Cynbad asked this question on 4/26/2000:

Are there books about Scientology on the internet?

False "experts" need not reply.

desertphile gave this response on 4/27/2000:

Hi Cyndi. Attached is the list I preferr. Some extremely good stuff here!

A Piece of Blue Sky by Jon Atack http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/atack

Because this book recounts the stark truth about Scientology, it is certain to provoke the ferocious hostility of practicing Scientologists around the world. Anyone who dares to publicly criticize the Church of Scientology or its founder is liable to be viiifled and hounded through the courts, as I can personally testify. (Although it is a mystery to me that Scientologists continue to believe that their founder was a man with the highest regard for the truth, whereas the records consistently indicate that he was a charlatan and a congenital liar.)

******

Releasing the Bonds by Steven Hassan http://www.freedomofmind.com

http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/books/releasingbonds-01.html

Releasing The Bonds is a must-read book not only for those with a friend or relative caught up in a destructive cult or relationship, but also for anyone interested in cult-related issues. In clear, precise language, Steve deals with concerns ranging from religious beliefs to religious freedom.

The chapter describing destructive mind control alone is worth the price of the book. Referring to psychologist Leon Festinger's ''cognitive dissonance theory,'' Hassan explains:

There are three components to Festinger's theory -- control of behavior, control of thoughts, and control of emotions. Each component can be affected by the other two. It is by manipulating these three elements that cults gain control over a person's identity. Through my experience working with former cult members, I have identified a fourth component that is equally important -- control of information. When you control the information that a person is allowed to receive, you limit his capacity for independent thought. These four factors, which can be more easily remembered as BITE (Behavior, Information, Thoughts, and Emotions), will serve as the foundation for your understanding of mind control.

******

My Nine Lives in Scientology by Monica Pignotti

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/pignotti

Introduction

The following is an account of my life in Scientology, a group I was involved in from December 1970 to August of 1976 -- about 5 years and 9 months. From 1973 to 1975 I lived aboard the Flagship Apollo ("Flag"), the home of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Dianetics and Scientology. On Flag, I trained to be an auditor (a Scientology counselor). My life on Flag was a continual roller-coaster of ups and downs. One day I would receive a personal commendation from Hubbard and be held up as an example of what a Flag auditor should be and then, just months later, Hubbard would take away all my certificates and send me to the RPF (Scientology's prison camp) for an auditing error I did not even commit. On Flag as auditors, we were under continuous pressure to be perfect, the standard of perfection being the whim of L. Ron Hubbard.

Many people, no doubt, have read horror stories about what occurred on Flag and I can personally attest to the fact that they are true. This might lead one to wonder why a person would join such a group in the first place. How could anyone put up with such abuse? In writing this testimony, I hope to give people some insight into this question. The fact is that I didn't join Scientology to be ordered around and abused and I don't know anyone who did. The group I thought I joined, as an idealistic eighteen-year-old, bore little resemblance to what Scientology actually was and still is.

******

Bare-Faced Messiah by Russell Miller

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/bfm

Introduction by Chris Owen

"What is true is what is true for you." - L. Ron Hubbard

The quotation above is one was one of Hubbard's favourite aphorisms, highlighting his claim that subjective truth is all that matters. If that's correct, then either account is equally plausible. But if objective truth is at all important, relying on evidence and reason rather than pure belief, then Bare-Faced Messiah is considerably more convincing. I have provided links between Miller's account of Hubbard's life and that of the Church of Scientology (on their Web site, http://www.lronhubbard.org ). Compare and contrast the two biographies, look at the supporting evidence and then decide for yourself.

******

L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman by Bent Corydon and L. Ron Hubbard

http://www.xenu.org/factnet/GEN/FILES/BOOKS/CORYDON.TXT

No human being exists who was close to L. Kon Hubbard through-out his entire adult life. Ronald DeWolf, aka L. Ron Hubbard, J'., Hubbard's oldest son who co-authored this book, is among the few living who spent a substantial stretch of time with him. Mary Sue Hubbard (Hubbard's third wife) is another, but she is not talking.

During the crucial formative years of Dianetics (the forerunner of Scientology), Hubbard was married to Sara Northrup, his second wife.

An intelligent, literate and credible woman, Sara spoke with Bent Corydon shortly before the publication of this book.

It was an exclusive interview. Fearing for the safety of her daughter, she had said nothing publicly for thirty-five years regarding her former husband. She agreed to speak to Corydon because Hubbard had died, lessening the threat, and because of her confidence in her attorney, who encouraged the interview.

Ron J'. left the organization and his father in December 1959. Bent Corydon joined Scientology in 1961.

Corydon was a member of the Church of Scientology for some 22 years and became one of the most successful "mission holders" (a non-profit Church "franchise" holder), building up the world's largest single Scientology mission in Riverside, California, and also another in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Riverside mission occupied a forty thousand square foot building and, at its peak, had 180 full-time staff.

During this time he made many close friends, some of whom held high positions in the Church where they spent thousands of hours working personally with Hubbard.

In 1976 Hubbard secretly moved to Hiverside County, near Corydon's mission, setting off a maelstrom of events which eventually swept Corydon and others towards a confrontation with Hubbard; events which helped expose a great many of his secrets to view.

This combination of people and events has finally made the telling of this amazing story possible.

******

Inside Scientology/Dianetics How I Joined Dianetics/Scientology and Became Superhuman by Robert Kaufman (1995 revision)

http://wpxx02.toxi.uni-wuerzburg.de/~krasel/CoS/books/kaufman/isd.htm

Scientology tried to steal my freedom of thought and speech, both when I was a member and after. That has only made me want to speak out all the more. In doing so, I have your freedom in mind also. You are about to enjoy a true science fiction adventure in "another world here on earth." Entertainment, yes. But I also wish to share with you -- perhaps with an intensity you haven't known for a while -- the preciousness, the blessedness, of our right to think and speak as we choose.

Your freedom. My freedom. Our freedom.

The average rating for this answer is 4.2.

Cynbad rated this answer a 5.

EXCELLENT!!! Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!