Going Clear

Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

By: Lawrence Wright

Narrated by: Morton Sellers

Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2013 Lawrence Wright (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Brings a clear-eyed, investigative fearlessness to Scientology . . . a rollicking, if deeply creepy, narrative ride, evidence that truth can be stranger even than science fiction." (The Washington Post)

“A hotly compelling read. It’s a minutiae-packed book full of wild stories.” (The New York Times)

“An utterly necessary story. . . . A feat of reporting.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Fascinating book, horrible narrator.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Lawrence Wright did an amazing job with this book, that reads like the best of suspense meets roman å clef meets psychological thriller. Really, it is fascinating.

The huge fail is Audible's choice of a narrator who will in turn either put you to sleep or irritate you with his propensity to pronounce all "wh-" words as though they are "hwh-" words. "Hwhere", "hwhat", and all the rest where he inserts a completely unnecessary "h" at the beginning of the word was just so, so irritating. To the point that I'm considering returningn it to Audible in the way of a protest against their choice of narrators which, when it's not the author, are often really poor.

But Lawrence Wright is a powerful, perfectly polished writer and I was glued to my iPhone for the entire 17+ hours that this book's narration takes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Seriously? OK, since no scientologist can be a favorite character, it has to be Lawrence Wright, then.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Morton Sellers?

Lawrence Wright. At least he has a grasp of what he was wrote.
I'm sure there are other good narrators out there; Morton Sellers is not one of them. Could he be more monotone? And of course as I mentioned about, the "hwhere", "hwhat", "hwhich" are enough to drive one batty.

What character would you cut from Going Clear?

Actually I would add more dissenters.

Any additional comments?

Nope.

Most encompassing book ever on Scientology

Lawrence Wright reveals precisely what Scientology doesn't want its members and the public at large to know. It makes this book an extremely valuable contribution to whoever wants to know what Scientology is really about.

completely absorbing

absolutely fascinating and well researched. I appreciated all the footnotes, which only added to story and somehow managed to not disrupt the flow of narration.

Thorough and Fascinating

This is a comprehensive overview of an extremely complex organization ... reading like a mystery novel, with twists and turns leading to the organization as it exists today. From the start of the delusional mind of it's founder; to the false promises, mind control, destroyed families of Scientology as it exists today...this book gives us a deep understanding of arguably the most damaging cult ever. I await with great anticipation, the collapse of this "Prison."

Eye-Opening addition to other books I have enjoyed

What did you love best about Going Clear?

The author did a fantastic job of research & everything needed to make this book a success. It was not just a bashing of Scientology, but truly educational. Several of the characters I was familiar with b/c of the number of other books I have already enjoyed. Altho I expected to hear the same accounts, I was pleasantly surprised by more enlightening info I had not read in other accounts. Cult - that is the only word that comes to mind when David Miscavige is mentioned.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The complete research & the use of the footnotes by the author & the narrator. The narrator did a great job of keeping my involved & interested all the way.

Which character – as performed by Morton Sellers – was your favorite?

That's a tough one - great performance throughout.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I think the "Prison of Beliefs" as listed in the title is the best one.

The Prison of Hubbard and Miscavige

On the reading, Morton Sellers gives a solid performance. He knows when to subtly emphasize a point, and subtly takes on the emotion of the speaker when necessary. This not the first performance of his I have heard, and I think his voice is better suited for non-fiction.

In Going Clear, Lawrence Wright gives the full history of L. Ron Hubbard, David Miscavige, and the dogma they have forged known as Scientology. Call Scientology what you want - a religion, a cult, a self-help philosophy - it is all of those things. It is also based entirely on fiction - a science fiction its founder (L. Ron Hubbard - d. 1986) and his successor (David Miscavige) have forged together.

The two of them have employed Scientology's clergy, the Sea Org, to protect this fiction from not only the public, but most of Scientology's own membership as well. For this, Sea Org members are not rewarded, but are instead subject to horrible punishment - all in the name of protecting the leaders and furthering the Church's aims. The Church's cult of personality is certainly reminiscent of the worst totalitarian regimes of the last 100 years.

Wright systematically breaks down almost every single event in Hubbard's extraordinary life (that is, his life according to Scientology's official records anyway), showing that most of it was a lie. A lie, but an incredibly interesting lie. A lie that provides the foundation for ALL of Scientology's teachings. I found myself both horrified and fascinated at how a man like Hubbard - with MAJOR mental issues and a propensity to alienate those closest to him - attracted so many followers. In my opinion, we have much to learn about humanity from Hubbard's life story.

Interwoven with the story of Scientology and its masters is the story of many current and former members - including Cruise and Travolta, whom Wright does not let off easy.

Wright also delves into Miscavige's tenure as the leader of the Church. Several ex-Scientologists claim the reason they left is because of his policies, saying the group has gone awry from its original teachings. Wright makes clear that it was always this way - Miscavige is Hubbard's logical successor, employing similar Machiavellian leadership tactics. That being said, Wright has much sympathy for its former members - they have all endured much personal hardship to get out, and were kept completely in the dark about the Church's inner workings.

It is impossible to know what lies ahead for the Church of Scientology. Public opinion has never been in its favor. It has always been subject to innumerable expository news stories, court challenges, and TV interviews with famous members. These will undoubtedly continue, and likely ramp up in the coming years. Somehow, they have endured for more than 60 years, with some second-generation members now having families. Though they have had some notable losses, they still have two very powerful spokesmen, and several others as well. This Wright makes clear - its true believers will never back down, and they will keep Hubbard's place set at the dinner table.

Very informative

An interesting look at Scientology. If only a fraction of the allegations are true then...wow. Both entertaining and sad.

Thorough investigation of a wacky cult

This production showcases a thorough investigation of this frightening organization. It is hard to imagine believing in this bizarre man

Scared the heck out of me but it was fun.

Would you listen to Going Clear again? Why?

Someday I will listen again to remind myself why not just religions but any system of belief (even not religious) can go crazy and become a case of the lunatics take over the asylum.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This book is a cautionary tale not only about how belief systems can go wrong but also about how organizations can go wrong if the crazies are allowed to have their way.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book scared the heck out of me but it was worth it. I learned a lot about the things to watch for in organizations when they go bad. Bad behavior tends to lead to more bad behavior unless something stops it. And if bad behavior comes from the top it pervades the organization until it goes rotten.

This one will stay with me

I thought I already knew Scientology having watched TV programs about it and read a few articles. But it is far more sinister than I realized. I was glued to this audiobook. The story was layed out beautifully and the picture painted is shocking. I watched a documentary obout the Catholic church covering up for pediphile priests at the same time I was listening to this book and I was struck by the similarity, organized religions so corrupt and dangerous. It is so important in this life to be an imdependent thinker and not look fopr some group to validate your existence because soon they will be doing just the opposite.