Very interesting subject matter, but unfortunately it's poorly written.

This was all the dirt I really wanted to know about Scientology that I didn’t get out of Leah Remini’s book. Beyond Belief is a really engrossing memoir of a young girl growing up in Scientology in the shadow of her high ranking family members, and then her escape as a young adult.

Fantastic, weird, dark, surprisingly sad at times? Oof. Kind of miraculous she came out as sane (and as forgiving of her parents) as she did. I found it a bit hard to get into at first, but once I got engrossed I couldn’t put it down.

I didn’t actually know that much about Scientology before this, and couldn’t wrap my head around exactly what it.. was, and this book was very good for understanding the structure and belief system and daily functions.

I just look at my daughter and think about how Jenna’s parents were allowed to spend like an hour a week with her as a kid. I would burn down an entire city fighting against that, and I DONT GET IT, but I guess that’s what cults do to you. Also, I could simply never work as nonstop as Scientologists do. I would have a mental breakdown on week one, cry because I was tired, and be declared an SP. This is not me ranting that I could never fall for a cult, because I’m aware that everyone thinks that, but just me expressing my bafflement that this was the norm for them for years. Wow.

The most interesting parts of this for me were learning about the daily routines, the levels, the audits, etc. The actual structure, function, and routine of Scientology and roles of those in it are so interesting, so strange, like incredibly creative science fiction. I understand why it’s so hard for people to leave when their entire system of belief about the world and other people is completely informed by this cult.

Now. Where can I find a good Shelly Miscavige deep dive? K thanks bye

Edit: I can’t stop thinking about how dying is called “dropping your body”

Edit 2: I also can’t stop remembering how important women are called sir and mister. (Because important people can only use masculine titles, obviously.) It made reading a little confusing sometimes. Also, just so strange.

Jenna Miscavige Hill's memoir provides a very in-depth look into the corrupt, controlling, and controversial world of Scientology. As a third generation Scientologist, Hill recounts in excruciating detail the events of her childhood and the rift that grew between herself and the church until she finally left as a young adult. Hill provides a very up close look at many of the procedures and tactics that are used by the church to beat their followers into blind submission, however, there are a lot of instances when Jenna herself can not even make sense of it. She also provides the perspective of a dedicated Scientologist, who is inspired by the church and willing to make excuses for its various pitfalls. The book was interesting to me solely because of the content, but the delivery left much to be desired. Very dry and to the point, Hill describes her life almost day by day, refusing to get to the point or glossing over details that were already covered in previous chapters.

5 stars for anyone willing to speak out. It is so important that these stories are told.

Listened to on audiobook- THIS BOOK WAS CRAZY!!! Not in the same way that Educates by Tara Westover was… it was less prose more factual (that’s why it didn’t get 5 stars for me because it did get a little facts heavy at times). But WOW I learned a lot. It is difficult for me grasp that Scientology is still alive in America after hearing about all the abuses against children and families in this book.

I read this book to fulfill one of the Read Harder 2020 prompts. I learned a lot about Scientology and it’s truly shocking abuses of power and human rights abuse. However, this book is sooo boring. For a woman with a very compelling personal story, every effort is made to diffuse tension in the story. The prose is very flat and direct re-telling of events with little attempt to understand the roles and motivations of people involved in the organization.