#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
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Boring. I could not finish.
I enjoyed getting an inside view of Scientology and the controversies surrounding it. Leah gave a good first-hand account, taking us from her introduction at an early age, through her development and finally, estrangement.
I’m sure I will read it again and again! Leah you did a great job on this book. I know it took guts! The friends you lost were not really your friends!
Good insight into that world.
Provides insight into the mind control exerted by this “religion” on its members and the influence even after they leave the sect. You can see how they control every facet of your life, from birth to death and the abuse you suffer while trying to be a good member.
Informative
I learned a lot about Scientology to know I don’t want anything to do with it!!!
Not the bombshell it was hyped to be.
A woman of courage! This book is enlightening in so many ways. She summed up all the lies, dysfunction, selfishness, greed, unconditional love in one word -“occult.”this “church” should lose their 501C3 relious tax status. the number of lost and desperate souls will never be known. Her story will hopefully save countless lives. We’ll dobe!
I learned a lot about Scientology, which I wanted to know about.
I loved this book! It was partially of interest to me because I live in the Tampa Bay Area and some of the events took place in places where I have been. I am a huge fan of King of Queens and Leah Remini. This book was so informative and I couldn’t stop reading. I was kind of sad when it ended.
I enjoyed the book very much, I really liked that the author is the person who read the audio book. The subject is very interesting, Scientology from a former life long member’s perspective with a lot of thought and insight.
I got bored with it and stopped reading half way through the book. Others might find it more thought provoking and informative. I feel sorry for how she was raised but perhaps in the long run it saved her from becoming a delinquent.
I respect Leah for having the courage to speak out about Scientology. I have no respect for Tom Cruise or Katie Holmes after reading this book. They are both puppets for Scientology . She shows even more that in Hollywood those you think are friends will turn on you to keep their own status.
Leah Remini’s memoir of her years raised in Scientology and her escape from Scientology is interesting for its inside look at Scientology, the abuses of the children and families. Remini’s life is fascinating and gives us an inside look at what it is like to be raised in a cult. Yes, Scientologists deny they are a cult yet as Remini makes obvious, the organization meets the criteria of a cult – separating families – separating parents from their children – forcing people to work for 12 to 20 hours a day every day for the cult, monitoring outside contacts, shaming children for not completing work requirements perfectly and on time, shunning people who leave Scientology, forbidding contact between people inside and outside Scientology, forbidding any criticism of leaders – the list goes on and on. Read the book, you will understand better how people can get caught in the Scientology web.
I was fascinated with Scientology. Her feelings were so real especially her disappointment with religion
With all the media type and PR on this book, I don’t think there was much new in the book…other than the personal look into her growing up years? Not sure what I expected, but this was not it.
I learned that this is a cult devoted to oontrolling all aspects of the lives of members. Very interesting
Very informative about Scientology. Scary, how this cult grabs you
A very honest 1st person viewpoint of how scientology, no matter how well meaning it may have started out, has been twisted by those in power to enrich their own selfish lives, and how incredibly difficult it is to escape, even once you’ve figured that out!