Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion

If you are interested in the inside story about Scientology Janet Reitman`s book is definitely one to read, its well written and keeps you interested all the way through. Her story covers what it was like to be a member of this religion from the celebrity experience to the horrible working conditions of the sea org members, I highly recommend this book.

When I finished reading "Inside scientology" it took a bit ofreflection before I arrived at my view so far: that this book iseither borderline apologetic (in the guise of not being biased) or atthe very cutting edge of distinguishing between the actions of onegroup of followers (the members in good standing of the scientologyorganisation) and all the others ("independent scientologists"). Theharmfulness of scientology the subject is obviously controversial. InGermany, all scientology followers, organised or independents, arerestricted by law from taking government jobs. In California,"ministerial exception" causes lawsuits against the organisation tostop in the courts.First, what I did not like. The word "cult." It is not used much inthis book, indeed it does not appear in the index. The Jim Jonespeoples temple is described as a cult, but there is no reflection onwhat made the peoples temple different from the scientology seaorg. One big difference is, of course, that Jim Jones cannot sueanyone. One book from only a few years ago about a multinationalorganisation was never published in the UK - it is rumoured to be thetarget of a "super injunction."Also, while the description of the death of Lisa McPherson iscertainly admirably free of "bias" I wondered why this is the onlyharrowing case that was described in such detail. This is - sadly -far from the only court case from which one can quote devastatingdetails. Patrice Vic (Jugement Num 7388,Tribunal de Grande Instance deLyon, 1996) was a scientologist who was a victim, and Donald AnthonyStrawn - "Tony Strawn" (Pinellas County Criminal Court caseCRC94-12575CFANO) - is a (former) scientologist victimiser.Then it grabbed me. What I felt was an absence of an overall opinionabout the organisation (I mean, what's the point of mentioning howpolite a few scientologist children are? The same point as mentioningthat Mussolini made the trains run on time??) could also be construedas a subtle invitation to consider the latest developments regardingthe subject. The subject of scientology is no longer promotedeffectively by only one group, as it was previously. At the same timethat the scientology organisation is losing effectiveness (the merefact that this book is published demonstrates this) critics ofscientology (the subject and the organisation) and independentscientologists are all expanding dramatically - not to say"exponentially" - especially on the Internet. Reitman gives theaddresses of many websites that I like very much - as well as a fewscientology organisation websites and websites dedicated toindependent scientology.People with my special interest - the scientology organisation ratherthan the subject - could understandably be disappointed with thisbook. It is IMHO equally possible that the future will prove that thisbook was an important stepping stone in trying to describe, withoutmuch bias, what is good and what is bad about scientology, the subjectas well as the organisation. I think you should buy this book and readit to find out what you think of the distinction and why it matters,if you think it matters at all.My best answer to the question I put in the title is "you decide."

Fascinating, informative and juicy.Old Ron Howard was actually onto something originally with Dianetics, or am I getting mixed up with that bloke out of Happy Days? Anyway, whatever... because I enjoyed the book so much I went and joined... however I still haven't met Tom Cruise, Ralph Malph or Pottsey

I have to admit to groaning when I saw the description of Hubbard as 'brilliant' several times. I was too hasty in assuming that the author had come to praise 'Caesar' when I would have preferred to bury him. Janet Reitman turned over every stone and, without fawning or condemnation, politely steamrollered her way through the secret world of Scientology. I could not put the book down. Anyone contemplating joining this religion would be strongly advised to get the book and read Chapters 10 and 11 at least and ask yourself if you think it is worth taking the risk of the type of mental breakdown Janet Reitman reports. Listen to your instincts. If more Scientologists had done this instead of forcing themselves to comply with the order to act for the greater good of others, there would have been happier marriages, children and worthwhile careers. Young lives have been wasted cleaning and scouring to bring about spiritual enlightenment but the end reward did not seem to be very apparent.

Thoroughly and objectively researched. A chilling portrait of Scientology, which appears to be a kind of corporate Third Reich. I was very disturbed! A fascinating read.

A great read! Never dull, held my full interest until the end

I was looking for something serious, scrupulous about Scientology, so when I came across this book, I thought that if the writer was a journalist for the Washington post, it could be a warranty. And I wasn't wrong. Very interesting, clear, and without prejudices.

Such a phenomenal story with unbiased insights into the lives of people who got caught up in Scientology. It never ceases to floor me to see what human beings are capable of when they are under the influence of religious dogma.

About two years ago I became fascinated with the stories of defectors from North Korea. One day, while perusing Amazon's "Things You May Enjoy" section, a book popped up about Scientology. Intrigued that a search for the harrowing tales of North Korean defectors would be associated with a "religion", I decided to give it a go. What followed is an ongoing fascination with the world of Scientology and its machinations; "Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion" by Janet Reitman soon appeared on my radar, and here is my review.Writing Style & Purpose"Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion" (henceforth abbreviated as "IS") is a book written from the perspective of an outsider looking in. Janet Reitman, the author, is a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine. Her skill in writing is very evident in the text of "IS"; she makes it clear that she is approaching her research as a neutral party in an attempt to dissect the methodology, history, and stories from defectors in a balanced way. I can say that she has kept to this creed; while she does occasionally add a bit of personal analysis, for the most part she maintains her impartiality and recites her research faithful to her claim of neutrality.Thus the purpose of "IS" is an investigation into the history, dogma, and actions of the Church of Scientology. Ms. Reitman reviews a lot of documentation, interviews, and church literature to paint a portrait of the creation, evolution, and current practices of Scientology, written in an engaging style with ample citations to validate every fact presented. From the moment that I picked it up, I had a hard time putting it down until I finished it.Okay, But What Is It About?"IS" has the tone of being a research paper that ultimately became a book. Ms. Reitman has compiled a huge amount of information and distilled it into a logical timetable of the creation of the Church of Scientology. She first focuses on the rise of the church, explaining how it came to be. From there the book flows smoothly into the early years of the church, dotted with anecdotes from followers who were there at the naissance of the Dianetics movement and the evolution into what ultimately became "Scientology".In each chapter, the writer focuses on a specific period of time in the life of Scientology and documents the history of the church very effectively. It should be noted, however, that each topic is approached from multiple angles; unlike "Bare-faced Messiah", while L Ron Hubbard is analyzed but only insofar as his actions shaped his religion. Yes, she does document and compare aspects of his "official" biography with the facts as obtained through public records and defectors, but the life and times of Mr. Hubbard are more tangential to the story and acts as a supplement to the research.By the end of the book you will be able to arrive at your own conclusion about what Scientology is, how it came to be, and whether they are more of a cult than a true religion. This book is one of my favorite sources of information about the church, second only to "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright. Janet Reitman has written an engaging, witty, and informative book that will leave even those who have read other writings shaking their heads in amazement at the facts and stories she relates.So, Do I Buy It?If you are fascinated by Scientology and want to learn more about how it operates, the history, and the stories from both current and former members, "Inside Scientology" is a must-have for your bookshelf. I consider myself fairly well-read in regard to Scientology, and I found myself learning new facts and reading about anecdotes that I never heard before. The church cooperated with Ms. Reitman and gave her unprecedented access to many of their materials, and the result is a book that both fascinates and disgusts the reader.In the end, if you are interested in the machinations of Scientology, this book is worth the cost. You will not be disappointed; in fact, you will be in shock from all of the new information that this book has. Consequently, I give "Inside Scientology" five stars, and I think that you will, too.

Hab das Buch für ne Facharbeit gebraucht, ist sehr gut verständlich und lesbar (besser als so manch deutsches Buch) :)

Once you get passed Xenu and the Thetans, there are still just so many things about this "religion" that absolutely boggle the mind. The cost, the suspicions, the abuse, the general disregard of family. With the availability of information in this day and age, I can't believe this organization will thrive for much longer. This book contains information from several disconnected top officials about the inner workings of Scientology, from the 1950s right up to the publication.