The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching 30-year-plus association with the Church of Scientology.
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….
Fresh and Easy Read I admit, I haven’t really watched a lot of stuff with Leah Remini, I’m familiar with her from King of Queens, but that is about it. My mother has indicated that she has been on a lot of the talk shows lately talking about this book. I picked it up mostly for the insight into Scientology. I was not disappointed, but in the process of learning a bit more about scientology, there were some really interesting insights into her childhood, as well as her experiences getting into show…
A Brilliant, Gutsy, Brutally Honest, Funny and Harrowing Biography and Expose of Scientology It’s 7:20 AM as I write this, and I haven’t slept since I started reading this book, moments after downloading it. I’m about 80% done at this point, but had to stop and post this early review (I’ll update this a bit when I’m 100% done). I’ve never been much of a fan of sitcoms, so I’m not exactly part of the audience who has had much experience with Leah’s acting work – although I knew who she was, certainly. I’d seen enough however to know I found her appealing and incredibly attractive long…
Engaging, Fascinating, Entertaining (and a bit Scary) I’m not a “fangirl” of Leah Remini though I’ve always thought she was funny, beautiful, and brash (in a good way).Â