going-clear-scientology-hollywood-and-the-prison-of-belief-by-lawrence-wright-2

accounts. These have taken the form of memoirs and blog postings, and they have
accumulated into an immense indictment of the inner workings of the church. Among
the memoirs I should single out are Marc Headley’s Blown for Good: Behind the Iron
Curtain of Scientology (2009); Nancy Many’s My Billion Year Contract (2009); Amy
Scobee’s Abuse at the Top (2010); and Jeerson Hawkins’s Counterfeit Dreams (2010).
Kate Bornstein’s A Queer and Pleasant Danger (2012) provides an especially interesting
account of the Apollo days.
Websites devoted to challenging the church have proliferated, beginning with
alt.religion.scientology in 1991. Some of the most active are Andreas Heldal-Lund’s
Operation Clambake at xenu.net; Steve Hall’s scientology-cult.com; Arnaldo Lerma’s
lermanet.com, and the Ex Scientology Message Board, which is an online community for
former members of the church, founded by “Emma” and now run by “Mick Wenlock and
Ethercat.” Exscientologykids.org, started by Jenna Miscavige Hill, David Miscavige’s
niece, among others, played an important role in Paul Haggis’s decision to leave the
church. Although many of the postings on these websites are anonymous, they provide
rich texture to a subculture that few outsiders can appreciate.
One blog has become a rallying point for “independent” Scientologists who have
renounced the ocial church: Marty Rathbun’s Moving on Up a Little Higher, which began
in 2009. It has been the source of many telling personal stories, as well as documents
leaked by church insiders. Rathbun and his wife, Monique Carle, have suered constant
harassment, along with surveillance by private investigators, because of his open
challenge to Miscavige’s authority.
In researching this book, I conducted hundreds of interviews, the preponderance of
them on the record. I have always been sparing in relying on anonymous sources, but
writing about Scientology poses a challenge for a reporter. A number of my sources
were fearful of retribution by the church—in particular, legal harassment and the loss of
contact with family members. Many key individuals have signed condentiality
agreements that enforce their silence. I owe all my sources a great debt of gratitude for
their willingness to speak to me despite the risk to their own well-being.
Paul Haggis plays a unique role in this book. He never intended to talk publicly about
his experience in the church. That he opened up to me, knowing the church’s reputation
for retribution, is a measure of his courage and his forthrightness.
This book is dedicated to my colleagues at The New Yorker, and so my list of debts
includes the many people there who assisted me in writing the prole of Paul Haggis
(“The Apostate,” Feb. 14 and 21, 2011) that became the starting point for my research
into Scientology. I had talked previously with David Remnick, the editor of the
magazine, about an article on the Church of Scientology. David appreciated the legal
hazards, but I don’t think either of us realized the amount of time and resources the
piece would ultimately require. His commitment was all the more meaningful coming
during a period when the magazine was under the same nancial stress that other print
media were experiencing. My editor at The New Yorker, Daniel Zalewski, has shepherded
me through many articles, and his steadiness and advocacy are always deeply
appreciated. Daniel’s assistant at the time, Yvette Siegert, cheerfully ew to St. Louis as