravery that it took, to break through the conditioning and control of inhumane treatment, to become free and start over is a testament to his strength of character and I wish him and his wife all the lick in the world.
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Teri R
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting information
Reviewed in Australia on May 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
So interesting to read another personal account...its still mind blowing to think that people are conned by this cult. This account was particularly engaging after watching Leah Reminis show & putting all the various faces to the names.
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moulingirl
5.0 out of 5 stars very interesting read
Reviewed in Germany on September 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
it is a well writen book it is really shocking to read what this so called church does to their people. i really dont understand why scientology still exists.I really enjoyed reading this book. the abusse of the members is really shocking. i mean i comlained about working 70 hour weeks never mind 100 hours a week.
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