by Leah Remini
First published 2015
Leah Remini traces her journey from a Brooklyn girl inducted into Scientology as a child to a successful Hollywood actress caught in the church's celebrity hierarchy. She describes moving to Los Angeles where her acting ambitions became tangled with her commitment to Scientology's mission. The memoir details her rise within the organization's ranks, her interactions with high-profile members like Tom Cruise, and her attendance at his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes. Remini explains how questioning certain church practices made her a target for investigation and punishment. The organization ultimately declared her a "Suppressive Person," forcing all Scientologists, including her own family members, to cut contact with her permanently. She chronicles the painful process of breaking free from decades of indoctrination and the personal cost of speaking out against the church's controversial methods. The book reveals her path toward rebuilding her life and protecting her family after leaving the organization that had shaped her worldview since childhood.
Genres: autobiography, cults, memoir, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, redemption
Setting: Brooklyn, Hollywood, Los Angeles
Period: 2006
256 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: abuse, emotional-abuse