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)

Compelling

If you could sum up Going Clear in three words, what would they be?

This is a thorough and well documented account of the history of Scientology. I listened to the entire book in four days. I would highly recommend it!

listened 5 times now...hypnotizing from the start

really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really loved it to the max for real

Default audio player functionality is Terrible.

Would you try another book from Lawrence Wright and/or Morton Sellers?

Lawrence Wright is excellent as usual

Any additional comments?

Get a new audio player. You can't even reverse on this one. Just terrible functionality.

Great book.

Fascinating

This is an extremely well-researched book about L.Ron Hubbard's life, the history of Scientology, and present-day Scientology. I knew that Scientology was a nutty cult and that Tom Cruise was a pompous idiot, but after reading this book I found out that Scientology was also very frightening and powerful and that Tom Cruise was also a total a-hole.

This audiobook--with its accounts of Hubbard's history of wife-beating and child kidnapping, the horrible abuse and jail conditions inflicted on many people by Scientology leaders, and the huge amounts of money and property held by Scientology leaders--is horrifically frightening. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

good read...er....listen

if you're looking for a book about crazy, then you've come to the right place. Holy shit

Gripping from page 1.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Concise, diplomatic, incredibly well researched and the production is clear, and so easy to listen to. Epilogue was my favorite part. Great job on all accounts!

Charlatanism Made Clear

What made the experience of listening to Going Clear the most enjoyable?

While exhaustive this book managed to avoid being exhaustive.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Difficult to like anyone in this book though the few who had the will and courage to break with the church do inspire.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Morton Sellers?

Yes/

Any additional comments?

Perhaps the most important question for humanity to ask itself: why do we believe what we believe. This book is certainly provide much food for thought on that question. While it doesn't explicitly come to a conclusion it does lay out an important case study (so to speak) about how a charismatic personality can entrance a significant number of people despite glaring contradictions in that person's behavior and teachings.

This is a world up to it's eyeballs in bunkum, some of it malicious, but much of it stemming from desires that are all to easy to relate to. We want some sort of control over our lives. We all want to have a light shown on the best path forward. And these desires blind us.

Though it seems not the purpose of this book, I found myself disgusted and repelled by the key figures in the church, certainly by L Ron himself. But, and this is to the credit of the book, also sorry for him. Perhaps therein lies the rub.

This book is well worth the read.

Well writtent and balanced view

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This gives a "biography" of the etiology of the church of Scientology, a topic I was curious about since I have heard so much in the press about it especially with movie star involvement. The author presents a balanced view with comparisons to other new religions. The fact check information at the end was especially interesting.

What about Morton Sellers’s performance did you like?

The reading performance was eloquent.

Groundbreaking

This was my first ever audiobook. I loved the experience. The book was informative and I felt I personally knew characters.

very long

extremely in-depth and had a lot of really good useful information about scientology in it. it did feel a little bit overlong and a little bit repetitive at times.