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-Qaedaโs 9/11 attack. Based on more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologistsโboth famous and less well knownโand 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 bookโs 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 Miscavigeโtough and driven, with the unenviable task of preserving the church after the death of Hubbard.
We learn about Scientologyโs 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 churchโs goals. And we meet the young idealists who have joined the Sea Org, the churchโs 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.
Media Buzz
All Things Considered - March 26, 2015 CBS This Morning - March 4, 2015 Last Call with Carson Daly - August 19, 2013 Studio 360 - February 9, 2013 Morning Edition - February 6, 2013 Colbert Report - February 6, 2013 On The Media - January 26, 2013 Fresh Air - NPR - January 24, 2013 Today - January 19, 2013 Today - January 17, 2013 Access Hollywood - January 17, 2013
© 2003-2026