NB: I received a finished copy of this book as part of a marketing campaign, but that has not affected the content of my review. This book was disappointing and pretty poorly written, but not worthless. There are far better books about Scientology out there, so don’t make this your first stop. But there are a few interesting glimmers here I haven’t read in any other Scientology books, so if the subject matter is something that really gets you going, you may want to check Ruthless out […]
Of course, no religion can prove that it is “true.”
I’m honestly a little bit afraid to write this review, having learned what I learned by reading Going Clear. I don’t want to crap out and not write a review. Other Cannonballers have been brave. What am I so afraid of? An aggressively, violently litigious organization with enormous reach that picks legal and physical fights with anyone who questions their legitimacy. A for-profit company that practically bankrupted the US Treasury in their fight for IRS-recognized status as a religion. An abusive institution that uses its […]
Allende is a Goddess
There is so much that Isabel Allende weaves into her writing, it is simply astounding. There is so much history, allegory, and personal stakes woven into the story of one family that it is almost impossible to know where to start. How have I not read this before? Why the holy fucking hell did I have to read Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis when this existed in the world. I COULD HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE STUDY OF LITERARY WORKS IN CONTEXT THROUGH THE STUDY OF WORKS IN […]
Mary Doria Russell Always Makes Me THINK
I read The Sparrow last year and was absolutely gutted by the story of Father Emilio Sandoz and the crew of the first mission to Rakhat. Having decided to work my way through Mary Doria Russell’s works, I knew that I would eventually read its sequel, Children of God. However, I knew very little about it, other than that it continued Emilio’s story. Bonnie also read The Sparrow for Cannonball Read 7, and we had talked about reading Children of Men together this year. In […]