Piercing the veil of secrecy that has long shrouded the world of Scientology, this insider reveals unprecedented firsthand knowledge of the religion, its obscure rituals, and its mysterious leader-David Miscavige. Now she speaks out about her life, the Church, and her dramatic escape, going deep inside a religion that, for decades, has been the subject of fierce debate and speculation worldwide. But at twenty-one, Jenna made a daring break, risking everything she had ever known and loved to leave Scientology once and for all. As the niece of the Church of Scientology's leader David Miscavige, she grew up at the center of this highly controversial and powerful organization. That’s a horrifying way for anyone to live, especially a child.Jenna Miscavige Hill was raised to obey. I doubted whether I was a good person I doubted whether the people around me were good people I doubted whether my emotions were appropriate-all”. As a result, I doubted myself constantly. “If I felt anything else, then surely the problem was with me. Looking back, she can see what they put her through but at the time: She was cut off from everyone, made to believe she was evil - it’s amazing she made it out at all. She eventually escapes, obviously, but that word encapsulates a truly harrowing experience. As Miscavige points out “The problem is that Scientology is a system that makes it nearly impossible for you to think for yourself,” which meant even when she questioned something, she didn’t know who to go to or what to do. Miscavige spent time on “the Ranch”, where she and a bunch of other kids performed hard labor and menial tasks, day in and day out, under the guise of improving the church. Miscavige recounts all of the weird shit we’ve heard before about Scientology - children separated from parents, the classes, the celebrity recruitment. It also carried a lot of expectations - she was separated from her parents at a young age in order to grow up fully immersed in the culture (and also to allow her parents to fulfill their own obligations). Her uncle, David Miscavige, ran the church, and although she didn’t really know him, having the Miscavige name carried a lot of weight. Jenna Miscavige grew up deep in the Scientology organization.

But that won’t stop me from reading the memoirs of ex-Scientologists. The otherwise totally normal and intelligent people who get sucked into a cult like Scientology, and drag their children along them, will never make sense to me.

Jenna miscavige book