Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Dec 01, 2017 Jaime rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoir, read-2017, bookclub

As someone with more than a passing interest in topics like true crime and cults, I’ve long found everything surrounding Scientology to be interesting. Leah Remini is not the first person to escape Scientology, nor even the first celebrity, but it’s possible that she’s been the loudest.

Before I started the book, I though that Remini had been born into Scientology, so I was surprised to find out that her mother joined when Leah was 9, and she was then along for the ride. Remini wasn’t a casual pr As someone with more than a passing interest in topics like true crime and cults, I’ve long found everything surrounding Scientology to be interesting. Leah Remini is not the first person to escape Scientology, nor even the first celebrity, but it’s possible that she’s been the loudest.

Before I started the book, I though that Remini had been born into Scientology, so I was surprised to find out that her mother joined when Leah was 9, and she was then along for the ride. Remini wasn’t a casual practitioner. She was a Sea Org member as a teen, and fully admits that she bought into the “religion”, one hundred percent. She was a true believer, and thought that everything she did was to make the world “clear”. She was luckier than a lot of children in Scientology — she got to spend her childhood with her mother, rather than be separated very early like most children. And she was then encouraged to pursue her acting career, because celebrities are extremely valuable, because of both their reach and their money.

The heart of the book is Remini’s journey through her late teens until the time she decided to leave the religion, when she was 43. If you are familiar with her and how she speaks, the book is written completely in her voice. You can hear her saying everything. It was interesting to see how her view of Scientology changed over time, and how she began to see the holes in the logic, even as she was cooperating with them. She participated in hours upon hours of auditing, and wrote many a giant check so they would overlook her missteps. Everything comes to a head around the time of Tom Cruise’s wedding, and soon it’s plain to her that she can’t be a part of what’s happening any longer. Nor can she be silent about it.

I thought this was a solid memoir. Remini doesn’t paint herself as a savior, or a perfect person. She’s very up front with all of her indiscretions, because she knew that the first thing Scientology would do is try to smear her name. The book does get a bit repetitive in places; it probably could have used some tighter editing. But her story and the inside look at Scientology is quite interesting.

I’ve also been watching her series on A&E, where she speaks with former Scientologists. It is fascinating. I admire what she and the show’s other participants are doing, and I think there are people who are going to have much better lives because of it.

Also, if you are interested in what it’s like for a lay person to join Scientology, there’s a great podcast called Oh No Ross & Carrie that has a multi-part series. ...more

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Dec 12, 2016 Stacy rated it liked it

I am not a huge Leah Remini fan but after reading her book, I have to say i really admire her. She is brassy and opinionated and sassy and she ain't taking nothin' from ANYBODY. People like that, people who are strong and feisty are often at odds with any religion as they have a tendency to question and not take things at face-value. I really commend Leah. This is a great tell-all. She really gives details on Scientology (oh the acronyms! Its so convoluted and confusing.) She provides quite the ...more

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Feb 28, 2016 Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoirs

Initially, I had little interest in reading this book, however my sister read it and gave it rave reviews so I thought why not. Much, much...much better than I anticipated. Leah is honest about who she is, never claiming to be more or less. I was incredibly impressed, and honestly, it will make me more likely to seek out shows/movies she is in. The scientology stuff was very interesting, as I had little to no knowledge about it prior to this book. It's insane we live in a country where 'cults' a ...more

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Nov 08, 2015 Amy Richard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It's such a shame

We all kinda know that cults are bad.....right?! But Scientology is worse because it also creates this fake outward view that it is a true spiritual being. I didn't think I could hate Tom Cruise more. ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, do-not-own, memoir

I really enjoyed reading about Leah Remini's journey through Scientology, from the early days when things seemed amazing all the way the things that created doubt and ultimately led to her leaving the church. She has a great voice, and doesn't pull punches. She's also not shy about admitting her flaws and her vulnerabilities. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who's curious about just how...interesting and unusual Scientology is and all the demands they require. ...more

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