Martin Hunt's Scientology Booklist

A list of Scientology-related publications

Last update: May 10 1998
Archive-name: scientology/books

Note: Links have been added. Links in the original have been activated but many are obsolete or broken.


Index

  1. Critical Books on Scientology
  2. Books Mentioning Dianetics or Scientology
  3. Books on Therapy, Recovery, and Exit-Counselling
  4. Books on Brainwashing, Thought Reform and Mind Control
  5. Biographical Books on Scientologists
  6. Books on Cults
  7. Other Materials
  8. Other Languages
  9. Books of Origins
  10. Freezone Books
  11. Scientology Influenced Books
  12. Books by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard
  13. Magazine and Periodical References
  14. Notes and Book-Related Links

Index      Next section

1. Critical Books on Scientology

These are the main critical texts that explore the murky world of the cult of Scientology. Many are available over the web, and a few are still in print. Scientology has conducted a long war against these books by trying to ban them, buy them up, destroy them, sue the authors and remove or destroy library copies. Most large libraries will have at least some of these books surviving on their shelves, however.

Ali's Smile / Naked Scientology.

Burroughs, William S.
Expanded Media Editions, Bonn, Germany. 1978 and later reprints. Bilingual Edition German/English. (Mostly essays previously published in US alternative newspapers in the early 1970s.)

Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard.

Miller, Russell.
Henry Holt, New York. 1988. ISBN: 155-013-0277 hardback © 1987 Russell Miller. There are also UK and Canadian editions, and a paperback by Sphere Books (a subsidiary of Penguin), in 1988. 520pp. ISBN 074-740-3325. (One of the most thoroughly-researched books on the cult, Miller covers Hubbard's family origins and his life chronologically while exploring and documenting his life-long habit of lying and exaggerating. Includes 22 photos, many of Hubbard's family. The book is now on the web, courtesy of the author.)

Believe What You Like: What happened between the Scientologists and the National Association for Mental Health.

Rolph, C.H.
Andre Deutsch Limited, London. 1973. Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London. ISBN: 023-396-3758 (About the attempt by the CoS to take over the National Association for Mental Health. It introduces Scientology, talks about Scn's hatred of psychiatry and details the tale. It's a bit turgid and journalistic [would have to be, to avoid non-frivolous legal action inasmuch as possible] and not of current interest, but has some nice quotes and would probably be of historical interest. - David Gerard. See also "Two Disparate Philosophies" by David Dalton.)

Commodore & The Colonels, the.

Forte, John.
1980.

Cults of Unreason.

Evans, Dr. Christopher.
Harrap, London. 1973. ISBN: 024-551-8703. Delta, New York. 1973. Hardcover: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. First American Edition, 1974. Copyright © 1973 by Christopher Evans. Library of Congress CCN: 73-87694. ISBN: 037-413-3247. (Email me to loan a copy of the late Dr. Christopher Evans' book, Cults of Unreason, long out of print. Slightly over half of this book is about Scientology, with good material on the early days of Dianetics, some amazing and hilarious material about OT wins, life at Saint Hill and aboard the ships, as well as good coverage of various Scientology offshoots, the E-Meter, and more. Much of the material in Dr. Evans' book is not covered in the other critical books about the cult — highly recommended reading. - Martin Hunt)

Dianetics in Limbo.

O'Brien, Helen.
Whitmore Publishing Co., Philadelphia. 1966.

Doctor's Report on Dianetics, a: Theory and Therapy.

Winter, Joseph A.
Julian Press, New York. 1951. Crown Publishing Group, New York. 1987 ISBN: 051-756-4211 (Winter was an early recruit into the cult in the early 50s; he broke away when Hubbard turned his back on science and went off into past lives and a totalitarian dogma.)

Enquiry Into the Practice and Effects of Scientology.

Foster, Sir John.
Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. 1971. (See also the three reports from the governments of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.)

Inside Scientology: Or How I Found Scientology and Became Super Human.

Kaufman, Robert.
Olympia Press, New York. 1972. (Kaufman, who died last year, explains the mechanics of the cult in this auto-biographical look into what it is like to get into Scientology, what life is like while in, and what prompts finally leaving it. Kaufman delivers stark insight into this madness-inducing cult in this book that gives the best picture of life on the inside.)

Jaschke Report, the.

(Dr. Jaschke is a political scientist who was paid by the German government to research Scientology. Dr. Jaschke put to rest the rumor that Scientology was a religion by collecting, organizing and presenting information, then publishing it as a report which became freely available on the internet, but only in German. - Joe Cisar.)

Lee Report into Scientology.

Lee, John A.
Ontario, Canada. 1970.

L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?

Corydon, Bent, and L. Ron Hubbard Jr. aka Ronald DeWolf.
Lyle Stuart, Secaucus, New Jersey. 1987. ISBN: 081-840-4442. Revised, Updated and Expanded Edition (trade paperback.) Corydon, Bent. Barricade Books, Fort Lee, New Jersey. 1992. ISBN: 094-263-7577. (Note: L. Ron Hubbard Jr.'s name was taken off this edition for legal reasons.) A new 1996 edition includes an index; Brian Ambry organized and wrote the update and addendum sections for this new edition and the 1992 edition. ISBN for the 1996 edition: 156-980-009X. (This large book on Scientology is fairly disorganized but it remains a vital source of first-hand testimony from ex-Scientologists about life aboard Hubbard's ship, the Apollo, and many alarming accounts of illegal and criminal activities within Scientology. Includes 21 photos, mostly of Hubbard, and two illustrations that compare Scientology's cross to that of the infamous Aleister Crowley. The two later editions are significantly different from the original hardcover with several new added chapters and some revisions to existing chapters.)

Mindbenders, the.

Vosper, Cyril.
Neville Spearman, London. 1971. (An in-depth look at the philosophical aspects of Scientology and cult life at Saint Hill Manor in England, written with a wry sense of humour by a long-time Scientologist who became very disillusioned with it. Includes 4 plates with Vosper's SP declare, Saint Hill, David Gaiman, Hubbard looking like nothing so much as a large ugly toad about to lash out and swallow a fly, and a letter to the author.)

My Nine Lives in Scientology.

Pignotti, Monica.
1989.

Official Handbook for Ex-Scientologists, the.

Limited ed. Samuels, Jim.
Mentat School, Hillsboro, Oregon. 1980. (Rare; if anyone finds a copy, please let me know. I have no idea what the book is about, but I hear it may be making its way onto the web soon. 115 pages makes this more a booklet than a book.)

Piece of Blue Sky, a: Scientology, Dianetics, and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed.

Atack, Jon.
Carol Publishing Group, New York. 1990. ISBN: 081-840-499X hardback © 1990 Jon Atack. Available in the UK by calling 01342 316129, or 0044 1342 316129 in the rest of Europe. (This is widely hailed as the best book on the subject of Scientology. Jon rolls up his sleeves and attacks the cult with impeccable referencing and the full weight of documentation from the world's largest Scientology archive. On top of that, the book is captivating, absorbing, and very well-written.)

Religion Inc.

Lamont, Stewart.
Harrap, London. 1986. © 1986 Stewart Lamont. ISBN: 024-554-3341 hardback. (Written in a clear, lucid and professional style by an English religious studies scholar, journalist and broadcaster, Lamont's book is an excellent read and puts Scientology into sharp contrast against legitimate religion. Includes 27 photos, most taken by Lamont while researching Scientology for his book.)

Renunciation and Reformation: a Study of Conversion in an American Sect.

Whitehead, Harriet.
Cornell University Press, Ithaca. 1987. ISBN: 080-141-8496.

Report of the Board of Inquiry Into Scientology.

Anderson, Kevin Victor.
A.C. Brooks Government Printer, Melbourne, Australia. 1965. (A condemnatory official report that looks into Scientology's illegal and immoral practices in Australia. This work — often called simply the Anderson Report — was commissioned by an Order in Council, and resulted in the outlawing of Scientology in Victoria, Australia. It is highly critical and as long as a book, but somewhat redundant, desultory, and given to excess.)

Report of the Commission of Enquiry into Scientology for 1972.

Kotze, G.P.C., et al.
Government Printer, Pretoria, South Africa. 1973.

Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Hubbard Scientology Organization in New Zealand.

Powles, Sir Guy Richardson and E. V. Dumbleton.
Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. 1969.

Road to Total Freedom, the: A Sociological Analysis of Scientology.

Wallis, Roy.
Columbia University Press, New York. 1977. ISBN: 023-104-2000 (Wallis utilized documentation and 83 interviews to write this text that covers some of the broad themes of the cult from a sociological viewpoint. Wallis sees Scientology as progressing through time, but doesn't get too side-tracked by such propaganda and PR lines in this in-depth digging into what makes the cult work, why and how people become Scientologists, and what makes Hubbard himself tick.)

Road to Xenu, the.

Wakefield, Margery.
Coalition of Concerned Citizens. Tampa, Florida. 1991. Available from the Coalition, P.O. Box 290402, Tampa, FLA 33687 or from FACTNet, 601 16th St. #C-217, Golden, CO 80401, includes Bob Penny's thought provoking Social Control in Scientology. (A first hand auto-biographical account of involvement in Scientology; recommended reading for newcomers to the subject and widely available on the net.)

Scandal of Scientology, the.

Cooper, Paulette.
Tower Publications, New York. 1971. (Cooper would have liked to have, in retrospect, come down harder on the cult than she did under all the legal pressures she was subjected to by the cult. This does not detract from what is a warm and witty book however, that with the unbiased approach she takes makes the subject matter look absolutely loathsome. Cooper was targetted by Operation Freakout and subjected to 18 lawsuits for her anti-Scientological activities after writing this essential early piece exposing the cult of Scientology.)

Scientology: The Now Religion.

Malko, George.
Dell/Delacorte, New York. 1970. (Malko views Scientology through the eyes of an inveterate skeptic and a newcomer to the subject; his refreshing ability to withstand all inducements to join the cult while researching for this book is commendable, as is his sharply critical mind that relentlessly confronts Scientology PR and dogma, exposing it to the light for his readers.)

Social Control in Scientology.

Penny, Bob.
(Bob Penny is one of the founders of FACTNet, Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network; this short work was originally published as a dual edition with Margery Wakefield's book The Road to Xenu.)

Testimony: The Autobiography of Margery Wakefield.

Wakefield, Margery.
Published on the Internet by Dean Benjamin, 21 December 1996.

Total Freedom Trap, the.

Atack, Jon.
(Electronic versions of this smaller work may be found at the URLs below; see also A Piece of Blue Sky.)

Understanding Scientology.

Wakefield, Margery, with chapters by Bob Penny and the late Robert Kaufman.
First published by the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, PO Box 290402, Tampa, Florida, 33687. 1991.


Index      Previous section      Next section

2. Books Mentioning Dianetics or Scientology

These are books that mention either Scientology or Dianetics but are not, for the most part, entirely devoted to the subject, or are not, strictly speaking, objective and critical in nature.

Bigger Secrets.

Poundstone, William.
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 1986. © 1986 William Poundstone. ISBN: 039-538-477X & 039-545-3976 paperback. (See chapter 7, the secret teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, 5 pages covering Xemu and OT-3.)

Bridge to Total Freedom, the.

Ambry, Brian.
Unpublished MS Quoted in Bent Corydon's Messiah or Madman?.

Countercultures: a Sociological Analysis.

Zellner, W. W.
St. Martin's Press, New York. 1995. ISBN: 031-208-0840 (Discusses Skinheads, the Ku Klux Klan, Survivalists, Satanism, the Church of Scientology, the Unification Church or Moonies.)

Cross Currents: The perils of Electropollution, The Promise of Electromedicine.

Becker, Robert O.
GP Putnam's Sons. ISBN: 087-477-6090. (Can the tiny currents that run through the body while holding theelectrodes of the cult's E-Meter cause a increase in cancer rates?)

Cults, New Religious Movements, and Your Family.

Abanes, Richard.
Crossway Publishers, Westchester, IL. 1998. (Chapter 4, "Hollywood's Favorite Religion" is all about Scientology, covering Hubbard's life and the whacky space-opera: Hubbard's involvement with Jack Parsons, Xenu and the Body Thetans, glycol injections, electronic ribbons, DC8s, bad movies, Implant stations on Venus and Mars, Thetans without bodies cruelly dumped into the ocean off California, and the "There was no Christ — the man on the cross is shown as Everyman" quote. The biography notes include references to several ars critics' webpages.)

Encyclopedia of American Religions, the.

Melton, J. Gordon [linked -ed.K].
Gale Research. (Has a short section on Scientology and its offshoots.)

Essay on Scientology, an.

Carter, David.
(In electronic form only: an ex-Scientologist's overview of the cult's ideology.)

Fads & Fallacies in the Name of Science.

Gardner, Martin.
Dover, New York. 1952. 1957 (2nd edition). (Read the chapter "Dianetics", which elegantly lays bare Hubbard's ridiculous pseudo-science. Also of interest is a chapter on General Semantics, one of Hubbard's numerous plagiarized sources for his crazy cult theories.)

Flim Flam!

Randi, James.
(In the 70s Scientology set out to discredit CSICOP by painting it as a front organization for the CIA.)

Future of Religion, the: Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation.

Stark, Rodney, and W.S. Bainbridge.
University of California Press. 1985. (See Chapter 12 (pp. 263-283), "Scientology: To Be Perfectly Clear".)

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders.

Bugliosi, Vincent, with Curt Gentry.
W.W. Norton/Bantam, New York. 1974, 1975. (Was Manson a Scientologist? [linked -ed.K])

Hopalong-Freud.

Wallach, Ira.
Henry Schuman, New York. 1951. (See Hilarious spoof of Dianetics in the chapter "Diapetics".)

"Jack Parsons: a 77 page booklet by Paul Rydeen".

Published by Wesley Nations. $5.00 on the shelf or $7.00 post paid from: Crash Collusion, PO Box 2237, Berkeley, CA 94702. (About one third of the work involves our L. Ron Hubbard. While Rydeen disputes that Parsons and Hubbard engaged in full-penetration homosexual sex magick rituals, he does have documentation of their engaging in wife swapping (at the time Hubbard had two wives, so the man did like to share at one point in his life), masturbation in front of each other and other practices. Although the focus is on Parsons, one can glean enough about Elron — where he got the ideas for the OT levels and other aspects of the former mystery cult known as $cientology. Paul Rydeen's biography…does an excellent job of debunking Tubbard's claims of "infiltrating" and "breaking up" Parson's "dangerous, Satanic" organization, - Jerod Pore.) Excerpt:

Job, the: Interviews With William S. Burroughs.

Odier, Daniel.
Grove Press. 1970 and 1974. Reprinted by Penguin Books. 1989. (See essay by William S. Burroughs called "Playback from Eden to Watergate." It describes in detail how Burroughs single-handedly carried on certain activities which caused the Church of Scientology in London to move out of the location they occupied; the essay may not be in 1970 edition.)

Law of the Internet, the.

(About 1/4 of the book is devoted to the Netcom/Erlich/Klemesrud case. - Thaddeus Beier.)

Manson Behind the Scenes.

Nelson, Bill.
(Self published. 1996.) (A new book attempts to link the Zodiac killer with the Manson family, with a side trip through Co$. It includes information about two 1969 Los Angeles murder victims who 'had been' Scientologists. The purported link between the Manson family and Zodiac appears to be Bruce Davis, who himself 'had been' in Co$. - Keith Spurgeon.)

Net.wars.

Grossman, Wendy.
New York University Press, New York. 1997. (Wendy is the author of an excellent Wired magazine article "alt.scientology.war", December, 1996. Chapter 6 of net.wars, entitled "Copyright Terrorists", is all about Scientology vs. the Net. - Ron Newman. I may have to sue NYU Press to halt publication of this book.Once again, it has been alleged that my "former wife was a Scientologist." This is untrue. I am sick and tired of this false information being spread about me; it's bad enough when it's in newsgroups or web articles, but it is unacceptable for it to be encoded permanently in a book. - Scott Goehring)

New Age, the: Notes of a Fringe Watcher.

Gardner, Martin.
(Has a photo of Hubbard measuring the emotions of a tomato.)

New Apocrypha, the: A Guide To Strange Sciences And Occult Beliefs.

Sladek, John.
Stein and Day Publishers, New York. 1974. (Includes five highly critical pages on Scientology and Dianetics in a book covering many other similar lunacies such as Atlantis, dowsing, ESP, the Loch Ness monster, flat earth theories, etc. "The section on Scientology is not particularly interesting and contains no new information. Sladek was not aware of the full scope of the criminal activities of the Co$, or of the silliness of OT3. There is still plenty of stuff to debunk, though." - Andrew Conway.)

Operating Thetan.

Panoussis, Zenon.
ISBN: 916-304-7217. (Zenon describes his booklet: "As from now, OT I through OT VIII in the Fishman Affidavit version are available from me as a booklet with a preface in Swedish." Zenon can be reached at: Zenon Panoussis, Högbergsgatan 64, SE-118 54 Stockholm, Sweden for more information about buying this booklet. Zenon has this to say: "For the time being I am under court orders not to distribute the material. I will save all orders though, and fill them when the court order is lifted." Brave soul.) Email: oracle@dodo.pp.se

The Otto Roos Story.

Roos, Otto.
1984.

Psychobabble.

Rosen, R.D.
Avon Books. 1979. (Takes a skeptical look at EST, Scientology, etc., as well as a number of odd practices in psychology such as Rebirthing, Primal Scream, etc.)

Psychology's Occult Doubles: Psychology and the Problem of Pseudoscience.

Leahey, Thomas Hardy, and Grace Evans Leahey.
Nelson Hall Publishing. 1983. (This book mainly looks at phrenology, mesmerism, spiritualism, and similar subjects, but has a chapter on contemporary therapeutic cults which covers Scientology. Scientology is given about an 8 page critique which is well written and is pretty much a short critical history of Dianetics and Scientology's beginnings and basic claims. - William Barwell)

Religious Movements in Contemporary America.

Zaretsky, Irving I. and Mark Leone, editors.
Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 1974. (See Harriet Whitehead's "Reasonably Fantastic: some perspectives on Scientology, science fiction and occultism.")

Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies.

Schnabel, Jim.
Dell Publishing, New York. February, 1997. ISBN: 044-022-3067. (Has a small amount about Scientology. Pat Price, Ingo Swann, and HaroldPuthoff were all involved with the cult. "A fast-paced look at remoteviewers at Stanford Research Institute [SRI] and Fort Meade, a U.S. Army base [info], starting in the early 1970's with the founding of these programs to the 1980's. Describes the remote viewers, their techniques, research done during that time on remote viewing, a selection of interesting projects that they worked on for various intelligence agencies, and comparisons with similar work being done during that time in other countries. The book is allegedly based on interviews with many of the people involved including some of the remote viewers. - Jonathon Barbera.)

Sad Tale of Scientology, the: a Short History 1950-1985.

Townsend, Eric.
Anima Publishing, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire, England. 1985. ISBN: 095-104-7108. (I got the feeling reading this 90 page booklet that Townsend should have waited a few more years after leaving Scientology before writing about the subject, thereby giving himself time to put all his experiences in perspective. Sad Tale attempts to be unbiased and objective, but such attempts, by people who are still overly sympathetic to the cult, are doomed to failure. Still, this small book is all about Scientology, and Townsend, at times, becomes almost critical. Recommended reading.)

Satanic Murders.

Cawthorne, Nigel.
(Chapter 4 is on the Church of Satan, regarding Parson's and Hubbard's whore of Babylon ritual in 1946. Chapter 5 is on a Scientology offshoot, the Process Church. Other chapters deal with Charles Manson's link with Scientology.)

Science-Fiction Handbook: The Writing of Imaginative Fiction.

de Camp, L. Sprague.
Hermitage House, New York. 1953. (Contains some knowledgeable passages about Hubbard and his writings, such as: "Eureka [Poe] bears comparison with Hubbard's Dianetics, exhibiting the same grandiose claims to omniscience and the same confused pontification on subjects of which the author has only a superficial knowledge." p. 297.)

Scientology: The Technology of Enlightenment.

Alexander, Brooks, and Halverson, Dean C., editors.
Spiritual Counterfeits Projects, Berkeley. 1982. (Rare; if anyone finds a copy, please let me know.)

Scientology: What It Is And What It Does.

Burrell, Maurice.
Lakeland, London. 1970. (Very rare; if anyone finds a copy, please let me know. This book was withdrawn shortly after it appeared, according to Wallis, and is a much-sought-after work. See also "The Challenge of the Cults".)

Secret Societies.

van Helsing, Jan.
UFOCUS, Netherlands. Contact: Network International, Postbus 129, 8600 A C Sneek, Holland. (van Helsing says that a giant Canadian whiskey company bought the "Church" of Scientology in '81 and is owned by the Canadian Bronfman family. - anonymous)

Sectarian Healers and Hypnotherapy.

Lee, John A.
Queen's Printer, Toronto. 1970. (One of Wallis' seventeen systematic and lengthy accounts that existed at the time.)

Sex, Laws, and Cyberspace.

Wallace, Jonathon and Mark Mangn.
Owl. 1997. ISBN: 080-505-2984. (This book details an effort by the Church of Scientology and individuals affiliated with that organization described as "Cancel Wabbits" to cancel articles in this group (alt.religion.scientology), and later to have this group removed from Usenet with a "rmgroup" message to system administrators. It also explains litigation in connection with the issue of posts to this group. The book says that these efforts were due to copyrighted material posted to this group. - Travis Douglas.)

The Thoughtron Theory of Life and Matter: how it relates to Scientology and Transcendental Meditation.

McGowan, Harold.
Exposition Press, New York. [c. 1973]. LC Call No.: BP605.S2 M25 (More information on this book is desired!)

Two Disparate Philosophies.

Dalton, David R.
Regency, London. 1973. (One of Wallis' seventeen systematic and lengthy accounts about Scientology available at the time. "This is another look at the fight between the UK National Association for Mental Health and Scientology, this time from Scientology's point of view." - Ron Newman. See Believe What You Like: What happened between the Scientologists and the National Association for Mental Health by C.H. Rolph.)


Index      Previous section      Next section

3. Books on Therapy, Recovery, and Exit-Counselling

These books deal with therapeutical aspects of treating cult victims. The work by Hassan and Singer is the best in this area for exploration by ex-Scientologists and as a guide to help family members through the trial of a loved-one's involvement in the cult with practical advice on the best approach to help the person get out and recover their basic personality that has been ruthlessly stripped away. See also section 5 of this list on cults and related topics.

Captive Hearts, Captive Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Abusive Relationships.

Tobias, Madeleine Landau, and Janja Lalich.
Hunter House, Alameda, California. 1994. ISBN: 089-793-1440. (Geared specifically for recovery. Available from the AFF, the American Family Foundation [info]. "Former cult members suffer from fear, depression, confusion, low self-esteem, and post traumatic stress, whether they were in a group or in a one-to-one abusive relationship. Captive Hearts, Captive Minds provides the hands-on help they need to recover from manipulation and mind control". - Churches that Abuse, by Ronald Enroth.) The AFF's web page:

Combatting Cult Mind Control.

Hassan, Steven.
Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont. 1988. © 1988, 1990 Steven Hassan. ISBN: 089-281-2435 and 089-281-3113 (If there is a cure for Scientology's brainwashing, it lies within these covers. If you have a family member or a loved one in the cult, get ahold of this book and study its proven techniques of exit counselling and interventions. If you've just gotten out of Scientology, the Moonies, or any other cult, read through this book several times to loosen the hold of the cultic identity on your mind.) Steve has a webpage up at:

Cult Encounter and An International Story of Exit Counselling.

Larsen, Rick and Helen.
RCS Books. 1997. ("This book is an international 'must-read' both for former members of cults and for relatives, spouses and friends of someone currently involved in a questionable group or cult. It is unique because the book is written from the perspective of a cult victim as well as her spouse and shows the love and concern many families face in this situation. The approach to a family intervention demonstrates the education and understanding of the family so necessary to the planning stage. The approach is to forewarn families and individuals as to how vulnerable we ALL are to undue influence during transition stages of our lives." - Carol Giambalvo, Exit Counsellor; Director, American Family Foundation [info]; President of reFOCUS [support and referral network of and for former cult members]; Author and Editor. "Although this book centers on Rick and Helen Larsen's experience with the 'Extra Terrestrial Earth Mission', the story illustrates a successful Exit Counselling (hence the title). There are a couple of chapters online to get a flavour of what its all about. This would be a good link to add to critical pages offering help to cult members. - Phillip Zadarnowski.)

Cult Proofing Your Kids.

Martin, Paul.
Grand Rapids, Mich. 1993. ISBN: 031-053-7614.

Cults in Our Midst: the hidden menace in our everyday lives.

Singer, Margaret Thaler, with Janja Lalich.
Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco. 1995. ISBN: 078-790-0516 © 1995 Singer & Lalich. (Singer has been targetted by Scientology's notorious "Fair Game" policy for many years. This book is one of the best on the subject of cults by the world's leading expert in the field and explodes many common myths while providing deep insights into what makes cults work.)

Cults: What Parents Should Know.

Ross, Joan Carol, and Michael D. Langone.
Lyle Stuart, New York. 1988.

Dealing with Destructive Cults.

Cooper, John and Una McManus.
Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1984. ISBN: 031-070-281X

Destructive Cult Conversion: Theory, Research, and Treatment.

Clark, John G., et al.
American Family Foundation [info], Weston, Massachusetts. 1981. The AFF's webpage:

Exit Counseling: A Family Intervention.

Giambalvo, Carol.
American Family Foundation [info], Bonita Springs, FLA. 1992. (This book provides practical information for families concerned about a cult-involved relative. It describes the process of exit counseling, a voluntary approach to help cultists makes informed decisions about their affiliation with the group. Exit counseling is the most effective alternative to the controversial process of deprogramming, which often involves kidnapping and coercion and other techniques similar to what the cults themselves use on their victims.)

Integrating Family Therapy: Handbook of Family Psychology and Systems Theory.

Mikesell, Richard H., Don-David Lusterman, Susan H. McDaniel, editors.
American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. 1995. (See the chapter Cults: Implications for family therapists written by Margaret Thaler Singer, pages 519-527.)

Radical Departures: Desperate Detours to Growing Up.

Levine, Saul V, M.D.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Orlando, Florida. 1986. © 1984 Saul Levine. ISBN: 015-175-8409 hardcover, 015-675-7990 paperback. (Levine believes that cults are of little consequence; merely a stepping stone to adulthood for some youths who join and exploit the cult rather than the other way around; he doesn't explain all the middle aged people in Scientology — or Jonestown, and skirts many of the important issues.)

Recovery From Abusive Groups.

Ford, Wendy.
American Family Foundation [info], Bonita Springs, FLA. 1993. (Available from the AFF)

Recovery From Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse.

Edited by Michael D. Langone. W.W. Norton, New York. 1993. ISBN: 039-370-1646.

Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change.

Conway, Flo and Jim Siegelman.
Delta/J.B. Lippincott, New York. 1979. ISBN: 044-057-9708 © 1978, 1979 Conway & Siegelman. Updated version: Stillpoint Press Inc., New York. 1995. (The radical personality change that cults induce in their victims is explained; Conway and Siegelman draw from many sources, and Scientology is covered along with the other popular cults.)

Touchstones: Reconnecting After a Cult Experience.

Note: The Cult Awareness Network was bankrupted and taken over by the Church of Scientology.

Stoner, Carroll and Cynthia Kisser.
Cult Awareness Network, Chicago. 1992. (Kisser is a veteran of the cult wars, and has gone through considerable harassment at the hands of the Scientology cult.)

Wrong Way Home, the: Uncovering Patterns of Cult Behavior in American Society.

Deikman, Arthur J.
Beacon Press, Boston. 1994. (The author is a clinical professor of psychiatry who started studying cults, and then realized that the methods of manipulation used in them are found throughout society, in many types of groups — corporations, political parties, schools, and traditional religions. Cults simply take them to the n-th degree.)


Index      Previous section      Next section

4. Books on Brainwashing, Thought Reform and Mind Control

These books deal with the little-understood phenomenon of mind control and related topics. Mind control may be justly feared and then pushed aside to make way for the major theme of free will in democratic society, but there's no excuse for not understanding this universal aspect of everyday life and its centricity to cults.

Attacks on Peripheral Versus Central Elements of Self and the Efficacy of Thought Reform.

Ofshe and Singer.
(Available through the American Family Foundation [info].)

Battle for the Mind: A Physiology of Conversion and Brainwashing.

Sargant, William.
Doubleday, Garden City, New York. 1957.

Battle for Your Mind, the: Persuasion & Brainwashing Techniques Being Used on the Public Today.

Sutphen, Dick.
(Stop right here. Dick Sutphen has no education in the field of Psychology, Sociology or any other field that would qualify him as an expert in the area of brainwashing. No, I take that back; Dick Sutphen was in advertising for many years before he decided to become in order 1) poet 2) new age guru 3) hypnosis "expert." Sutphen is just another way to toss your money down the drain. I find a good deal of irony in the author of "You Were Born Again to be Together" also being the author of "The Battle for Your Mind." - TarlaStar. Note the similarity of the title to the earlier book by Sargant above; I recommend reading Sargant first.)

Brainwashing: Story of Men Who Defied It.

Hunter, Edward.
Farrar, Straus, Cudahy, New York. 1956.

Coercive Persuasion: A Socio-psychological Analysis of the "Brainwashing" of American Civilian Prisoners by the Chinese Communists.

Schein, Edgar H., with Inge Schneier and Curtis H. Barker.
W.W. Norton, New York. 1961.

How Real is the Reality: Delusion, Deceitment and Understanding.

Watzlawick, Paul.
1976. (Paul Watzlawick is professor for psychology and (psycho)-semantics. This book explains the real violence that is used in the "semantic-paradox" technologies, and the creation of "confusion" as a tool to weaken people and empower oneself over them. - Freimann B.)

"Indoctrination" (original: L'endoctrinement.)

Reboul, Olivier.
Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. 1977. (Reboul is a professor of philosophy, who taught in the early 70s in Montreal and later in Strasbourg, France.)

Influence: The New Psychology of Modern Persuasion: How and Why People Agree to Things.

Cialdini, Robert B.
William Morrow, New York. 1984. (The author is a social psychology professor who spent 15 years studying the tactics used by "compliance professionals," including salesmen, fundraisers, marketing pros, cult leaders, Chinese brainwashing camps, etc. He carefully details the underlying psychological mechanisms that make all these tactics work, and how everyone is vulnerable to them because they take advantage of instinctual responses.)

Journey Into Madness: Medical Torture and the Mind Controllers.

Thomas, Gordon.
Bantam Press, New York. 1988. Corgi Books. 1989. (Covers Dr. Ewan Cameron and MK ULTRA, a brainwashing experiment uncovered by the Scientology cult in Canada, who might be behind this book. Shades of "The Interpol Connection", (qv) perhaps.)

Mind Control.

Schrag, Peter.
Pantheon, New York. 1978

New Technology and Human Values, the.

Burke, John G., Editor.
Wadsworth Publishing Co. 1966. (Covers wiretapping, lie detectors and mind control.)

Obedience to Authority.

Milgram, Stanley.
New York. 1983. ISBN: 006-131-983X. (Seminal studies into how a large share of the population is willing to harm others when goaded by an authority figure, these experiments show how susceptible we all are to the influence of cults and other control mechanisms.)

Overview of Mind Control and Electromagnetic Manipulation, an.

Antone, Ted [publisher].
(Ooo-eeee-ooo. Also did "New World Order: Towards a One World Government.")

Prisoners of Liberation.

Ricket, Allyn and Rickett, Adele [sic].
Cameron Associates, New York. 1957 (The authors are Westerners who spent seven years in China, underwent "thought reform" and returned to relate their experiences; politically and psychologically fascinating.)

Rape of the Mind, the.

Meerloo, Joost A.
World, New York. 1956. Grosset & Dunlap, New York. 1961.

Reactionary: Sgt. Lloyd W. Pate's Story.

Pate, Sgt. Lloyd W. as told to Cutler, B.J.
Harper & Bros., New York. 1956. (Story of Pate's resistance to brain washing when a prisoner of the Chinese communists. He endured 32 months of brutal captivity in Korea Including filth, cold, subhuman rations, intimidation, a 500 mile death march and more.

Search for the Manchurian Candidate, the: The CIA and Mind Control, the secret history of the behavioral sciences.

Marks, John.
Times Books, New York. 1979. (The big boys are in on this game, too.)

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of "Brainwashing" in China.

Lifton, Robert J.
W. W. Norton, New York. 1961. (An essential read for ex-Scientologists to gain insight into what exactly what happened in the cult. See also "The Future of Immorality".)

Thought Reform of the Chinese Intellectuals.

Chen, Theodore H.E.
Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong. 1960. (A gem of a book; explains Thought Reform in a neat and artful way that reads like a precise poem.)

Youth, Brainwashing, and the Extremist Cults.

Enroth, Ronald.
Zondervan Press, Kentwood, Michigan. 1977. (See also "The Lure of the Cults" and "Churches that Abuse".)


Index      Previous section      Next section

5. Biographical Books on Scientologists

Here are included biographies about Scientologists and former Scientologists and Hubbard himself; for more biographical material see the main critical books. While the main critical book's focus is not on biography as much as Scientology, some of them are written from an auto-biographical viewpoint. Also see the section on books by Hubbard, as many of them contain some biographical or auto-biographical material as well, such as "Ron the Writer", and the short, inaccurate, and deceptive biographies often included in the other books by Hubbard.

Fever: The Biography of John Travolta.

Thompson, Douglas.
Boxtree. (See also John Travolta: Back in Character.)

John Travolta: Back in Character.

Clarkson, Wensley.
1996. (The book is a lightweight, shallow piece, probably approved by Travolta. It goes out its way to avoid controversy of any kind and says only nice things about everyone. There's some mention of Scientology, but it is placed in a positive light. - Anon post to ars. See also Tom Cruise Unauthorised, Fever.)

Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs.

Morgan, Ted.
The Bodley Head, London. ISBN: 037-031-5863. (It has a pile of stuff on Burroughs and Scn and, truth be told, was something that helped bring me to this newsgroup — Burroughs is into some, er, rather silly ideas, but he does turn them to good creative effect. The biography is fantastically well-written and a real page-turner. And it's more or less authorised, but Burroughs is old enough that he doesn't have much to lie about any more. Recommended highly. - David Gerard.)

Lonesome Squirrel, the.

Fishman, Steve.
Published on the Internet. (This is a largely auto-biographical book containing over two megabytes of humour, sex, angst, and personal experience in Scientology. Serious questions have been raised about the accuracy and even the factuality of some of the details in the book. Gives a good general impression, if somewhat fictional, of life inside the cult.)

Propeller One Way Night Coach.

Travolta, John.
(Vanity also lies at the heart of Propeller One Way Night coach,' John Travolta's slim volume about an 8 year old boy's uneventful first airplane flight. Instead of self-loathing, Travolta's conceit engenders an almost sociopathic unawareness of his own mediocrity… the book is a charm vacuum, a what-I-did-on-my-vacation bore de force in which clumsy syntax battles bland description… - Newsday.)

Ron Hubbard: A Profile.

Compiled by The Friends of Ron.
C.S.I. (Bridge), Los Angeles. 1995. (Elegant, beautifully photo-illustrated with many full-page color photos. A portrait of the life and "career" of L. Ron Hubbard, pulp writer, self-styled "philosopher" and founder of the Scientology cult, with a chronicle listing highlights of his "career".)

Tom Cruise Unauthorised.

Clarkson, Wensley.
Blake Publications, UK. 1996. ISBN: 108-578-2163-7 (From the book: "When I began making inquiries into the dealings of the church and Tom's links with it, a flurry of legal threats were made to me personally as well as to a number of associates who have helped me with my research into Tom's association with the Scientologists. At one stage the church traced my home address and unlisted phone number. There was an overriding impression given by the tone of the letters that I should not continue my inquiries under any circumstances." See also John Travolta: Back In Character.)


Index      Previous section      Next section

6. Books on Cults

Included in this section are books on other cults which bear marked similarity to Scientology or are offshoots of Scientology, and books about cults in general and related topics. A few of these may belong in the section concerning therapeutical aspects.

All God's Children: The Cult Experience; Salvation or Slavery?

Stoner, C., and J. Parke.
Chilton Books, Radnor, Pennsylvania. 1977.

Anatomy of Illusion, the.

Keiser, Thomas and Jacqueline.
ISBN: 039-805-2956.

Challenge of the Cults, the.

Burrell, Maurice C.
Baker House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1982. (See also Scientology: What It Is And What It Does.)

Churches that Abuse.

Enroth, Ronald.
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich. 1992. (See also The Lure of the Cults and Youth, Brainwashing, and the Extremist Cults.)

Cults and Consequences: The Definitive Handbook.

Andres, Rachel, and Lane, James R., editors.
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles. 1988.

Cults and New Religious Movements.

Galanter, Mark, (editor).
American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C. 1989.

Cults in America: Programmed for Paradise.

Appel, Willa.
Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York. 1983. © 1983 Willa Appel. ISBN: 080-500-5242 Owl paperback. (A good overview of the phenomena by an anthropologist. Very interesting discussion of the psychological needs fulfilled by fairy tales, and how cult doctrines are similar.)

Dangerous Persuaders: An Expose of Gurus, Personal Development Courses and Cults, and How They Operate in Australia.

Samways, Louise.
Penguin Books Australia Ltd., Ringwood, Victoria. 1994. © Louise Samways, 1994. ISBN: 014-023-5531.

Fraud of Religion, the: Critically Examined.

Ridley, Alan.

Fundamentalisms Observed.

Marty, Martin.
(It looks like an excellent scholarly work. I've just started reading my copy, but I recommend the book. - Jim Byrd)

Larson's Book of Cults.

Larson, Bob.
Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois. 1972. (…don't quote Bob Larson for any reason. First off, it is well known that Mr Larson did not write his own books but had paid staffers do it. Second, it has been shown that Bob is a liar of the first class. Have you ever listen [sic] to Bob?? At one time he had a national radio show. I used to listen to him all the time, calling quite a bit when ever he would trot out the claim that he was a biology student and KNEW that evolution was crap (Bob, Bob…one biology class does not a student make.) He used to run a program called the "Compassion Connection" that was always at crisis. The show was two hours long and easily an hour and a half was spent begging for money. He would always tell everyone how broke the ministry was, when of course HE was not broke at all. I would not believe a book from Bob Larson. - Dominion) Please see:

Let Our Children Go!

Patrick, Ted, with Tom Dulack.
Thomas Congdon Books/E. P. Dutton, New York. 1976.

Life 102: What to do When Your Guru Sues You.

McWilliams, Peter.
Prelude Press, Los Angeles. 1994. ISBN: 093-158-034X. (About his time spent in John-Roger's cult; well-written, terrifying, funny and quite relevant to those wondering about just how far mind control can push an intelligent, educated man.)

Lure of the Cults, the.

Enroth, Ronald.
Christian Herald Books, Chappaqua, New York. 1979. (See also Churches that Abuse and Youth, Brainwashing, and the Extremist Cults.)

Making of a Spiritual Movement, the: The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar.

Lane, David.
(Lane conclusively shows that many of the litigious cult of Eckankar's "sacred scriptures" were plagiarized from Scientology and Sant Mat groups in India. Eckankar books by Paul Twitchell: The Far Country, The Shairyat-KI-Sugmad, The Tiger's Fang, Letters to Gail.)

Mind Manipulators, the.

Scheflin, Alan and Edward Opton.
Paddington, NewYork. 1978.

Moonstruck: a Memoir of My Life in a Cult.

Wood, Allen Tate with Jack Vitek.
William Morrow, New York. 1979. (Read for parallels between the Moonie cult and Scientology; these two cults are more alike than different, despite very different philosophical ideas.)

Moonwebs: Journey Into the Mind of a Cult.

Freed, Josh.
Dorset, Toronto. 1980. ISBN: 088-893-0208 paperback, 088-893-0186 hardcover.

Outrageous Betrayal: the Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from Est to Exile.

Pressman, Steven.
St Martin's Press. 1993. ISBN: 031-209-2962. (Has an entire chapter devoted to Scientology. Very insightful look into "Werner Erhard" and his sick and twisted life of sexually abusing his children, beating his wife, and cowing his underlings on the way to building his own Scientology-based cult with himself as god and "Source". "Werner" called Hubbard a genius, and closely modeled himself on LRH after taking Scientology training up to Grade II. EST even went so far as to use e-meters, so there's many parallels with the Scientology cult in this version of the dark side of the human potential movement that made such gains in the me decade. Pressman's delivery is even and factual; Outrageous is a good read for those looking to find the link between the EST and Scn cults.)

Prison or Paradise? The New Religious Cults.

Rudin, James and Marcia.
Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1980.

Satan's power: a Deviant Psychotherapy Cult.

Bainbridge, William Sims.
University of California Press. 1978. (About a Scientology offshoot called the Process Church. The names of all organizations and people are changed: "Scientology" becomes "Technianity", "Process Church" becomes "Power Church", "Hubbard" becomes "Rogers", but anyone familiar with the material can easily translate the pseudonyms. Has a long description of Scientology's TRs or Training Routines.) (Short review: Satan's Power is on the whole fairly sympathetic to the Process. In his description of the Process's adaptation of Scientology's TRs, he stresses that the Process changed them radically, to be more human-centered and less robotic. - Ron Newman)

Searching: Practices and Beliefs of the Religious Cults & Human Potential Groups.

Mosatche, Harriet S.
Stravon Educational, New York.

Sects, "Cults" and Alternate Religions: a world survey and sourcebook.

Barrett, David V.
Cassell PLC, Blandford, UK. ISBN: 071-372-5672. (A book on "alternate religions" published last year [c. 1996] in Great Britain specifically mentions this [alt.religion.scientology] newsgroup. It gives a brief overview of many different faiths, from mainstream religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, to more specialized organizations like Christian Science, Church of God, and even The Way and I AM, to "saucer cults" like the Raelians (but dammit, the Church of the SubGenius is left out AGAIN!), to `self-help' groups like Scientology. The section describing Scientology has everything the members of this newsgroup could hope for. Not only did Scientology send several of its books to the author to use as reference, it also specifically mentions the Internet as a source of information. It emphasizes the clash between Scientology and its critics, and makes a point of the controversy surrounding every single aspect of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard. It mentions both the `official' version of Hubbard's travels, and the critical version. It notes the difference between Hubbard's war records as given by Scientology and stated according to the official military records. It even states the debate over Hubbard's apparent order to shell an uninhabited island. The origins of Scientology are given. Xenu is mentioned. The article even singles out the references to clams. As references, along with the 'official' Scientology books, Russell Miller's book is listed as a reference. Gerry Armstrong is named. The statements of Mary Tabayoyon and Stacy Young are given as additional citation, with the specific credit saying "Source: Internet." And finally, the controversy over the Internet and this newsgroup is mentioned, although the newsgroup name is misspelled as "alt.religions.scientology." - Modemac.)

Sociology of Religious Movements, the.

Bainbridge, William Sims.
Routledge, New York. 1997. (Has an entire chapter on The Process (pp. 241-266), and briefly mentions Scientology in the last chapter.)

Strange Gods.

Bromley, David G., and Anson D. Shupe, Jr.
Beacon Press, Boston. 1981. ISBN: 080-703-2565 & 080-701-1096 paperback. c. 1981 Bromley and Shupe. (A cult apologist book; they may be strange, but they're good, and the people really to blame are those bad rumour-mongers who have created the great scare. Comes down hard on "anti-cultists", and basically reads like an OSA PR statement.)

Strange Sects and Curious Cults.

Bach, Marcus.
Barnes & Noble, New York. 1993. ISBN: 088-029-7433. Copyright 1961. (Takes a look at Baalism, Shivism, the Doukhobors, Voodooism, Father Divine, the Shakers, the Mormons, the Hutterites and others. No mention of Scientology, the Moonies, or other big-name cults.)

Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church: an In-Depth Investigation of the Man and the Movement.

Sontag, Frederick.
Abingdon, Nashville. 1977.

Thirty Years a Watch Tower Slave: the Confessions of a Converted Jehovah's Witness.

Schnell, William J.
Baker Book House, Grand Rapids 6, Michigan. 1956.

Those Curious New Cults.

Petersen, William J.
Keats Publishing Inc., New Canaan, Connecticut. 1973.

True Believer, the: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements.

Eric Hoffer.
Perennial Library, New York. 1989. © Eric Hoffer, 1951. (This slim volume is frequently cited as one of the most important treatises on this phenomenon.)

Turning East.

Cox, Harvey.
Simon & Schuster, New York. 1977.

Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme.

Brodie, Richard.
Integral Press. 1996. (In the author's own words: "it explains cults through the new science of memetics." A new scientific paradigm developed at Oxford and elsewhere explains how advertisers, politicians, and cults are beginning to use startling methods to program people through the use of "viruses of the mind". More frighteningly, these viruses take on a "life" of their own and begin to grow and evolve out of the control of their creators.)


Index      Previous section      Next section

7. Other Materials

These are books which may provide insight into the workings of Scientology through other subjects. The connection between the cult and any of these books will be apparent to ex-Scientologists and may lead them to a better understanding of what happened to them in a social, political and literary context. I've also included books in this section written by Scientologists or former Scientologists that don't directly deal with the cult.

Brave New World.

Huxley, Aldous.
Chatto & Windus, London. 1972, c1946. (Are the Alphas the Sea Org crew and the Epsilons stuck on the RPF?)

Future of an Illusion, the.

Freud, Sigmund.
1927. (One of Freud's later works on a less technical bent in which he uses a psychoanalytic approach to studying culture — and religion.)

Future of Immorality, the.

Lifton, Robert Jay.
Bosie Books Inc. (See also Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.)

Future Sex.

Davis, Stephan A. and Lyssa Royal.
Personal Enhancement Press, Phoenix Arizona. (Davis was in the Church of Scientology as the first President of the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE.) "It was definitely a unique experience to work for L. Ron Hubbard, to say the least." he is quoted as saying. "You see, it's the job of both the Church and the Government to control things. I know whereof I speak. I've been close to the top in both (as a State Senator in Arizona and as Commodore's Staff in the Church of Scientology.)" [pg. 161] Review by Modemac: "…a very strange, spaced out "New Age" book … that goes off into a world of its own, explaining how they have sex in other solar systems in our Galaxy. I bought this [book] for the laughs it provided (did you know there is no PMS in the Pleiades?), but I was surprised to learn that its author is apparently a former member of Scientology.)

Gods of Eden, the.

Bramley, William.
Avon Books, New York. 1990. ISBN: 038-071-8073 paperback. (Book about UFOs Given the following stirring review by a Scientology OSA PR: "For everyone's info, Bramley is actually an ex-Scientologist and a squirrel. His book, the "Gods of Eden", though entertaining, falls fully under the HCO policy Safeguarding Technology. ML, Cory".)

Handbook of Forensic Psychology: Wiley Series on Personality Processes.

Weiner, Irving B. and Allen K. Hess, editors.
John Wiley & Sons, New York. 1987. (See chapter "Consulting and testifying in court", pages 529-554 by Margaret Thaler Singer and Abraham Nievod.)

Heads.

Bear, Greg.
Tor Books. 1990 ISBN: 081-251-9965 (Science fiction about an organization that looks a lot like Scientology.)

Hidden Persuaders, the: What Makes us Buy, Believe — and Even Vote — the Way we do?

Packard, Vance.
David McKay Company, New York. 1957. (The techniques the admen use to control us, and how everyday these manipulations are.)

Holy War on 34th St, in the anthology The Star Spangled Future.

Norman Spinrad.
Ace books, New York. 1979. (Has a hilarious scene between the Scientologists and the Hare Krishnas trying to recruit each others [sic]. See also The Mind Game.)

How do you Know it's True? Discovering the Difference Between Science and Superstition.

Ruchlis, Hyman.
Prometheus Books, Buffalo, New York. 1991. ISBN: 087-975-6578 (Discusses the difference between science and superstition, the basic nature of science as a way of thinking, and the ways in which amazing events can be explained rationally.)

How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life.

Gilovich, Thomas.
(An investigation in to how even highly educated people become convinced of the validity of questionable or demonstrably false beliefs about the world, and the unfortunate impact of these beliefs.)

Making Monsters.

Ofshe, Richard and Elthan Watters.
Andre Deutsch, London. Charles Scribner's Sons, USA. 1995. ISBN: 023-398-9579. (This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand Dianetics, the hypnotic pseudo-scientific therapy which is practiced by Scientology and is known as Dianetic auditing. It relies upon recovering memories in the present life and past lives of a person. Recovered memories are prone to extreme inaccuracy; this is especially true of memories recovered via hypnosis. Scientologists are taught that these recovered memories are the cause of their problems. This book describes a recovered memory movement, demonstrates how false memories are recovered, and why this is dangerous.)

Manchurian Candidate, the.

Condon, Richard.
McGraw-Hill, New York. 1959. Jove Books, 1988. ISBN: 051-509-4412. (A fictional look at brainwashing's use in programming an assassin.)

Mein Kampf.

Hitler, Adolf.
Hurst and Blackett, London. 1942. (For those who don't think it could happen to them, that they are somehow mystically above cultism and brainwashing due to a more powerful "free will" or perhaps more intelligence or individuality than cult victims — take a look at history. If millions of people and an entire country can get swept up in this kind of thinking, what makes you so special?)

Mind Game.

Spinrad, Norman.
Jove Books. 1980. ISBN: 055-325-0612. (I don't know the story (does anyone?) but Spinrad has definitely had some obviously less than thrilling run-ins with $cn. I highly recommend [this book] which is a thinly disguised condemnation of $cn and Hubbard. It's set in Hollywood and the main character is a director who isn't really getting the work he wants. His wife, an actress, gets involved in a group called the "Transformationalists" and he has to try and get her out, fighting against the very Hubbard-like leader John B. Steinhardt. There are so many parallels to $cn it's eerie. You get the feeling it's almost all taken from real life (complete with a "Celebrity Center," "processing/auditing," "life-directive/disconnection,") with only the names changed to protect Spinrad from a lawsuit. - Xenu's Sister, vickie@miso.wwa.com. See also Holy War on 34th St)

Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Orwell, George.
Penguin, Middlesex, England. 1954. (There are so many parallels between Scientology and this book that the reader could think Hubbard not only wrote SF, he read it and actually emulated it from time to time. Goldberg = Mayo, Newspeak = Scientologese, and mind-control throughout. 1984 did happen, but only to a select few people living in dictatorships — and inside cults.)

Occult Establishment, the.

Webb, James.
La Salle 1976. ISBN: 091-205-056X.

Organization Man, the.

Whyte, William H.
Simon & Schuster, New York. 1956.

On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War.

Summers, Harry G.
Dell Books, New York. 1982. ISBN: 044-016-7248. (See how many parallels you can draw between the US army and Scientology.)

Ritual Magic in England.

King, Francis.
(Contains letters written by Aleister Crowley mentioning L. Ron Hubbard, who considered Crowley a friend. Sadly for Hubbard, the feeling was far from mutual; Crowley seemed to think Hubbard was nothing more than a con-man and a lout. Perceptive man.)

Subliminal Seduction.

Key, Bryan Wilson.
Prentice-Hall, New York. 1973. (How admen persuade and manipulate us in the pervasive mass media.)

That Hideous Strength: a Modern Fairy-Tale for Grown-Ups.

Lewis, C. S.
(Clive Staples.) The Bodley Head, London. 1945, 1976. ISBN: 037-000-5355X.

Third Reich of Dreams, the.

Beradt, Charlotte.
Quadrangle Books, Chicago. 1966.

Totalitarianism.

Arendt, Hannah.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1968. (It is mind boggling to think of how Scientology is organised while reading Section 2.2 (esp. pp. 62-63), "totalitarian organisation" — the series of levels and fronts each designed to shield each increasingly radical segment from those immediately below and above it on the scale of "radicality". - Bruce Scott TOK.)


Index      Previous section      Next section

8. Other Languages

Scientology is a world-wide cult that has a strong presence in non-English-speaking countries in Europe and elsewhere. Here are some of the critical books worth looking into for those who are lucky enough to have command over another language.

For a list containing German Scientology books, see Cornelius Krasel's booklist with short comments attached: (Includes English books as well.)

Ali's Smile / Naked Scientology.

Burroughs, William S.
Expanded Media Editions, Bonn, Germany. 1978 and later reprints. Bilingual Edition German/English. (Mostly essays previously published in US alternative newspapers in the early 1970s.)

Alptraum Scientology.

Nietsche, Elke.
Wichern-Verlag. 1995.

Die Sekten-Kinder.

Eimuth, Kurt-Helmut.
Freiburg. 1996.

Der Sekten-Konzern: Scientology auf dem Vormarsch.

Billerbeck, Liane von, und Frank Nordhausen.
Links, 5 Auflage, Berlin. 1994. Auch als Knaur-Taschenbuch 80051. 1994. (Mit einem Rechtsratgeber von Ralf Bernd Abel.) ISBN: 386-153-0716, 342-680-0519. (Burkhard Hansel recommends this as one of the best German books about Scientology.)

Der Teure Traum vom _bermenschen — Eine ehemalige Scientologin berichtet.

Redhead, Silvia.
Claudius-Verlag, Munchen. 1993.

De Stankbel van de Nieuwezijds.

Komrij, Gerrit.
1979. (Lovely book. [Scientology] harassed the author, who didn't cave in. He's one of the most famous authors in the Netherlands. His publisher simply kicked the scieno's on the street when they came complaining. Komrij alleges that the cult is co-responsible for the death of Dutch journalist Johan Phaff. - Michael 'Mike' Gormez.)

Eine Ex-Scientologin Erzaehlt.

Entkommen Anonymous.
Rowohlt Sachbuch 9587, Reinbek. 1993.

Helnwein und Scientology (Gottfried Helnwein. Kunst, Luge und Verrat.)

Reichelt, Peter.
Brockmann + Reichelt. 1997. ISBN: 392-380-1939. (One German scientologist, Gottfried Helnwein, has for years disputed that he is a scientologist "I shit on Scientology", and has sued all sorts of people, until he lost against an anti-cult organisation. He then called the judge a "nazi", and has been indicted for this — libel is a criminal offense. It just got worse: now there's a whole book by his former manager which details his history of lying. - Tilman Hausherr.)

Im Labyrinth der Scientology. (The Labyrinth of Scientology)

Potthoff, Norbert J.
Bastei-Verlag Gustav H. Luebbe GmbH & Co, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. Printed in Great Britain, May 1997. ISBN: 340-461-3929. (One of the best-written books — if not the best — about someone's time as a Scientology staff member. This is a fully autobiographical work by Norbert Potthoff of Germany. Three hundred pages of exciting reading. - Koos Nolst Trenite.)

Im Netz der Scientology verstrickt…und wie es mir gelang, mich zu befreien.

Denz, Michael.
Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt. 1994.

La scientologie: une nouvelle religion de la puissance.

Chagnon, Richard.
Cahiers du Quebec. LaSalle, PQ, Hurtubise HMH. 1985. (It appears to be a sociological study of Scientology, somewhat in the vein of Wallis' book, but concentrating on the Church in Quebec. That's my guess, anyway; I don't read French at a glance. It's ten years old, so it predates most of the really good critical books (Miller, Atack). And Chagnon appears to be a sociology professor at the U. of Quebec, if I read the blurb correctly. - Scott A. McClare.)

L'endoctrinement.

Reboul, Olivier.
(see "Indoctrination" for translation.) Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. 1977. (Reboul is a professor of philosophy, who taught in the early '70s in Montreal and later in Strasbourg, France.)

Le ProcSs de l''glise de Scientologie.

Editeur Albin MICHEL.
(Textes r'unis par C. Erhel et Renaud de la Baume) ISBN: 222-608-9357.

Lu sur Internet (the one on cults.)

Michel Lafon.
(The collection is made up of texts found on the Internet and Usenet translated into French, with the URL or the name of the newsgroup at the top of the page. In the book on cults, there are many messages from alt.religion.scientology as well as many messages from Web pages on Scientology — critics as well as the CoS itself. James Lippard, Jeff Jacobsen, and Tilman Hausherr are included. - Emmanuel Marin)

Mission mit allen Mitteln — Der Scientology Konzern auf Seelenfang.

Herrmann, Joerg (Hrsg.).
Rowohlt Sachbuch 9341, Reinbeck. 1992. _berarbeitete Neuauflage 1994. ISBN: 349-919-3418. (Good compilation of essays, including Potthoff, Thiede, Schroeder, Abel and Westphal. -&nbs;Burkhard Hansel)

My Nine Lives in Scientology.

Pignotti, Monica.
1989. French translation:

Politischer Extremismus: Scientology und Hubbardismus als totalitaere Bedrohung der Gesellschaft.

Potthoff, Norbert J.
Ohne Jahrgang und Ort. Vermutlich Krefeld. 1994.

Scientologie.

Vol au dessus d'un nid de gourous. Lenzini, Jose. Editions Plein SUD. ISBN: 287-764-5169.

Scientology.

Grinborg, Jan.
Aarhus 1983. ISBN: 878-762-6128

Scientology-Analyse.

Potthoff, Norbert J.
Krefeld, 1993.

Scientology: Der Griff nach Macht und Geld.

Valentin, Friederike und Horand Knaup (Hrsg.).
Selbstbefreiung als Geschaeft, Herder-Verlag, Freiburg. 1992. ISBN: 345-104-109X. (Another compilation, including Abel and Hemminger; Valentin is head of the Austrian Roman Catholic Office on cults and religious groups: "Leiterin des Referats fuer Weltanschauungsfragen beim Pastoralamt der Erzdioezese Wien" - Burkhard Hansel.)

Scientology: Das Komplott und die Kumpane.

Hartwig, Renate.
Metropolitan, Dusseldorf/Munchen. 1995.

Scientology: Der Kult der Macht (The Cult of Power).

Hemminger, Hansjoerg.
Quell-Verlag, Stuttgart. 1997. (German critical book that contains a fairly long description of Incident 1 and 2, Xenu, etc. "My favorite… It's pretty up-to-date, short, cheap, and written in a factual style." - Cornelius.)

Scientologie — Dianétique: Une Secte Armée pour la Guerre.

Chroniques d'une "religion" commerciale à Irresponsabilité illimitée. Roger Gonnet.

Scientology, Dianetik und andere Hubbardismen.

Haack, Friedrich-Wilhelm.
Evangelischer Presseverband Bayern, Munchen. 1993.

Scientology: Die Zeitbombe in der Wirtschaft.

Hartwig, Renate.
Heyne Verlag, Munchen. 1995.

Scientology Greift an.

Caberta, Ursula, & Gunther Traeger.
Econ,Dusseldorf. 1997.

Scientology: ich klage an! (Scientology: I accuse)

Hartwig, Renate.
Augsburg, Pattloch. 1994. ISBN: 362-900-637X. Heyne Verlag, Munich. 1994. ISBN: 345-308-5213. (Renate Hartwig is not only out to accuse Scientology but also the German government and police because they failed to react to the crimes she attributes to Scientology. In her book she documents Scientology's methods by lots of photographed, reproduced, transcribed and translated original material. In her rhetoric she often goes overboard; you realize that she hates those people and her judgment and style is often unjust and aggressive without being able to offer proof on a certain point. She offers ample proof on other points though, but is vague in some central points. Being sued by Scn., she had to remove certain aspects and statements from the book. Maybe the above faults are due to this fact. As the book appeared in the early nineties it is not really up to date, especially as far as government and media reaction is concerned. I would have wished more info on the actual techniques Scn. uses to influence the people — more about actual and documented crimes the sect is said to have committed. - Oliver Gassner, fraktal@poboxes.com)

Scientology: ich suchte das Licht und fand die Dunkelheit.

Elsaesser, Jutta.
Nymphenburger, 1997.

Scientology im Management.

Christ, Angelika, und Steven Goldner.
Dusseldorf. 1996. ISBN: 343-011-8298. (The book sucks and was widely criticized in the anti-cult scene for presenting scientology as harmless. The worst is a part that deals with the role of two attorneys who have represented scientologists. The book whines about the "persecution" of them in a whole chapter. In December 1996, at a conference, I was told by someone of whom I do not remember the name that one of the attorneys actually wrote that part himself! - Tilman Hausherr.)

Scientology, Irrgarten der Illusionen.

Minhoff, C., und M. Muller.
Munchen/Dilligen. 1993.

Scientology — Magie des 20.

Haack, Friedrich-Wilhelm.
Jahrhunderts, Munich. 1982. ISBN: 353-262-0030. Revised and updated posthumous edition: ISBN: 353-262-0030. Claudius Verlag, Munich. 1995. (The late Haack is described as "probably Europe's leading expert on Scientology". Good book, but not for the beginner. Almost 400 pages in very small print. Scientology hates FW Haack. They even attack him after his death. - Tilman Hausherr.)

Scientology, Religion oder Geistesmagie?

Thiede, Werner.
Bahn-Friedrich Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn. 1995.

Scientology: Techniken aus der Perspektive eines Betroffenen.

Potthoff, Norbert J.
In "Anstoesse: Beitraege zur Landespolitik Heft 1", hrsg. von der SPD-Landtagsfraktion, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart. 1994.

Scientology und (k)ein Ende. (Scientology With(out) an End.)

Voltz, Tom.
Walter Verlag, Solothurn/Dusseldorf. 1995. ISBN: 353-089-9801 Reissued as: Voltz, Tom: Scientology. Ein Insider packt aus. Herder-Verlag, Freiburg. 1997. (One of the best German books on Scientology - Tilman Hausherr.) English translation:

Stichwort Scientology.

Kopf, Peter (Hrsg.).
Heyne Verlag. 1995.

Was ist Scientology.

Potthoff, Norbert J.
Die Zeitbombe in unserer Gesellschaft, Krefeld. 1992.


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9. Books of Origins

These are books that have been documented as influencing Hubbard or have been cited by Hubbard himself, and are included to lend insight into Hubbard's mind set while creating his charismatic cult. Several are even used in the cult as references.

Art of War, the.

Sun-tzu.
Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. Claredon Press, Oxford. 1982. (How the cult learned to do battle with its perceived enemies; purported cult reference used at high levels in the GO/OSA. There is also an old translation by Lionel Giles, but Griffith is better.)

Big League Sales Closing Techniques.

Dane, Les.
(Used to teach the all-important salesmen of salvation, the Scientology registrars or regges who sell raw meat wogs the $360,000 bridge to total bankruptcy.)

Book of the Law.

Crowley, Aleister.
Thelema Publications, King-Beach, California. 1976. (Hubbard picked up a few pointers from the Beast 666 via Jack Parsons and the OTO; Crowley was an important influence on Hubbard and thus on Scientology.)

Manhood of Humanity.

Korzybski, Alfred.
The Haddon Craftsmen, Inc., Scranton Pennsylvania. 1974 (3rd edition.) (Korzybski was one of Hubbard's many sources for his Dianetics. "He was popularized by A. E. Van Vogt who used his ideas in several science fiction works. There is an 'Institute of General Semantics' in [Lakeville] Connecticut, who still run courses on his teachings." - Ralph Hilton. Note: last I checked, there was a tape of Korzybski's that could be ordered through the local booksto