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Scientology: The Cult of Greed Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jon Atack (Author, Narrator), Trentvalley Ltd (Publisher)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 102 ratings
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A hard-hitting introduction to the history and practices of the Scientology cult by a highly respected expert.

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  1. Listening Length
    1 hour and 29 minutes
  2. Author
    Jon Atack
  3. Narrator
    Jon Atack
  4. Audible release date
    May 25, 2023
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Trentvalley Ltd
  7. ASIN
    B0C5YHZQ19
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 1 hour and 29 minutes
Author Jon Atack
Narrator Jon Atack
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date May 25, 2023
Publisher Trentvalley Ltd
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0C5YHZQ19
Best Sellers Rank #293,076 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#79 in Scientology
#1,885 in Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
102 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book informative and packed with essential information about Scientology. They describe it as concise, easy to read, and well-written.

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KnowledgeReadability
12 customers mention "Knowledge"9 positive3 negative

Customers find the book has many interesting tidbits and is an excellent resource on Scientology. They say it's packed with essential information a person needs to know about the cult. Readers also mention the book is the culmination of countless hours of research and scholarship. They also say it would be an excellent introduction for people thinking about joining the cult.

"This short, concise book is the culmination of countless hours of research and scholarship and is a must read!..." Read more

"...The details of the cult of Scientology are presented well which is not easy given the number of acronyms and divisions within the organisation that..." Read more

"great book,alas, to short" Read more

"...It would be an excellent introduction for people thinking about joining this cult...." Read more

10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book concise, easy to read, and well-written. They also say it's a quick read and worth looking at.

"This short, concise book is the culmination of countless hours of research and scholarship and is a must read!..." Read more

"...This makes it manageable, understandable." Read more

"...Hence, just one star. But still, worth a look." Read more

"...That book is about 350 pages and incredibly well written...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Steven Hassan PhD
5.0 out of 5 stars A great small book, packed with the most essential information a person needs to know about the cult of Hubbard and Scientology
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2014
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This short, concise book is the culmination of countless hours of research and scholarship and is a must read! I have always been astonished at Jon Atack's brilliance, memory and good heartedness and at great personal sacrifice have spent decades courageously speaking out against of the most notorious cults of modern time. As a therapist, former member of the Moonies, author, activist myself, Jon never fails to teach me new things and this volume does the same. Honestly, I have read his book Let's sell these people A Piece of Blue Sky: Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology, and this volume cuts to the heart of matters. At first, I thought it was overpriced at $9.99 as it is merely 73 pages but it is worth its weight in gold.
Jon should be a professor at Oxford and hopefully one day will be. He is a scholar and I am am in his debt. Janet Reitman, Lawrence Wright, Russell Miller all depended heavily on the work on Jon Atack. Read this book and you will not be disappointed.
8 people found this helpful
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Paul P. Phillips
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2017
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a little short but still worth the time
One person found this helpful
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Sam Spade
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2015
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This is a fabulous book with horrifying content. The details of the cult of Scientology are presented well which is not easy given the number of acronyms and divisions within the organisation that can be baffling. What I would like to know and what I cant seem to grasp entirely is why Scientology is permitted to exist now that its secrets are public knowledge. Please Jon...If you are reading this ...Can you explain to an Australian who has had no personal experience with the cult how they can be permitted to keep going. Surely the proof is overwhelming. The stories behind the Sea Org from survivors are consistent and brutal but there seems to be no action taken against Miscavige or his acolytes. I just don't get it.
A great read but a sad story
2 people found this helpful
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Shorpy
5.0 out of 5 stars Primer on the world's most sinister scam
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2014
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If those in the media doesn't bother reading this highly compressed, dense, package of information, for any story they do on the cult, they are fools.
The book is essential because the scam is so vast ("the rabbit hole") that folks often OD and just turn off about it due to information overload.
This makes it manageable, understandable.
15 people found this helpful
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Roz lina
3.0 out of 5 stars great
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2015
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great book,alas, to short
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Cecilia M Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
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Used for deprograming from scientology cult. Thank you Jon 😘
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E. Strehlau
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2014
This was an eye opener. I am amazed that this cult gets a way with murder! But whistleblowers like you make it possible for people to understand what there up against. Thanks to you and many others we have solid personal testimonies that scientology is money making scam Disguised as a religion. Thank you! Keep the books coming!
7 people found this helpful
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M. Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars A short introduction to Scientology by the writer referenced by all other Scientology critics
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2015
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Jon Atack is one of the best and in my opinion THE best writer on Scientology. His "A Piece of Blue Sky" is a classic and has been used by all later writers on the subject. This shorter book is written for people who know very little about Scientology. It would be an excellent introduction for people thinking about joining this cult. People with friends or loved ones in Scientology would also get important basic information about the situation they are facing.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

jenn
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written conscice analysis of Scientology
Reviewed in Canada on December 13, 2014
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This is a well-written critical introduction to the founder of Scientology and the criminal Scientology organisation. Atack's writing style is coherent and concise and is accessible. He paints a picture of L. Ron Hubbard as an egomaniacal swindler and bad science fiction who managed to pull off the scam of the century by creating a religion. His paranoia and ego created led to a secretive, hostile, abusive cult that legally and illegally harassed, abused dissenters, critics and government officials in its pursuit of money and followers.
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Jens Tingleff
5.0 out of 5 stars A compact yet fact-filled treasure trove of What is Wrong with Scientology
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2014
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Declaration of interest: I am in a small way a critic of the criminal organisation known as the "church" of scientology. Jon Atack is one of the giants of the critical movement against this organisation and an ex-member. For people looking for works written by an outsiders, I recommend the recent book by the journalist Lawrence Wright "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief " and for the view of a scholar of religion, I recommend the book by Hugh B. Urban "The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion." For a longer description of L Ron Hubbard and his organisation, Jon Atack's own "Let's sell these people A Piece of Blue Sky" is one of the major references.

The scientology organisation likes to market itself as a religion that is compatible with all religions. This book by the exceptionally well informed ex member Jon Atack demonstrates just how wrong that claim is. Described by the author as "based on a talk" this book reads like expanded notes from a lecture with the added benefit that the endnotes give well researched and to the point references.

Being known as a religion, described by L Ron Hubbard as "entirely a matter for accountants and solicitors," serves the scientology organisation in a number of ways. One way is to attempt to frame any discussion of its activities as a discussion about beliefs, thereby colouring criticism as a difference of opinion about beliefs. Jon Atack's work counters this brilliantly in two ways. Firstly by showing the actual religious beliefs behind the veil of "compatibility" - regurgitated Satanism appropriated from Aleister Crowley. Secondly by showing that the scientology organisation is about so much more than the beliefs - it's mainly about the criminal actions and about the way in which members have their personalities changed.

The criminal actions of the scientology organisation, from abusing the human rights of its members to perpetrating the largest infiltration of the government of the United States, are described in some detail (although given the length of this book - or lack thereof - this must necessarily be a "worst of" series of highlights). The organisation itself has been convicted of crimes on several occasions, two of these (criminal libel against judge Hill in Toronto in 1995 and organised criminal fraud in Paris 2009 - 2014) are described in some detail.

The ways in which the personalities are changed in the scientology organisation is discussed in much detail in this book. Jon Atack describes the means used against the members in some detail, speaking from copious experience and subsequent study. The organisation moulds its members by catching outsiders with a passing euphoric "high" from processes described by Jon Atack as hypnotic and proceeds to enveloping the members in a coercive environment (entirely secluded from the rest of the world in the case of the "Sea Org"). The members are also taught to be manipulative of others with regards to the subject of scientology - a good example of this is the public expressions to the press of famous scientology members as contrasted to their private expressions as evinced by internal videos...

In summary, while this book does not set out to somehow be without an opinion it is, in my reasonably well informed opinion, a very fair and first of all impeccably researched introduction to the whole of the topic of scientology. Everyone who has only heard of the organisation from the propaganda piece "What Is Scientology?" owes it to themselves to read and understand this work before they venture to express an opinion. L Ron Hubbard himself has (secretly, of course) expressed his expectation of public awareness like this : "Incredulity of our data and validity. This is our finest asset and gives us more protection than any other single thing." Jon Atack's works serves as one of the foremost means of raising awareness of the whole of the story behind this so called church.

In closing, two very minor criticisms : there is no Table of Content visible as such to the Kindle version, although that part of the book does have functioning links. Also, one of the more controversial pieces of L Ron Hubbard's doctrines, the so called OT VIII materials, have been described by some ex members as being consistent with the version given here and by other ex members as having been changed during a few decades (to something dramatically less outrageous); only the most controversial version is given in this book.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good to be informed
Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2018
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What a crazy making cult. Good to be informed.
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Booklover
4.0 out of 5 stars Succinct account
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2017
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An excellent book. Jon Atack has written a very succinct account of this invidious cult. It is a very readable book.
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Pamela Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars Good information
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2020
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Scientology can be a confusing minefield of facts..in this book Mr. Atack has given a clear basis of understanding for anyone wanting to develop an interest in this Cult. It is a clear and consise, factual information, and a must for those like myself are fascinated how and why do decent, intelligent, caring people become so duped. Thankyou Mr Atack.
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