If you follow the scientology forums and blogs out there you might already of heard about this..... it came up in Tony Ortega's blog again yesterday
New book looks at Scientology finances
Pulitzer-winner Lawrence Wright writes new book about finances of Scientology and its relationship with stars such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
12:37PM GMT 15 Nov 2012
5 CommentsA new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright about the Church of Scientology will hit the shops on January 17, publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced.
"Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief," will tackle the church's finances among other topics, Knopf said. It is the culmination of three years of research by Wright into the church that counts several Hollywood stars among its followers.
Wright will examine the church's founder, science-fiction novelist L. Ron Hubbard and its relationship with celebrities Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
"Scientology plays an outsize role in the cast of new religions that have arisen in the 20th century," Wright said in a statement.
"I was drawn to write this book by the questions many people have about Scientology," Wright added. "What is it that makes this religion alluring? What do its adherents get out of it? How can rational-seeming people subscribe to beliefs that others find incomprehensible? Why do popular personalities associate themselves with a faith that is likely to create public relations martyrdom?"
A portion of the book was published in The New Yorker magazine in 2010 and was based in part on interviews with "Crash" director Paul Haggis, who recently left the church.
A first printing of 150,000 was ordered, the publisher said.
Wright, 63, won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2006 book "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11."
Scientology was highly thought to be the cause of TomKat divorce. A new book on Scientology is set for release in January. (Photo: REUTERS)
The divorce of superstars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes will be back in the spotlight, when a new book on Scientology and Hollywood releases in January.
The book delves into the lives of the two most famous Scientology follower celebrities - Tom Cruise and John Travolta - as it explores the controversial religious movement.
The breakdown of the Cruise-Holmes relationship has been blamed on the Mission Impossible star's absolute devotion to Scientology theology. The faith also played a role in the life of Travolta (a follower since 1975) and his 20 year marriage to actress Kelly Preston. However, the Grease star famously said, in 2009, the couple attended counselling to help their marriage.
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A note about the book, for a listing on Amazon.com, reads: "We see the ways in which the church pursues celebrities, such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and how such stars are used to advance the church's goals."
Written by Lawrence Wright, and published by Knopf, Going Clear will be on the bookshelves on 17 January. The a Pulitzer Prize-winning author (The Looming Tower, 2006) conducted more than 200 interviews with both practicing and former Scientologists to build a comprehensive image of the religion.
The Amazon.com's note continues: "At the book's center, two men whom Wright brings vividly to life, showing how they have made Scientology what it is today: The darkly brilliant science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, whose restless, expansive mind invented a new religion. And his successor, David Miscavige-tough and driven, with the unenviable task of preserving the church after the death of Hubbard. In Going Clear, Wright examines what fundamentally makes a religion a religion, and whether Scientology is, in fact, deserving of this constitutional protection. Employing all his exceptional journalistic skills of observation, understanding, and shaping a story into a compelling narrative, Lawrence Wright has given us an evenhanded yet keenly incisive book that reveals the very essence of what makes Scientology the institution it is."
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, is available in the UK at a pre-release price of £21.25.
