May 9, 2011
Anyone who missed the recent investigative accounts of the Church of Scientology will benefit from this exhaustive history of the controversial sect. A contributing editor at Rolling Stone, Reitman has expanded on her 13,000-word story on Scientology, which ran in 2006, to produce a detailed and readable examination of the life of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the church, and his successor, David Miscavige. The book is rife with astonishing accounts of the abuses of power, the purges, and the climate of fear and intimidation commonplace in the top ranks of the organization. What's lacking is a thoughtful analysis of what Scientology represents within the broader 21st-century culture, and why people fall prey to its ideas. Reitman plows through her abundant material without an organizing narrative arc; consequently, many of the chapters pile on without providing satisfying conclusions. The only hopeful conclusion Reitman offersâand most readers will agreeâis that Scientology is shrinking, with less than 250,000 members worldwide.
February 15, 2011
A contributing editor to Rolling Stone, Reitman spent five years writing what she intends as a fair and balanced picture of Scientology. A single excerpt suggests that her tone is indeed evenhanded. There should be demand.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 29, 2011
Interviewing both present and past members, Reitman takes a compelling look at the Church of Scientology, examining the religion’s origins, claims, beliefs, scandals, and celebrity acolytes. Stephen Hoye proves a perfect pick as narrator. His tone and inflection communicate the book’s nuanced ideas, and he refrains from overdramatizing his delivery when Reitman raises questions about Scientology. Hoye also provides discrete voices for the many people—e.g., a teenage girl, an official church representative—that Reitman interviews. Hoye’s narration only falters during the book’s first-person introduction, and even then the fault is not with his delivery; the introduction clearly identifies the author as female and the gender disparity is jarring. If this proves off-putting to some listeners, it’s unfortunate, as this fascinating audiobook is definitely worth a listen. A Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hardcover.