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 […]
When a book is (way) more than just a book.
This review requires a lot of backstory that isn’t directly related to the actual quality of the book, so bear with me. Some facts pertinent to what I’m leading up to: My husband and I are Catholic adult converts. Our daughter took years and fertility treatments to conceive, and trying for kid #2 has not proven one bit easier. When I finally did get pregnant, I had a difficult pregnancy and good reason to think she might not make it. For the first time I […]
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 […]
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 […]