Review: Troublemaker by Leah Remini

Title: Troublemaker
Author: Leah Remini
Publisher: Ballantine 
Publication Date: November 3, 2015
ISBN: 9781101886960
Number of Pages: 234
How I Got It: Library
Format: Hardcover

Inside Covers:
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.

My Review:
My mouth dropped on the first page and I loved every page after. I read Jenna Miscavige's memoirs a few years ago so I was semi-familiar with some of the terminology like "going clear" and "auditing sessions" but Leah gave additional insight into Scientology from the angle of celebrity. Her storytelling is blunt and hilarious, just like every time I see her on television (as herself or as her character on King of Queens, Carrie Heffernan.) While Remini gives some insight into the religion / cult of Scientology, this is specifically about her journey. It was utterly fascinating. I challenge anyone to read the first page and not be immediately hooked!