#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An eye-opening, no-holds-barred memoir about life in the Church of Scientology, now with a new afterword by the author—the outspoken actress and star of the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That willingness to speak her mind, stand her ground, and rattle the occasional cage has … and rattle the occasional cage has enabled this tough-talking girl from Brooklyn to forge an enduring and successful career in Hollywood. But being a troublemaker has come at a cost.
That was never more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology. Now, in this frank, funny, poignant memoir, the former King of Queens star opens up about that experience for the first time, revealing the in-depth details of her painful split with the church and its controversial practices.
Indoctrinated into the church as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved to Los Angeles, where her dreams of becoming an actress and advancing Scientology’s causes grew increasingly intertwined. As an adult, she found the success she’d worked so hard for, and with it a prominent place in the hierarchy of celebrity Scientologists alongside people such as Tom Cruise, Scientology’s most high-profile adherent. Remini spent time directly with Cruise and was included among the guests at his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes.
But when she began to raise questions about some of the church’s actions, she found herself a target. In the end, she was declared by the church to be a threat to their organization and therefore a “Suppressive Person,” and as a result, all of her fellow parishioners—including members of her own family—were told to disconnect from her. Forever.
Bold, brash, and bravely confessional, Troublemaker chronicles Leah Remini’s remarkable journey toward emotional and spiritual freedom, both for herself and for her family. This is a memoir designed to reveal the hard-won truths of a life lived honestly—from an author unafraid of the consequences.
Praise for Troublemaker
“An aggressively honest memoir . . . Troublemaker is the most raw and revealing Scientology memoir to date.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Leah’s story is a juicy, inside-Hollywood read, but it’s more than that. It’s a moving story about the value of questioning authority and how one woman survived a profound crisis of faith.”—People
more
a good read. very informative.
I found very informative and gave me a lot of information on Sciencetology.
Ghost writer Rebecca Paley did a very good job of writing and capturing Remini’s personality. One would actually believe Remini wrote it (in other words, the language is not at all mild – F-bombs throughout). It was very interesting reading, and showed me a lot about Scientology. I just don’t know if I can believe all of it since Remini obviously has more axes to grind than she believes she does.
Leah Remiini’s book sheds some light into the world of scientology. Leah describes her life as a scientology since she was a child. I found this book to be an easy read, more conversational, which I preferred. I have heard things about scientology through the years. Enough to know to stay away. This book also describes how children are treated in Scientology. Overall, a great book.
I always admired Leah Remini, and now that admiration has grown so much.
I knew Scientology was bad, but I didn’t know just how bad it really is. How can anyone think its OK to essentially ignore and neglect children? How much pedophilia and statutory rape happens because the children aren’t seen as children?
These are the sickening thoughts that went through my head as Leah describes her time in Florida as a child.
All of the stuff she witnessed, during the time of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes wedding was ridiculous. And them getting their knickers in a twist over nothing was even worse.
The other thought that ran through my mind during this was, “they’re still stuck in their adolescents and teens”. They are essentially tattling on her and making things up when there’s nothing to tell. They’ve never grown up.
It really seems to me like LRH just created a pyramid scheme that took off more than he ever expected because people wanted or needed something to believe in.
I’m glad for Leah and any others that breakaway from the “church”. It is a cult, and not a church, it’s just larger and more widely spread than the usual cults
One tv stars personal journey into and out of Scientology
If you ever wanted to know what this “religion “ was about, this book is a guide.
A very interesting look at Scientology from someone who grew up with it and left the cult in their adult years.
I read this book and have watched the her documentary series. I did not grow up in scientology but did grow up in a cult and under abuse. I am fascinated that the spirit is the same behind all of those the control by fear and lies. I applaud her for her courage to leave and to speak out! She gives courage to others inside scientology and out.
I loved this book. It had so much new information and was really well written. Highly recommend!
I thought this was a very informative book about a religious cult.
Wow, just wow. I’ve been wanting to read Troublemaker ever since I heard of it. I’ve liked Leah Remini as an actress and I’ve always been curious about Scientology. The only thing I knew about it was that Tom Cruise was a Scientologist and that a bunch of Hollywood people were too.
This book is quite interesting and the audiobook was extremely well done. I enjoyed listening to Leah Remini tell her story and it was fascinating to listen to all of the hardships she has undergone. This book is centered around Scientology because Leah Remini grew up in the cult. I honestly loved hearing her tell her story and it is extremely brave of her to come forward with her story.
One thing that has set this book apart is how much of Leah Remini’s personality is in it. It made me laugh, look on in horror, and want to cry at times. Remini really doesn’t hold back her opinions yet at the same time this book comes off fairly humble. It’s a fascinating book filled with drama, hope, and a lot of cursing. It’s definitely worth a read/listen.
Eye opener!
Leah Remini survived and her story is an eye opener and inspiring. So glad she shared.
It was informative. I found it pretty boring though
I’m a big fan of King of Queens, so was interested to hear Leah’s story. It’s a shocking tale that needs to be told. It really is unbelievable that these kind of activities are going on (especially those affecting children), and are not prosecuted because they are hidden behind the guise of a church. I gave only four stars because the writing style is slightly repetitive, but nevertheless it was a page-turner for me.
LEARNED ALOT FROM THIS BOOK.
Great book.
Witty and interesting revelations about Scientology and its effects on members and their families.
I was not familiar with Scientology other than to hear of celebrities who are Scientologists. This expose is eye-opening!
It was so interesting to read about how difficult it was to break with the “S” cult. More people need to be made aware of the way they treat their followers.