Going Clear (book)

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief is a 2013 non-fiction book about Scientology written by Lawrence Wright.

The book contains interviews with current and former Scientologists, the histories of founder L. Ron Hubbard and current leader David Miscavige, and analysis of the relationships of Tom Cruise and John Travolta to the organization. In an interview with The New York Times Wright said that "There are a lot of people out there who were very high up in the church and know a lot about it who have become outspoken... I'm very lucky to come along at a time when a lot of these people are ready to talk".^[1] Wright also disclosed that he has received "innumerable" letters threatening legal action from lawyers representing Scientology and celebrities who belong to it.^[1] Wright spoke to two hundred current and former Scientologists for the book.^[1] It was originally published in the United Kingdom by Transworld but is now being published by Silvertail, which may be because of legal pressure from the Church.^[2]

The title of the book, Going Clear, is in reference to a stage of spiritual development in Scientology. In Scientology parlance, "Clear" means a state of having freed oneself from "engrams", which members believe are "subconscious memories of past trauma". Scientologists go through therapy sessions called "auditing" as part of the process of becoming Clear.^[3]

Wright had previously written a profile of former Scientologist Paul Haggis for The New Yorker.^[4][5]

Reception

The publishers Transworld cancelled their publication of the book in the United Kingdom.^[6] Transworld made an internal decision not to publish the book following legal advice, feeling that an edited version would not fit with their schedule.

Wright’s German publisher, Random House Publishing Group, provided the internet addresses of the Church of Scientology’s published responses in a disclaimer in the front of the German edition and a disclaimer that none of the stories contained in the book concern the German branch of the church.^[7]

Going Clear has been challenged by the Church of Scientology International. The Church published an official statement in its newsroom^[8] and a blog listing its refutations.^[9] There have been comments about the disagreements between Wright and the Church of Scientology in the media.^[10][11]

Karen Swartz reviewed the book for the Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, writing that Wright achieves his goal for the book, providing “a rich history that engages current questions,” while allowing for a “more nuanced discourse” of the meaning of religion, while perpetuating a “heavily Protestant understanding.” She also comments that the author recognizes the lack of information provided by the Church and encourages readers to research further.^[12]

Clark Collis reviewed the book for Entertainment Weekly, writing:

Lawrence Wright, who won a Pulitzer for 2006's The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, interviewed roughly 200 current and former Scientologists for the book, which began as a 2011 New Yorker article written with Haggis' cooperation. You can feel the heft of the research as he details Hubbard's establishment of the church in the '50s, its globe-spanning infiltration of government agencies in the '70s, and the more recent alleged physical abuse suffered by some members (the Church of Scientology denies many of the claims...) Going Clear is peppered with examples of the church lavishly accommodating its A-list members, particularly Tom Cruise, if not always dealing so well with its famous congregants' quips.^[13]

Awards and honors

The book was a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction,^[14][15] and was shortlisted for the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award.^[16][17] It won the nonfiction Carr P. Collins prize of the Texas Institute of Letters.^[18]

Film adaptation

The book was adapted into a documentary film by HBO, directed by Alex Gibney, and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2015. It had been stated by HBO documentary films chief Sheila Nevins that HBO had 160 lawyers review the film out of concerns about litigation by the Church of Scientology.^[19] This was later explained as a false hyperbole by Gibney. Gibney added that the film had been scrutinized by HBO's lawyers.^[20]

References

External links

• Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief at the Internet Movie Database