Scan barcode
notnotnoble's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
teresavh's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't like it, it was basically a history of harassment and not a lot about the church. Nothing new.
moonchild720's review
3.0
I've listened to an audiobook about Scientology before and I decided to listen to another one. I don't know what it is about this religion that makes me so curious. I enjoy listening and learning about things that I don't understand to help me better my understanding. This was a good book to listen to but i personally enjoyed Leah Remini's book more than this one. I think if Scientology is something that intrigues you that this is a good book to read.
oliviameads's review
2.0
Wasn't particularly well written and there was SO much dialogue from emails, that doesn't translate well to audio. This subject means a lot to me, and overall it was pretty interesting, but the emails and Scige leaks made it boring,
scottishvix's review against another edition
4.0
This was absolutely fascinating. A terrifying story of one mans descent into paranoia and fear as he tries to make a documentary about the Church of Scientology. And it's all true.
I remember watching the 2007 documentary when it originally aired. And I very definitely remember what Sweeney calls his "exploding tomato" moment. Sweeney is completely honest about this: it was unprofessional, it should never have happened, he is completely repentant. But he reasons that he had been pushed to the psychological edge by what he had experienced in the six days running up to that moment, and he feared he was going mad. He talks about how he and his team were constantly followed by mysterious cars, filmed as they attempted to conduct interviews, were ambushed in their hotel at midnight, and allowed so little respite that they had to attempt to conduct three man editorial conferences in a single toilet cubicle. He says this was altogether worse than any experience he had as a war correspondent.
The book starts with an unusual admission: this book is lawyer end to the hilt. Every time Sweeney introduces a new person that he's interviewed, he end by telling us the accusations Scientologists make about that person (including what they say about him). Every time one of his interviewees makes an allegation, he ends the paragraph with a comment along the lines of "the Church denies this". This is entirely unusual. Unlike his documentary, which was made under BBC guidelines stating that he must show "balance", "fairness" and "impartiality", he would be perfectly entitled to only show one side of this story. But he would still be subject to the UK's stringent libel laws. And he tells us in his introduction that he is terrified of losing everything. The Church of Scientology is lawyered up and happy to sue: it would have no qualms about bankrupting someone who was critical of it. So this is the most heavily lawyered and libel-proof book I have ever read. It makes for a slightly odd reading experience.
Other than its constant libel-proofing, the only thing this book suffers from is a slightly patronising idea that the reader cannot retain too much information at once, so things are repeated that really don't need to be. I was rather frustrated by the time we got to the fifth reiteration that Ann Archer was "Tommy's" [one of his tormentor's] mother. We did not need that tit bit thrown in every time her name mp was mentioned. That aside, this was a fascinating read, and I hope to read more of Sweeney's journalism. He is a funny and engaging writer, full of self-depreciation (and the mentions of Doctor Who don't go wrong either).
I remember watching the 2007 documentary when it originally aired. And I very definitely remember what Sweeney calls his "exploding tomato" moment. Sweeney is completely honest about this: it was unprofessional, it should never have happened, he is completely repentant. But he reasons that he had been pushed to the psychological edge by what he had experienced in the six days running up to that moment, and he feared he was going mad. He talks about how he and his team were constantly followed by mysterious cars, filmed as they attempted to conduct interviews, were ambushed in their hotel at midnight, and allowed so little respite that they had to attempt to conduct three man editorial conferences in a single toilet cubicle. He says this was altogether worse than any experience he had as a war correspondent.
The book starts with an unusual admission: this book is lawyer end to the hilt. Every time Sweeney introduces a new person that he's interviewed, he end by telling us the accusations Scientologists make about that person (including what they say about him). Every time one of his interviewees makes an allegation, he ends the paragraph with a comment along the lines of "the Church denies this". This is entirely unusual. Unlike his documentary, which was made under BBC guidelines stating that he must show "balance", "fairness" and "impartiality", he would be perfectly entitled to only show one side of this story. But he would still be subject to the UK's stringent libel laws. And he tells us in his introduction that he is terrified of losing everything. The Church of Scientology is lawyered up and happy to sue: it would have no qualms about bankrupting someone who was critical of it. So this is the most heavily lawyered and libel-proof book I have ever read. It makes for a slightly odd reading experience.
Other than its constant libel-proofing, the only thing this book suffers from is a slightly patronising idea that the reader cannot retain too much information at once, so things are repeated that really don't need to be. I was rather frustrated by the time we got to the fifth reiteration that Ann Archer was "Tommy's" [one of his tormentor's] mother. We did not need that tit bit thrown in every time her name mp was mentioned. That aside, this was a fascinating read, and I hope to read more of Sweeney's journalism. He is a funny and engaging writer, full of self-depreciation (and the mentions of Doctor Who don't go wrong either).
sbaunsgard's review
4.0
John Sweeney's book about the harassment he experienced making Panorama's 'Scientology and Me.' Features his interaction with Mike Rinder before and after he left Scientology. Very interesting, though my favorite Scientology book is still probably 'Going Clear.'