Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Moving Distractions. Or, When Ronnie got Salty

Fair Game: The Incredible Untold Story of Scientology in Australia by Steve Cannane

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I’ve been moving around a lot in the last few years, and I’ve developed some little rituals over the process. My last move was only a month ago, and  like so many of my moves, it involved extended amounts of time dicking around with Ikea furniture and getting rather frustrated. I have an audiobook especially for that task. It must have been eight or nine years ago now, but I had spend the best part of an afternoon trying to put a damned bed together […]

“Are you in a cult?”

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

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Well, I might be! Really, I’m inundated with cultish language- much like most of you are as well! The above question, posited by our own CBR gurus and shared across social media, was attached to an excellent review by faintingviolet. Her review kindled a blaze with other CBR readers- myself included! Our Goodreads walls are packed with update-after-update barrages of people frantically ripping through this read! I am very much looking forward to the Cultish flood headed our way. Now- back to the question. Am I […]

If you like reading about cults, you’ll love Fog Island

Fog Island by Mariette Lindstein

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I’m using this for my “New Series” bingo square. This is the first in a planned trilogy of novels about “the cult on Fog Island.”  Originally written in Swedish, this novel takes place on an island off the mainland of Sweden where an idealistic group of people adhere to the principles of Via Terra – a way of living that returns to the earth. Sofia is a young woman who is searching for something, and she finds it at a lecture about Via Terra by […]

“The problem is that Scientology is a system that makes it nearly impossible for you to think for yourself. “

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Beyond Belief is my third Scientology related memoir and, while it has its merits, there isn’t much about the cult that surprises me anymore which took some of the oomph out of this one. Jenna Miscavige Hill, unlike Ron Miscavige and Leah Remini, was born into Scientology. Her father, Ronnie Miscavige, was brought into Scientology by his father, Ron Sr, and her maternal grandmother had followed LRH since the ’50s. When Jenna was only two years old her parents decided to enter the SeaOrg which meant […]

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

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Following Escape Camp 14 with Ruthless was a fairly easy transition. The work camps of North Korea have eerie similarities with the SeaOrg work conditions within Scientology. Miscavige makes the association, lumping in Nazi Germany, himself. Ron Miscavige, father of cult leader David Miscagive, left the Church of Scientology in 2012 after 40 decades involvement including 27 years in the SeaOrg. He brought his family, including teenage son David, into the fold and devoted his life to the “church” included traveling to England for classes. At sixteen David left […]

I guess I forgot I had a choice, let you push me past the breaking point.

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My goodness what a book. I’m surprised that I finished Troublemaker, which isn’t to say it’s not a good book. My level of disinterest in celebrity memoirs is hard to even convey with words, but I knew absolutely nothing about Scientology. Pajiba covers Scientology drama with some regularity, and I make it my business to have at least a passing understanding of most of Pajiba’ content. Also, I only ever watched like to episodes of King of Queens, but for some reason Leah Remini really […]



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