After reading Jenna Miscavige Hill’s book about her life in Scientology, Beyond Belief, I was still hungry for more information. Hill’s memoir was a fascinating but personal story and I was interested in a broader look at Scientology. So, I picked up Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief (2013) by Lawrence Wright, after hearing some good things about it.
Wright covers a lot of ground with this book, starting with L. Ron Hubbard, his life, his writings, and the beginnings of Scientology. Paul Haggis, Tom Cruise, and John Travolta all consume a fair amount of text as well. Finally, David Miscavige and the Sea Org are described in detail. I now know more than enough about Scientology to stay as far away from it as possible and to be very concerned about the children growing up in the Sea Org. Page after page details another shocking and crazy revelation, Hubbard’s insane actions and the way he treated his wives, the physical and mental abuse, the billion year contract Sea Org members sign, and the constant harassment and interference into people’s personal lives.
