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Title details for Going Clear by Lawrence Wright - Available

Going Clear

Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

by Lawrence Wright
Morton Sellers
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
National Book Award Finalist
A clear-sighted revelation, a deep penetration into the world of Scientology by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower, the now-classic study of al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attack. Based on more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologists—both famous and less well known—and years of archival research, Lawrence Wright uses his extraordinary investigative ability to uncover for us the inner workings of the Church of Scientology.
At the book’s center, two men whom Wright brings vividly to life, showing how they have made Scientology what it is today: The darkly brilliant science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, whose restless, expansive mind invented a new religion. And his successor, David Miscavige—tough and driven, with the unenviable task of preserving the church after the death of Hubbard.
We learn about Scientology’s complicated cosmology and special language. We see the ways in which the church pursues celebrities, such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and how such stars are used to advance the church’s goals. And we meet the young idealists who have joined the Sea Org, the church’s clergy, signing up with a billion-year contract.
In Going Clear, Wright examines what fundamentally makes a religion a religion, and whether Scientology is, in fact, deserving of this constitutional protection. Employing all his exceptional journalistic skills of observation, understanding, and shaping a story into a compelling narrative, Lawrence Wright has given us an evenhanded yet keenly incisive book that reveals the very essence of what makes Scientology the institution it is.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    January 17, 2013

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780385393072
      • File size: 501370 KB
      • Duration: 17:24:31

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      After listening to this audiobook, one can only conclude that Scientology erupted full blown from the mind of L. Ron Hubbard, whose ultimate goal was to become rich, powerful, and famous--and he succeeded. This is a difficult listening experience. Narrator Morton Sellers makes a fearless attempt to put an objective spin on this fact-driven work. His performance of the dialogue is laudable, but the paranoia and aggression of the words themselves are alarming and tainted this listener's enjoyment. It's downright chilling to listen to what money, power, and single-mindedness can create out of a vulnerable population of, in some cases, highly intelligent individuals. This is a good listen for those who enjoy controversy in their audiobooks. E.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 28, 2013
      Pulitzer winner Wright (The Looming Tower) expands and carefully footnotes his investigation of Scientology, which began as a 2011 New Yorker article examining the defection of acclaimed screenwriter-director Paul Haggis from the church. The book-length version offers—in persuasive, albeit sometimes mind-numbing, detail—an eye-opening short biography of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and a long-form journalism presentation of the creature Hubbard birthed: a self-help system complete with bizarre cosmology, celebrity sex appeal, lawyers, consistent allegations of physical abuse, and expensive answers for spiritual consumers. Wright capably sows his thorough reportage into ground broken by Janet Reitman (Inside Scientology, 2011). He poses larger questions about the nature of belief, but can only lay groundwork because he has to fight to establish facts, given the secrecy and controversy surrounding Scientology, and his eyewitnesses are necessarily disenchanted and therefore adversarial. While Wright’s brave reporting offers an essential reality test, an analysis of why this sci-fi and faith brew quenches a quasi-religious thirst in its followers is still needed. First printing 150,000. Agent: Andrew Wylie, the Wylie Agency.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 25, 2013
      After years of extensive research, countless interviews and testimonials, and innumerable hours spent plowing through archives, New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize–winner Wright offers this absolutely compelling account of the Church of Scientology. Narrated by Morton Sellers, the book is a shocking look at what many have come to view as a cult. Not one for theatrics, Sellers lets the material speak for itself. His delivery is straightforward and understated, allowing the astonishing accounts presented to take center stage. That said, Sellers is able to keep his audience engaged for the duration, never resorting to over-the-top theatrics, despite some of the more-than-colorful, character-driven, real-life accounts that pop up throughout. All in all, this is an endlessly fascinating look at one of the most controversial organizations operating in the world today. A Knopf hardcover.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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