I Finally Got to Read the 1 book I wanted to read in 2015 and now I'm an SP: Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood & Scientology by Leah Remini

On my year end list I had regrets about not getting to certain reads, Troublemaker by Leah Remini was one of those books. I love a good celebrity memoir and the tales of a celebrity who so publicly and recently left the "Church of Scientology" had to be salacious, right? I was so right! Like other recent memoir posts I'll keep this short and sweet, plus I don't want to give it all away. You really have to read this for yourself.

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 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.

I loved and still love King of Queens. It is one of the funniest shows of the past 20 years. I remember actively watching this as a kid and a teen, I even remember that this was a sort of spin-off of Everybody Loves Raymond (fun fact). Remini, who starred on the show as Carrie was brilliant. She

didn't put up with anyone and for some strange reason she really loved Doug (Kevin James). When I was in high school she did 2 specials with VH1, one where she gets married and one that features the birth of her daughter and they were hilarious. My friends and I wanted to grow up and be Leah Remini! Then in college I found out she was a Scientologist and my opinion changed.

I love religions, they're fascinating. Scientology, eh I'm not quite sure it qualifies as a religion. All I can say is as a Christian I've never been forced to pay to get on a new level that will bring me closer to enlightenment. I'm a WASP, its just not how we do. Don't get me wrong I love a good Tom Cruise movie, I see all of them in the theaters, but I still don't like him as a person. I think the same applied to Leah, I never really liked her as much after I found out she was a Scientologist. I feel like their message is bs and I'm not okay with how they treat ex-parishioners. That aside I loved this book!

While I'm not super into people talking about their childhood, her journey through Scientology (which is the main focus of the book) started when she was a kid, so you kind of had too. Her mother brought them into this life where they felt utterly trapped, but still believed in the core teachings of LRH. Which I can understand because I don't agree with everything my religion teaches, but I still believe in the core values. I think the craziest things about this book can be summed up into 3 parts:

1. The sum of money she is out is ridiculous: It's thousands of dollars per a level. This is like going to college multiple times a year for your entire life. That's how much money we're talking about. Not to mention the "charitable" giving you HAVE to participate in. For reals they make you take out second and third mortgages, and max out your credit cards. They put you in massive amounts of debt. I really can't think of why a church would want to do that for you.  Other than it's not a real church and just a boatload of crazies. I think they make it so you can never get out, which is what a cult does. Just saying. 

2. Tom Cruise is crazier than you imagined: I couldn't wait to get to the part about TC! FYI he berates his staff and likes to play hide & seek at his Beverly Hills mansion. And the wedding to Katie Holmes was bonkers. During the rehearsal dinner Leah walked into the bathroom of a restaurant where everyone was standing around a 5 month old Suri asking her to pull it together because she was having a tantrum. Um how bout checking her diaper, picking her up to soothe her, or giving her a bottle? I don't even like children and I know to do that. Then after the wedding everyone wrote letters saying how Leah ruined the day for Tom & Katie. What? I could write an entire post centered around Tom Cruise's wedding, but I won't because that'll spoil everything for you. You really need to read this book!

3. Leah is a good person and I judged her unfairly: I watched this BBC documentary once about Scientology and Leah was a part of it. As the reporter asked questions about the religion, simple things one could explain, the various celebrities ripped into him. I thought it was awful and I'm glad she talked about this incident in her book. While Leah always defended the core values and teachings of the church, she didn't agree with a lot of what was going on. Now having the opportunity to read about that interview I now see what was going on behind the curtain. When a Scientologist is attacked their main job is to discredit the attacker. For instance Kristie Alley screamed at the interviewer"Should I ask if you still touch little children?". That guy wasn't a pedophile, but now it's out there. I now understand what Leah was going through and I was able to come full circle and like her again. 

Those are really just the highlights. And the fact that I've remembered all this stuff 4 months after reading says a lot about this book. Yes, I read a lot of memoirs and these reviews may get annoying, but I generally enjoy reading memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies. I like learning about other people, their culture, and just their general views on life. I will continue to read them, especially if they are all as well written as Leah's was. This book gets a final grade of A+ I really enjoyed it. You actually learn quite a bit about the core teachings of Scientology, I still don't believe it, but I have a better understanding of how people can get "hooked". I don't think there are many people who wouldn't enjoy this book. It's a bit long, but I think it's worth it. If you pick it up I do not think you'll be disappointed. That's all for now!