Memoir of growing up in the Scientology church and eventually leaving. Jenna was two when her parents left their home in New Hampshire to live within the Scientology compounds, where her father's brother was an up-and-comer in the church administration. Her parents were given work assignments that geographically separated them from each other, and the grueling work hours demanded by the church left Jenna and her stepbrother in the care of church minders/nannies and later farmed out to a boarding school where they were expected to perform physical labor as part of their education. She moves through the system, her parents were part of the elite in the church hierarchy, and her uncle became its leader when founder L. Ron Hubbard died just a few weeks after the family moved. According to Jenna, the church uses its beliefs to control its members, punishing those who don't comply with extended sessions of emotional interrogation, physical labor, demotions in status and a constant threat of being prohibited from contact with family members. You are expected to confess your transgressions and secrets to an auditor, and also report the errors of others, creating an atmosphere or mistrust. Jenna's family relation to the head of the church is a double-edged sword in that she received preferential treatment and moved more freely in some ways, but was under greater scrutiny and probably punished specifically when she or her family members were threats to the reputation of her uncle or the church.

I picked this up to read because of the recent debacle at the Oscars where Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock. Leah Remini has asserted that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are Scientologists, though they deny it, only claiming to have accepted some of the teachings. Dang if that Red Table Talk doesn't look like the training described in this book about controlling one's emotions. Jenna's quote regarding learning that her uncle reportedly physically beat staff: "I knew that my uncle had a temper, but, sometimes, in Scientology, a temper meant that you cared" (p. 353) basically tries to explain physical violence in the same way Will Smith's Oscar acceptance speech did. The weird focus on suppressing emotions and constant sabotage of emotional ties creates a show of fake behavior and deception, and an acceptance of the explanation of outbursts as a deviation, rather than the logical outcome of intentionally stifling/crippling people emotionally. I think the Smith family has definitely absorbed some of Scientology's teachings. I'm leaning Team Leah.

To mrsjones, tag. Media mail, 06/25/22.

This arrived in the mail today. Thank you! Exactly what I’m in the mood for. :)

I am fascinated and appalled by Scientology. I watched the entire Leah Remini series exposing it and am surprised the Leah is never mentioned in this book. That being said, none of the contents in the book were surprising, just more detailed in how much the auditors and Sea Org beat down their people until they just give up. I still can't imagine why anyone joins this ridiculous cult.

One thing made this book difficult to read at times: the Scientologists refer to everyone as "Mr." So I'd read sentences like Mr. XXX told me that she wants me to do the cans again. I asked her...
It caught me offguard every time I read it and I'd have to re-read the sentence. Weird.

Actually in the LFL around the corner. Enjoy!