READ BY THE AUTHOR.

I enjoyed this SO much. Always loved her in King of Queens, and her sassy, no-nonsense attitude carries over into the tone of this book, as well as her reading of it.

Always a proponent of Scientology in general, Leah is a strong critic of the way the Church of Scientology is today--so much so, that she was reprimanded, fined, and finally excommunicated from the church. Her love of what the church has done for her in her life comes through so clearly, and yet her dogged insistence that the church has gone off the rails was ignored, and then found to be heresy.

I admire her all the more after reading this book. If you are at all interested in the truth behind the church, especially as it is today, I recommend this book. ( )

Having just finished GOING CLEAR the marvelous and lacerating history of Scientology, I wanted even more Scientology and fell into this. Familiar with Remini’s brassy image—wasn’t sure how that would translate into a narrative. Anticipated a few interesting anecdotes—maybe trying too hard to be funny (or worse, this is too serious to be funny about) and half expected not to finish it. Pleasantly surprised. Open hearted look at her family dynamics and how they folded into Scientology, I was drawn in immediately to her neighborhood and family. Genuinely funny and self-effacing in ways that enhance the story rather than diffuse or distract from the reality of what’s going on. Nice companion to GOING CLEAR (which I would recommend reading first) TROUBLEMAKER brings personal detail to the big picture. It’s a given when you start the book that she will leave Scientology—reinforced when she starts dishing the dirt—but there is still drama in what will be the final straw. There is also frustration. Just like in reading GOING CLEAR, it is maddening that in the face of mounting insanity people still cling to Scientology. What ends up being the last straw, the hill she decides to die on—is much less personal than many previous issues but it was just time. Would have loved her to expand on each of these points where they drew her back in. Part of the charm of the book is that it moves briskly but a few more pauses would have helped. Also, the very entertaining fire from the hip brusque narration in time made me start to worry about how close she was sticking to the facts. I don’t doubt anything specific she’s saying, but at least for me there is sometimes an odd disconnect between bravado and sincerity. Overall, though, an entertaining desert to the multicourse meal that was GOING CLEAR. ( )

I have to say that I liked this lots more than I thought I would. I find Leah's book funny and her stories relatable. I don't know much about Scientology but I find the stories funny. This year has been filled with books I didn't think I would like and find myself loving them. ( )

I did not finish this book. I love Leah, but she uses the f word way too much. I'm glad she's free from scientology, and I support her as an actress. ( )

I listened to the 7-hour audiobook, read by the author who was a member of the Church of Scientology for decades. There are many nice reviews on LibraryThing, better than any I could write. The account of Leah Remini inviting Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony to the Cruise/Holmes wedding in Italy and what happened there is fascinating. What happened there was what caused her and her family to leave the church. ( )

Month of April 2022: Celebrity Profiles

King of Queens ran for 9 years from 1998 to 2007, and today, I’m still absolutely in love with the show. You will catch it on in the background everyday at my house from 2-3 while I catch my zzzz’s. I try not to listen too much. If I start laughing, then nap times over and done with.

Leah Remini is from Bensonhurst, a suburb of Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in a tough neighborhood, and that smart-ass you see on the TV screen is really her. She held nothing back in this book. I love that she was so candid about herself and what her thoughts and feelings were regardless of how it made her look. For example, she got pissed off that the paparazzi were at her wedding. She walked out to see a person with a camera on the building across the street taking photos and told her guards to get rid of him...of all the nerve. But, the paparazzi at her wedding was actually only her wedding photographer. In fact, there were no paparazzi who followed her there at their wedding. There are many funny instances like this in her story. She loves making in fun of herself and this makes for a great read.

I did watch her documentary series on Scientology “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” (3 Seasons, from 2016-2019), which was way more serious and focused. This book tells more about her own personal experiences growing up in the world of Scientology from age nine and exactly how it all fell apart thirty years later, revealing exactly what happened when she attended Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes’s wedding. This was when she began asking questions about the validity of Scientology. Tom Cruise seems to be in charge and running the show at the Scientology in California. One thing that Leah learned is that if he doesn’t approve of you, not only will he see you out the door of Scientology, but he will literally work at ruining your career. And I’ll tell you what, that Tom Cruise is one weird dude! And, she is one strong woman to go against this kind of power.
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Dancing with the Stars (4/5/2017), Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani dancing to “Roar” by Taylor Swift. I actually cried knowing how much this dance meant to her as she had just left Scientology and they were doing everything they could to bring her down. Although they got the lowest score this night, and she cried, Leah still won. She had stepped out of her comfort zone, having never danced before, and especially in front of a live audience, and gave it her all. Tony had her back and said she did great!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-vhosO3OI74 ( )

I don't read many celebrity memoirs these days, but I have a fascination with Scientology (in a rubbernecky kind of way) so I couldn't resist picking this one up. It's an interesting read, because the actress clearly wrote it herself (just a few too many rough transitions and a little too much colloquial language to have been penned by a "real" writer), and it is not all about her very public breakup with Scientology. In fact, only the last few chapters deal with the lead-up to and fallout from her split from the church. The vast majority of the story is about her life in the church and her early career, and it really is mostly positive. Without going into detail (and that organization seems to be all about details), she describes quite frankly her activities inside and outside the church, and even when she talks about things that sort of bugged her about the whole thing, it is clear that she was all-in, totally dedicated to the program. However, when it begins to fall apart, we get to read some pretty juicy stuff about Tom Cruise and David Miscavige, along with her celebrity friends like Jennifer Lopez. Usually I find that stuff gratuitous, but by the time it started up I was fully invested in the narrative. And there's something to be said for reading stories about crazy people who you can actually picture because they are some of the most famous faces in the world. Anyway, in the end she relates the tale of her split from the church, the disillusionment and anger, and yet all of it is tinged with regret and a big dose of bewilderment--I picture a hermit emerging from a cave for the first time in decades, blinking in the warm sunlight, starting down the path of understanding the world in a whole new way. She paints a vivid picture of the whole thing. ( )

After watching her documentary series about scientology, I was interested in reading this book to get a more personal account of her life in the organization and her decision to leave. I found the book very interesting. I felt like Leah was very sincere and honest in the book, admitting to her own faults and mistakes through the years. She was also very forthcoming about both the corruption of scientology as well as the positive aspects she got out of practicing the religion and how she has been reconciling that it is OK to appreciate the good as well as condemning the bad. I thought the behind the scene look into some of her jobs in the entertainment industry were also interesting. While she did not hold back in criticizing or praising some of her co-workers or, it did not seem like she was name dropping or throwing mud. Overall, it was an entertaining read and an interesting look at how someone lost faith with their religion. ( )

I've been interested in Scientology for many years. Ever since an ex-boss forced me to take the first course (the one where you stare at some stranger for endless minutes) and eventually fired everyone who wouldn't get involved in more classes.

I've seen several documentaries and watched the first season of Remini's docu-series. Before that series, I'd never seen a show with her on it. I knew who she was because I'm aware of pop culture, but didn't have any personal experience.

That said, if I had to pick someone to be in my corner for any reason, I'd call her up. I love her honest accounting of not only her experiences with Scientology but her personal life. She's a strong, devoted woman and she tells a great story. I loved her humor and actually was sorry to see the book end.

Definitely recommend the audio version. Telling her own story made a big difference for me. ( )

That was cray cray

Dude you will not believe what goes on in that church. Going Clear has nothing on this book here is all the inside gossip you really wanted. ( )

Leah Remini writes with such honesty and self-reflection that it compels the reader to want to read the book in one sitting. Constant dissection of her decisions throughout her life and choices made that in hindsight may not have been the best ones are evident throughout. It is rare that an author can define herself as fallible but in the same breath convince the reader that she is strong. Her ability to laugh at herself and give insightful renditions of events that made her who she is today - both good and bad - cannot be taken lightly. She survived some of the most horrific and soul-breaking moments in her life and has come out the other side someone that we all should appreciate for her candor. ( )

Interesting insight from a former "celebrity" member who saw through the grift. ( )

Excellent read. Love her as an actress and even more now knowing what she has gone through. Laugh out loud funny in parts, shocking, sad and finally triumphant in the end. Would definitely recommend. ( )

Leah Remini is an actress, mostly known (I think – at least by me!) for her role as Carrie on “The King of Queens”, which ran for 9 years in the late ‘90s into the 2000s. The bulk of this book, however, focuses on her 35 years as part of the Scientology community before she left the church.

When Leah was a child, her mother’s boyfriend was a Scientologist, so her mom, sister, and Leah all became very involved in the church. Leah always knew she wanted to act and when she was 18, she got her first tv role. In Scientology, celebrities are highly regarded, as they can bring good PR to the church and recruit more people. It was, in particular, after Leah met Tom Cruise, though they initially got along well, that things took a turn when Leah started questioning things.

I don’t read many celebrity biographies/memoirs, but I wanted to read this one after reading another book about someone (a non-celebrity) who escaped Scientology, so that was my initial interest. Leah’s career brought her in contact with other celebrity Scientologists and so the two topics are entwined. I did find some of her stories of her acting and tv life interesting, as well. It was frustrating, angering, and sad for Leah (and the reader) as she learned of more and more transgressions of higher authorities in the church. She never did find out where the wife of the leader disappeared to after years of hearing nothing from a woman Leah had considered a friend (and it appears that is still unknown). There are photos included from when she was little to not long before the book was published. ( )

I loved this book. It was so interesting. I really enjoyed it. 5 Star book.
Just finished the book a second time and I loved it as much as the first time.
( )

I have to admit that I was expecting a lot more than I got from this book. There has been so much hype about Leah Remini and her "brave" campaign that I was sure this would be an easy read that would cement her place amongst activists. Not so much. Maybe it is just my pessimistic nature but I found myself turned off by the blame game she seems to be playing. She freely admits to having done some AWFUL things and yet shifts all the responsibility to Scientology. Really? She's not just a little bit part of the problem? And the things she says about her own family are really cruel. So needless to say, I wasn't impressed. But it did make me want to find out more so I looked around and found another view: https://www.leahreminithefacts.org/ It at least adds balance to an otherwise one-sided takedown. ( )

I feel like anyone who still thinks Scientology is just another religion should read this. If you think it's harmless, you should read it. And, if you think it's the power behind Hollywood, you should read it. I learned a lot from this book. ( )

Listening to Leah read her book was so captivating. I finished this in just a couple of days. I'm always captivated by people's stories, but this was something extra special. This story was about being authentically yourself and thinking for yourself. It was an awakening, and it was beautiful. ( )

The best expose' out there, from an insider's perspective.

Troublemaker is Leah Remini's account of her life, and eventual exit from Scientology. I had previously tried to read Jenna Miscavige's account in Beyond Belief, which was full of details but very dry and slow moving. Remini's account is perhaps a little different because of her star status and small amount of freedom that it allowed her. Remini's story moves quickly and kept me turning pages. If you are intrigued by what goes on inside Scientology, and what happens when a person tried to leave, this is a must read. I am certain that the book is what launched Remini's Scientology expose' show, if that gives you some idea of the book's quality. 4 stars. ( )

I love her writing style and her way of telling her story. It's very.. "Leah" if you see her personality via her shows (I discovered her via Scientology and its' Aftermath show on Netflix) it's very on point and in your face but she tells it like it is and is not afraid.

Big kudos for her though. For standing up against what she had believed in her whole life and questioning it. It's brutal and ruthless when she had the courage to speak up and those in Scientology did what they could to crush her. She had an amazing support system and was one of the lucky ones where she wasn't left alone to fend for herself as she left Scientology.

I'd rather wish there was more to it, maybe more on how she came about with her show on Scientology. The end of it felt like it was quick and abrupt. It's still a great read.

PS. Tom Cruise is a jerk. ( )

This is a beautiful, courageous, painfully honest look at the effect of the cult of Scientology. I can't possibly sufficiently express my respect for Ms. Remini for writing this book and baring her soul and telling the truth that the Scientologists never wanted us to know. ( )

As someone who is a little acaemically obsessed with cults and Scientology, I was really excited to put this book in my ears. It was pretty good, due in large part to Remini's reading of the audiobook. There wasn't anything super crazy and the writing wasn't spectacular but it was an interesting view into the world of Hollywood and Scientology, and it was a perspective I hadn't heard before. ( )

Read this book out of curiosity regarding Scientology. I've been a fan of the author since King of Queens. This book sounded just like her .. brash, opinionated, honest and non apologetic. I liked how she didn't try to make herself look like she was perfect. She was brutally honest about herself, and the "organization" we have all heard so much whispered about. Very informative, if not scary! ( )

Enjoyable read on one woman's journey through the peril's of Hollywood. Good background on her early years and how it all came to now.

She came across as she talks- brash and funny no holds barred. What I really liked about it was she didn't come across as a 'victim/oh poor me these people are mean'. She was educating on her journey. It's an easy read, really enjoyed. ( )

Enjoyable read on one woman's journey through the peril's of Hollywood. Good background on her early years and how it all came to now.

She came across as she talks- brash and funny no holds barred. What I really liked about it was she didn't come across as a 'victim/oh poor me these people are mean'. She was educating on her journey. It's an easy read, really enjoyed. ( )