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Inside Scientology
- The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
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Publisher's summary
Scientology, created in 1954 by a prolific sci-fi writer named L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world's fastest-growing religion, with millions of members around the world and huge financial holdings. Its celebrity believers keep its profile high, and its teams of "volunteer ministers" offer aid at disaster sites such as Haiti and the World Trade Center. But Scientology is also a notably closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation, even infiltrating the highest levels of government to further its goals. Its attacks on psychiatry and its requirement that believers pay as much as tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars for salvation have drawn scrutiny and skepticism. And ex-members use the Internet to share stories of harassment and abuse.
Now Janet Reitman offers the first full journalistic history of the Church of Scientology, in an even-handed account that at last establishes the astonishing truth about the controversial religion. She traces Scientology's development from the birth of Dianetics to today, following its metamorphosis from a pseudoscientific self-help group to a worldwide spiritual corporation with profound control over its followers and even ex-followers.
Based on five years of research, unprecedented access to church officials, confidential documents, and extensive interviews with current and former Scientologists, this is the defining book about a little-known world.
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Editorial reviews
Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology seeks to provide the first unbiased and holistic overview of the divisive faith that is Scientology. Reitman focuses on five key elements of the Scientology story: a history of the religion's rise, as well as the rise of its creator, L. Ron Hubbard; a detailed account of the vicious internal coup by current leader, David Miscavige; the sad and shocking story of the death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson; an outline of the controversial "celebrity strategy"; and multiple narratives detailing the current mass exodus from a corrupt and abusive church.
Narrator Stephen Hoye does an excellent job with the book, which presents many unique challenges. He successfully tackles a wide range of subject matter from Hubbard's sterile, futurist terminology to some of the more personal, emotionally gripping stories. Hoye serves as a calm voice of reason, guiding us through a potentially confusing world of Orgs, Tech, and more acroynms than a high-level business meeting.
The picture that emerges is a multifaceted one. Outsiders with cursory knowledge of the faith generally associate it with a crackpot Sci-Fi writer looking to make a buck, brainwashing techniques, salacious scandals, never-ending lawsuits, and a creation myth featuring aliens, volcanoes, and movie theaters. While Reitman doesn't exactly dispel these notions completely, she does provide rich historical background and a true look inside this mysterious faith. The truth about the religion, after all, is much more complex than what's presented on the surface.
The promises of Scientology range from the enriching (freedom from mental and emotion anguish) to the humanitarian (providing aid to developing countries and ways out of drug addiction) to the transcendent (immortal life, free of an earthy body). While people are drawn to the faith for all kinds of reasons, Reitman shows us that most Scientologists are just normal people trying to do good in the world and better themselves. Unfortunately, some of these people have been swept up in a devastating new movement within the upper ranks of the church, which has become increasingly obsessed with greed, domination, and power.
Perhaps the most artful facet of this book is that, in true journalistic style, Reitman does her best to simply present the facts and leave the conclusions to the listener. After all, like Hubbard used to say, "What's true is what is true for you." Gina Pensiero
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Story
Opinionated talk show host and columnist Michael Smerconish has been chronicling local, state, and national events for the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than 15 years. He has sounded off on topics as diverse as the hunt for Osama bin Laden and what the color of your Christmas lights says about you. In this collection of 100 of his most memorable columns, Smerconish reflects on American political life with his characteristic feistiness.
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All about Smerc and who cares about the victims
- By Mark J. Rosen on 12-10-20
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The King of Content
- Sumner Redstone’s Battle for Viacom, CBS, and Everlasting Control of His Media Empire
- By: Keach Hagey
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Sumner Murray Redstone, once feared as the “mad genius” of media who would dump his CEOs for mere wobbles in his companies’ stock price, had built one of the world’s greatest media empires through a series of audacious takeovers constructed to ensure that he always maintained control. Today he controls 80 percent of the voting shares of both Viacom and CBS, meaning that on a whim he could replace the entire boards of two public companies with a combined value of $40 billion.
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Feels biased. Well researched, but not engaging.
- By Anonymous User on 04-03-19
By: Keach Hagey
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The Bettencourt Affair
- The World's Richest Woman and the Scandal That Rocked Paris
- By: Tom Sancton
- Narrated by: Amanda Carlin
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Heiress to the nearly 40-billion-dollar L’Oréal fortune, Liliane Bettencourt was the world’s richest woman and the 14th wealthiest person. But her gilded life took a dark yet fascinating turn in the past decade. At 94, she was embroiled in what has been called the Bettencourt Affair, a scandal that dominated the headlines in France. Why? It’s a tangled web of hidden secrets, divided loyalties, frayed relationships, and fractured families, set in the most romantic city - and involving the most glamorous industry - in the world.
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A Juicy Chronicle
- By Jean on 10-24-17
By: Tom Sancton
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Raven
- The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People
- By: Tim Reiterman
- Narrated by: Mitch Horowitz
- Length: 29 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Tim Reiterman's Raven provides the seminal history of the Rev. Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and the murderous ordeal at Jonestown in 1978. This PEN Award-winning work explores the ideals gone wrong, the intrigue, and the grim realities behind the Peoples Temple and its implosion in the jungle of South America.
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What a very thoroughly written book!
- By Traci P. on 04-22-17
By: Tim Reiterman
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Age of Ambition
- Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
- By: Evan Osnos
- Narrated by: Evan Osnos, George Backman
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control.
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Come back when you have a warrant!
- By Neuron on 11-06-15
By: Evan Osnos
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Out of Mao's Shadow
- The Struggle for the Soul of a New China
- By: Philip P. Pan
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Prize-winning journalist Philip P. Pan offers an unprecedented inside look at the momentous battle underway for China's future. On one side is the entrenched party elite determined to preserve its authoritarian grip on power. On the other is a collection of lawyers, journalists, entrepreneurs, activists, hustlers, and dreamers striving to build a more tolerant, open, and democratic China.
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Great insight into changes in China
- By Paul on 04-14-09
By: Philip P. Pan
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The Crusades of Cesar Chavez
- A Biography
- By: Miriam Pawel
- Narrated by: Jackson Gutierrez
- Length: 21 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In the first comprehensive biography of Chavez, Miriam Pawel offers a searching yet empathetic portrayal. Chavez emerges here as a visionary figure with tragic flaws; a brilliant strategist who sometimes stumbled; and a canny, streetwise organizer whose pragmatism was often at odds with his elusive, soaring dreams.
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Cesar Chávez
- By Ed on 09-10-18
By: Miriam Pawel
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The Man Without a Face
- The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin
- By: Masha Gessen
- Narrated by: Masha Gessen
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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The Man Without a Face is the chilling account of how a low-level, small-minded KGB operative ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time, destroyed years of progress and made his country once more a threat to its own people and to the world.
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A Preview of Authoritarianism in the USA
- By Jimmy O on 06-08-19
By: Masha Gessen
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Missing Man
- The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran
- By: Barry Meier
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In late 2013, Americans were shocked to learn that a former FBI agent turned private investigator who disappeared in Iran in 2007 was there on a mission for the CIA. The missing man, Robert Levinson, appeared in pictures dressed like a Guantánamo prisoner and pleaded in a video for help from the United States.
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Important story
- By Richard F. Callahan on 08-03-16
By: Barry Meier
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Dreamers and Deceivers
- True and Untold Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America
- By: Glenn Beck
- Narrated by: Jeremy Lowell
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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The new nonfiction from number-one best-selling author and popular radio and television host Glenn Beck.
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Astounding History stories gather life
- By Gil on 11-13-14
By: Glenn Beck
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A Woman in Charge
- The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton
- By: Carl Bernstein
- Narrated by: Dick Rodstein
- Length: 24 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Carl Bernstein's stunning portrait of Hillary Rodham Clinton shows us, as nothing else has, the true trajectory of her life and career, with its zigzag bursts of risks taken and safety sought. Marshaling all the skills and energy that propelled his history-making Pulitzer Prize reporting on Watergate, Bernstein gives us the most detailed, sophisticated, comprehensive, and revealing account of Hilary Rodham Clinton yet.
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in depth and well-written
- By Katherine on 07-20-07
By: Carl Bernstein
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How Chuck Feeney Made and Gave Away a Fortune
- The Billionaire Who Wasn't
- By: Conor O'Clery
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
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In 1988 Forbes magazine hailed Chuck Feeney as the 23rd richest American alive. No one knew until then that he was extremely wealthy. Or was he? Born during the Depression in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Feeney had made a fortune as co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers, the world's largest duty-free retail chain. How he did it is one of the great untold retail stories of modern times. The greater untold story is that Feeney had in fact given away his fortune, in its totality, to endow Atlantic Philanthropies - one of the most generous and secretive philanthropic funds in the world.
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Horizons I never knew were there!
- By DTU_Garza on 08-13-17
By: Conor O'Clery
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The Fifties
- By: David Halberstam
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 34 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The Fifties is a sweeping social, political, economic, and cultural history of the 10 years that Halberstam regards as seminal in determining what our nation is today. Halberstam offers portraits of not only the titans of the age: Eisenhower, Dulles, Oppenheimer, MacArthur, Hoover, and Nixon; but also of Harley Earl, who put fins on cars; Dick and Mac McDonald and Ray Kroc, who mass-produced the American hamburger; Kemmons Wilson, who placed his Holiday Inns along the nation's roadsides; and more.
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one of the very best
- By Chester Chellman on 09-25-18
By: David Halberstam
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The Invitation-Only Zone
- The True Story of North Korea's Abduction Project
- By: Robert S. Boynton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Throughout the late 1970s and early '80s, dozens of Japanese citizens were abducted from coastal Japanese towns by North Korean commandos. In what proved to be part of a global project, North Korea attempted to reeducate the abductees and train them to spy on the state's behalf. When the project faltered, the abductees were hidden in a series of guarded communities known as "Invitation-Only Zones" - the fiction being that these were exclusive enclaves, not prisons.
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Over enthusiastic reader!
- By AJW on 02-14-16
What listeners say about Inside Scientology
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Quella
- 04-03-17
Clear at a cost
If you are looking for a book covering in detail what Scientology believes and its teachings, I would not recommend this be the first book on the subject you read. However, if you are looking for a historic outline of the organization, starting with its founder L. Ron Hubbard to near present time (2011), this book does an exceptional job telling that story. “Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion” by Janet Reitman, and well narrated by Stephen Hoye, is a high-level view of Scientology told not only from a reporter’s outside perspective, but the author herself was an involved for years within Scientology. The book includes stories not only from the author’s own experiences, but also current and former members of Scientology along with research uncovered along the way are also added.
This organization would not have been able to thrive apart from the many social aspects that were taking happening at the time. As with most other start up religions, it would have faded away into obscurity apart from its timing. Right after World War II, we saw a rise of some of the great science fiction writers who wanted to show us the future post wartime. There was also the rise of modernism and not far afterwards post-modernism. Scientology holds to many of the traditional Eastern religions philosophies of the mind along with one’s ability to modify reality by believing or not believing something. If you are ill, simply believe you are well and it could be so, etc. So, because Scientology was in the right place at the right time, it survived where many others have failed.
I was quite surprised to see how involved and driven Scientology is by what is discussed in the book. Recruitment was key and critical for its survival, even better if they could retain people who bore children in Scientology, it could grow from the inside out. This point of recruitment is driven into the reader’s minds starting on page one all the way to its end. The organization is focused on making money through sales of products, therapy sessions, and tithing. It developed itself like a franchise. The author even discussed how many of their business practices were taken from Mc Donald’s corporation. The desire of its followers was to become “clear”, or removed from the disruption of this life and world, but this came at a cost; both financially and time dedication. It was also interesting to see how Scientology adjusted over the years to market its belief system to people who are more influential of others; this started the move of bringing in the best of the best from Hollywood because they knew the influence such people had on a large portion of the population. Not only would this help to legitimize the “religion”, but it would also bring in large sums of money from the stars themselves and drive others to Scientology along with their money. The book somewhat, without outright saying it, shows Scientology to be a multi-level marketing program like Amway and others where those on the top all benefit from the work done by the lower ranks.
What I found fascinating was the coup that occurred near the end of the founder’s life and how easy it was for a single person to take the reins of this multimillion-dollar organization. A large portion of the book is spent covering this event and future chapters show the impact it had overall. There were also chapters dedicated to specific people who were involved and their tragic outcomes; Natalie and Lisa are two examples.
I wanted to say that although this book is a documentary, there are places where the author uses vulgar language when it is a part of a quote. Often when quoting Tom Cruise and other celebrities nearer the end of the book, yet there are a few other times they are sprinkled in. Just be aware if this book is being used for research purposes by younger readers. There are also some graphic depictions of death and suffering that may be quite intense for younger audiences. Apart from these two things, the writing was top notch and the book’s outline had a well-defined flow.
As others have stated, and I’m not sure why, but I would have like to have had a female narrator for this book. Stephen Hoye did a fantastic job, but the writing style and knowing the author was female I somewhat expected it to be narrated by a female. After the first chapter or so, I got over this feeling and enjoyed the voice of Mr. Hoye. It should also be noted that he is no stranger to narration on Audible, he has nearly 300 titles narrated at the time of this review.
In summary, this book is not a primer on Scientology but more a historical perspective of it. If you go into the book with this perspective, it is well worth the time spent and the knowledge gained. I would have liked to have had a few chapters dedicated to more beliefs and practices, but this was not part of the book’s scope. Although it is a bit dated, I still think the historical information is important for people not a part of Scientology to know and understand.
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- merritte
- 01-27-15
Extensive history of Scientology
Incredibly extensive history of Scientology, exposes the dark history of the "religion". learned a lot about this group that I had only vague notions of before.
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- lisakttn
- 06-27-17
Wow
Let's preface by saying, I am not nor have I ever been nor will I ever be a Scientologist. I am however an open minded and curious person.
I've enjoyed watching Leah Remini and Mike Rinder on their show about the aftermath of Scientology. It was there that I learned who Janet Reitman was and that she wrote a book seeing things from behind the public perception of Scientology.
I was enthralled with this book and listened to it every chance I got. I am amazed that people still in Scientology deny that there are horrible things going on in the upper levels of this organization (I refuse to call it a religion). There are first person accounts of wrong doing and abuse and still people choose to look the other way.
In the epilogue, one person's account said that "if" there has been wrong doing at the top, with DM then it was up to the people at the top, who have left, to make a change in how things were done. Are you kidding me? Just leaving the organization was like breaking out of prison. People are and we're being held against their will, forced to have abortions, get divorces, disconnect from family and friends. Going against DM in anyway could cause you bodily harm, inprisonment, manual and demeaning labor... how, I ask, how does one change things when you are at risk like that as are your loved ones.
This is a comprehensive and we'll written book and it just makes me want to learn more.
The only issued I had was that being that it was written by a woman, I would have rather enjoyed a female narrator... however the narrator did do an amazing job and has a great voice.
Awesome read.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-07-18
fantastic
I loved this book! I'm not sure if all of it is true or not. Some parts seem quite far fetched, but I couldn't put this book down! It was written very well and streamline from the beginning of LRH's childhood up until the book publication. I like that she didn't attack the beliefs of the faith, but rather the extreme practices of the church. As she said, there were many people who she told their story that are still scientologists, but dislike the way the church is being ran. I definitely recommend this book!
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- Will not let go!
- 10-10-17
great book
This book was very well put together. Easy to follow. A Must listen. So much information on Scientology.
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- L. Carlson
- 02-01-15
Very detailed and very long
very detailed account about the "religion" almost too much. The history part on how it started was fascinating but it quickly droned into the same thing minute after minute.
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- Thorncrest
- 02-19-13
Interesting story yet a bit confusing plot
What did you love best about Inside Scientology?
An amazing story about an amazing man and his organization. Yet another example of home brew religion coming out of the American experiment. Yet this one has tapped into something powerful that lies within all humans. L. Ron Hubbard discovered a weakness that is within all of us and was able to exploit it with frightening consequences.
My only negative would be a confusing storyline. I found myself lost in terms of the development of the "plot"
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- horsestuff
- 02-02-15
Great book. Really interesting.
I couldn't put this book down. Really well written - threads of specific characters carry you through the history of Scientology to the present. Scary stuff.
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- Basim Ayoub
- 10-12-18
The go to book if you want unbiased opinion about Scientology and late LRH
The go to book if you want unbiased opinion about Scientology and late LRH
Always heard and read about it but never got a grip of what it really is till read this book!!
Not very exciting and sometimes dry but still couldn’t it it down till done!!
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-27-12
Fascinating and Frightening
This is the first time I have bothered to write a review...so bear with me. This topic is fascinating and left me feeling nauseous, frightened and completely amazed by what people will buy into! Everyone should read this book if they are at all interested in looking into how small interest groups with big money can influence the judicial system, local, federal and international governments. I disagree with other reviewers that the subject matter is dull - not at all - it is fascinating (granted I also like to listen to NPR) it is the narrator that is doing this book a HUGE disservice. HE IS BORING. Also - why is it read by a man when it was written by a woman and she occasionally writes in the first person? just wondering. If you don't mind slogging through the boring narration I say give it a go - otherwise read the book - BUT avoid looking up photos of those involved in wrongful death lawsuit on internet - some of them are very macabre.
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