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)

Better than the HBO documentary

Both this book and the one by Janet Reitman are must reads for anyone curious about Scientology. Wright is an outstanding reporter whose earlier book, The Looming Tower, was a masterpiece.

The narration is excellent and well captured the tone of the book's characters.

After finishing I was still left wanting a fuller explanation of how non-damaged adults could remain in an organization that has so much underlying sadistic behavior toward underlings and how it succeeds in keeping its practices away from its naive members.

After you finish this book and Reitman's, look up the Lisa McPhearson articles in the St Petersburg Times called The Truth Rundown.

All in all an informative if disturbing book.

Scary.. But real

Good story line, well read, awful content!!!!!
Thank you for the epilogue .. It brought so much to my understanding of the cult.

Fascinating History

Would you consider the audio edition of Going Clear to be better than the print version?

I would not, as the footnotes included in the audio version can sometimes be a distraction from the history it tells.

What did you like best about this story?

The details the author was able to come up with, as well as his clear effort to get the Scientology side of the story. While critical, it is not without sympathy in its own way to LRH and some of what the church has done.

good book but...

This audio book skipped 5 chapters as I was listening and I never got them back. I called customer service and they are great but after removing book from my device then downloading again, it still happened. So just be aware and pay attention to the chapter you are on. FYI: THIS ALSO HAPPENED TO A DIFFERENT BOOK AS WELL..We've BEEN TRYING TO FIX IT FOR AWHILE NOW AND NO LUCK YET.
IF YOU are Interested IN Scientology then this is a GREAT book!!!!!! My mishap most likely won't happen to you since a warning hasn't been issued regarding a problem with this book.
It gets down and dirty with the inner workings of the cult and speaks of celebrities involved with the"church" (cult!!) 😉
Great narrative too!

This was a tough read

Narrator was great, but subject matter was difficult. The first few hours of the audiobook that cover LRH's life were honestly kind of tedious to get through - I found it more relatable when the book started talking about people and situations I'd heard of. Overall it's a good read though, so if you're interested in the subject you should definitely check it out.

Worth reading.

Would you consider the audio edition of Going Clear to be better than the print version?

No. As an audio book it suffers from poor narration and a total lack of inflection making it slightly less captivating than listening to child reading from the New York telephone directory. Perhaps they should have had Tommy Davis narrate it?

Who was your favorite character and why?

L. Ron Hubbard. Why? Because he first published what was to become the basis for Scientology back in 1950. Back then it was little more than a treatise he entitled "Dianetics" but it was to become much more than that. Love him, loathe him, flimflammer or modern day prophet L. Ron Hubbard was certainly not your average man.

What didn’t you like about Morton Sellers’s performance?

His lack of inflection. That said, the book was "clearly" not writen for the spoken word.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

How to generate recurring revenue.

Any additional comments?

This book provides a "clear" insight into not only the birth of Scientology, but the life of the man who started it all. It's well written, mostly unbiased and an example of how truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction.

Well-researched

Lawrence Wright knows how to research a story, to follow the characters, the action, the motivations, and weave them together into a comprehensible whole. He brings that skill to bear on Scientology, looking at Hubbard and his sketchy past, presenting the facts dispassionately as he reveals a highly-successful but oddly-hollow organization.

They Are A Dangerous Cult

As someone who’s been in a cultish situation (not quite a cult but cult-like) I truly appreciated learning how L. Ron Hubbard created his “religion” and suckered people into paying him to stay in it. A definitive work, well worth your time and Morton Sellers does a compelling narration. I couldn’t stop listening.

I couldn't put it down.

Where does Going Clear rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its in the top tier of the many audiobooks I've listened to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The stories of Hubbard and Miscavige were both fascinating to listen to.

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

Sometimes, the absurdities I heard made me burst out laughing. Many times I would just pause it and say something like, "Wow. I can't believe it. Did I just hear that? That's crazy!"

Any additional comments?

There are so many characters involved, so its hard to keep track of them. There are many stories that get revisited from different perspectives or to add new information. Its part of the appeal, but also makes it a bit challenging to keep up with everything. However, this book definitely has re-listen value to it. I know there are many things I missed. This is not due to the author. It is due to the complexity of Scientology. Indeed, the book tells the fascinating life stories of many people and simultaneously defines Scientology to the audience. It is a tall order for any author. I will listen to this one again.

Interesting to learn new "Religions"

it is always interesting to learn about new "religions". I found the book interesting but don't think this way of life is for me.