First published 2013
Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright dissects the Church of Scientology through more than two hundred interviews with current and former members. Wright traces the organization from its origins in science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard's imagination through its evolution under current leader David Miscavige. The book reveals how Scientology pursued legal recognition as a religion, infiltrated government agencies, and attracted celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Wright examines the Sea Org clergy with their billion year contracts, the auditing processes that determine spiritual progress, and the Bridge to Total Freedom promising eternal life. He documents the church's policy of disconnection that severs family ties and explores allegations of violence within its leadership. Through years of archival research and investigative reporting, Wright questions whether Scientology deserves constitutional protections as a legitimate religion while exposing the institutional mechanisms that sustain it.
Genres: abuse, cults, non-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: expos, institutional-corruption
Setting: Hollywood
Period: 21st-century
430 pages · Hardcover · Alfred A. Knopf
Content warnings: abuse, violence