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who the church says were expelled from the organization. It is notable that no
comprehensive biography of Hubbard has been attempted since the church’s campaign
against these books.
The scarcity of academic work on the church and its leaders testies to the caution
with which scholars regard the subject, as well as the reluctance of the organization to
divulge information about its members, beliefs, and inner workings to qualied social
scientists. In 1976, Roy Wallis published The Road to Total Freedom: A Sociological
Analysis of Scientology, the rst signicant academic study of the church. While he was
researching his book, Wallis was spied upon, and forged letters were sent to his
colleagues and employers implicating him in a homosexual relationship. Renunciation
and Reformulation: A Study of Conversion in an American Sect, an insightful book by
Harriet Whitehead, an anthropologist, appeared in 1987. Since then, contributions from
the academy have been meager. At this point, I should also acknowledge the work of
Hugh Urban, at Ohio State University, David S. Touretzky at Carnegie Mellon
University, and Stephen Kent, at the University of Alberta. Each of these scholars has
produced important contributions to the understanding of Scientology, despite the
obstacles and threats posed by the church.
Court documents contain a valuable record of the history and culture of the church
and its founder; this is especially true of the landmark 1991 suit Church of Scientology
California vs. Gerald Armstrong. David Miscavige has been shy about giving interviews,
but he has provided testimony and declarations in several lawsuits, most extensively in
1990, in Bent Corydon v. Church of Scientology.
A handful of courageous journalists have provided much of the essential information
available about the culture of Scientology. Paulette Cooper opened the door with her
1971 exposé, The Scandal of Scientology. I have outlined in this book some of the
harassment that she endured. Joel Sappell and Robert W. Welkos of the Los Angeles
Times did a remarkable six-part series in 1990. Richard Leiby has been writing about
Scientology since the early 1980s, rst for the Clearwater Sun and subsequently for the
Washington Post. Richard Behar covered the subject in Barron’s and most notably in his
1991 exposé for Time, “The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power.” Janet Reitman had
unparalleled access to the church for her 2006 Rolling Stone article, “Inside Scientology,”
which became a book of the same title in 2011. Chris Owen, an independent researcher,
has written extensively about the church online, and has revealed much of the
information available about Hubbard’s wartime experiences. Tom Smith has conducted a
number of knowledgeable interviews on his radio show, The Edge, broadcast by
Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida. Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin of
the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times) have written groundbreaking
stories, especially about the abuse inside the church hierarchy. Tony Ortega has been
writing about Scientology since 1995, for the Phoenix New Times, and he continued as a
valuable resource in the pages and the blog of the Village Voice until his recent
resignation. Several of these journalists have been harassed, investigated, sued, or
threatened in various ways. I am the beneficiary of their skill and persistence.
In the last decade, defectors from the Sea Org have provided a rich trove of personal