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 ( )