Starred review from October 15, 2022
A former high-ranking executive chronicles his defection from Scientology. In this riveting, meticulously detailed memoir, Rinder describes his life as a Scientologist, from when his family "preordained" him as a child in Australia through his departure in 2007, at age 52. His parents first heard of L. Ron Hubbard from a neighbor in 1959. While not inherently religious, both were "attracted by the promise of eradicating unwanted emotions and insecurities, having better relationships, raising successful children, and maybe even saving the world." They were soon immersed in the odd healing rituals and the concept of a superior "thetan" spirit responsible for everything. At 18, instead of attending college, Rinder signed a billion-year "Sea Org" contract and boarded a ship, where he worked as a deckhand in filthy conditions without pay. Later, during his "slow voyage of self-delusion," he fared somewhat better, receiving surveyor assignments in Portugal and eventually becoming Scientology's international spokesman and head of its Office of Special Affairs. At the same time, the organization was drawing intense scrutiny from the IRS. Rinder's children were raised from infancy not by he and his wife but by the Sea Org. The author's revelations are both fascinating and shocking: sadistic punishments, zany life-improvement courses, and countless outrageous stories about Scientology's "darker forces." After he helped strong-arm the organization's tax-exempt status with the IRS, Rinder ran interference, neutralized investigations, and obfuscated Scientology's vast, corrupt hierarchy, which left him overwhelmed and feeling like a "virtual prisoner." The narrative takes on the flavor of a suspense thriller after Rinder's escape, which resulted in his ex-communication, harassment, and numerous dangerous threats by volatile Scientology executives like David Miscavige. While Rinder admits his recollection may be blurry due to the "dull fog of exhaustion," the voice is crisp, urgent, and vividly impassioned, whether assessing his years as a compliant member, his breathless escape, or his promise to continue exposing Scientology as a "unique and vengeful monster." An intensely personal, cathartic memoir of blind allegiance, betrayal, and liberation.
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