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Troublemaker
Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
272 pages
A blunt, unapologetic memoir that pulls back the curtain on a secretive world and chronicles a fierce fight for personal freedom.
What it feels like
Reading this memoir feels like sitting down for drinks with a fiercely loyal, tough-talking friend who is finally ready to spill her deepest secrets. The narrative moves at a propulsive clip, blending the glittering, surreal absurdity of Hollywood elite circles with the claustrophobic dread of a high-control organization. The author's voice is brash, funny, and entirely unvarnished, stripping away the polished veneer of celebrity to reveal the raw, terrifying reality of psychological manipulation. The mood shifts from gossipy and fascinating to deeply unsettling as the stakes rise, culminating in a cathartic, defiant escape. It is a perfect read for those who devour stories of women reclaiming their autonomy and anyone fascinated by the dark underbelly of closed societies.
- Mood
- claustrophobic
- tense
- gossipy
- liberating
- Tone
- candid
- defiant
- conversational
- brash
- unapologetic
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- psychological manipulation · reclaiming identity · family estrangement · speaking truth to power · the illusion of celebrity
- The writing
- Blunt, highly accessible, and conversational, reading exactly like the author's tough-talking public persona.
- The arc
- Moves from the suffocating anxiety of deep indoctrination to the terrifying, ultimately triumphant clarity of breaking free.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave juicy, high-stakes celebrity memoirs and are fascinated by the psychology of high-control groups.
Content notes
- cult indoctrination
- emotional abuse
- psychological manipulation
- family estrangement
About the book
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.
Description from Open Library.
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