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Review: Troublemaker by Leah Remini

Mary’s review of Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
Nonfiction by Ballantine Books on November 3, 2015

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.

This book piqued my interest for two reasons. The first, because it deals with Scientology. It’s a religion we hear about in the news, especially in connection with some famous actors and actresses. Two, because of Leah Remini. I wasn’t a huge fan of her most famous show, King of Queens, although I did watch a time or two. It was her reality show, Leah Remini: It’s all Relative I connected with. Her family is crazy in that loving, adorable way that makes it wonderfully wacky. I’ve had this book on my TBR pile for a while and it got lost in the shuffle of my Kindle. Recently, Leah’s documentary series on Scientology came out. I watched all of the episodes and they reminded me of the book. so I dusted it off and here we are… Continue reading