Beyond Belief question

Way too slow for me. Too redundant.

Hang in there-the last half of the book is much faster.

I found it hard to engage with the minute details, but I bought the book on Audible as well as having it in print, so I could listen to the slower parts whilst driving/washing up/walking etc and that really helped to keep me engaged.

In the end, I agree with Dee - her story is interesting, her life is so far from anything I know. Worth sticking out.

The details were interesting, but good memoir should read like fiction and actually transport the reader into the author's experience. This was like reading a report.

It is odd with so many takes on this book. "It was dull and boring"...

1) She was taken away from her family. 2) Made to work on a ranch 6 days a week. 3) Forced to not talk to her family or anyone that did not agree with Scientology or who talked negatively. 4) She was forced/brainwashed to remain in the church when her family left (she was a minor) and she wanted to leave. 5) She was not paid well while working on the ranch as slave labor. 6) She endured countless of hours with E-meter to which she was basically forced to admit wrongdoings just to get the E-meter to read what they (Scientology) wanted. 7) When she was "in the wrong", they used harsh punishment, sometimes even twisting the policy of Hubbard originally had. 8) She was forced not to communicate with her former friends because she was bad/evil/toxic. 9) She was almost disconnected from her husband because she wanted to leave and he wanted to leave but they used him to suggest negative things about her because she did not agree with the "church" anymore. Then goodness only knows what she did not know and what she found out after leaving the church about her uncle.

I am not sure what your childhood was like, I know mine was no cakewalk but *I* personally do not consider this dull. Perfect? Nope but I also subject that to her not having a "proper education". But to each their own. :)

The story was interesting and kept me going but there were some parts of the book that just dragged.

I read half the book and abandoned it after struggling to enjoy it, disappointing, as its rare I ditch a book and I always try hard to mesh with it first. There were too many Scientology terms and abbreviations and not enough substance in the story itself, I felt it read more like a report.

Ronda wrote: "I am an avid reader, devouring almost anything. This book is something else, however. Jenna's details of each hour of her life since age two includes verbatim conversations. And as she reveals more..."

I agree at times it was tough to get through, more than anything because of her amateurish style of writing. She did become repetitive and meander around before getting to the point. The story itself is compelling, but the writing was boring. It felt at times like it was a 12 year old girl's diary.

The book was much too redundant. Dragged forever.

I'm definitely having trouble getting through this book. I'm nearly halfway done and I just can't get over how boring and slow-moving the story is (to me). I was expecting something more intense and groundbreaking, but so far, it's just dull and uneventful. I keep telling myself to hang in there and that the author is trying to tell a story, so maybe all of this is building up to an exciting conclusion. I'm enjoying the inside scoop on Scientology, but I think that 50-100 pages of this book could have been cut out and we wouldn't have missed much of the story. Glad to know there's someone else out there who was struggling with it as much as I am!

I loved this book and finished it within 48 hours. My husband is also reading it. Very interesting and disturbing all at the same time.

I admit, at points I just wanted to skip to the end to find out how she left. But it was definitely eye opening and worth reading.

There were definitely parts in this book that dragged on and put me to sleep, but I enjoyed it as a whole. I find Scientology fascinating and she definitely had an interesting story to tell.

I thought this book was good also. I could hardly put it down. It was my introduction into scientology so I hung on to every word. It is interesting to me that people continue to allow themselves to join organizations like this CULT. The author was born into this so I understand her delimma. But I am amazed at people who become parts of organizations blindly.

Repetitive. A bit too much mundane detail. I know a lot more about the Church than I did before, however, so I'm glad I read it. I imagine it took a bit of courage for her to write it.

I thought she did a very good job describing some very difficult circumstances. Most of what she describes matches up with reports of life in the SeaOrg that I have read elsewhere. Hers was the most readable no doubt due to her outstanding ghost writer Lisa Pulitzer.

No I loved this book. It is the best book that I have read in a long time. She was in a cult and made it through the best that she could. I have complete sympathy for her. I think she is very brave!

I loved this book. I devoured in in one night, I couldn't put it down. I am fascinated my Scientology and the fact that it is a cult that, for some reason, is recognized as a real church. I am now recommending it to everyone I talk to who likes to read.

I agree that this book was sometimes boring and difficult to wade through, although her story is interesting and should be heard.