Lawrence Wright's book "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & the Prison of Belief" is so controversial it won't be published in the UK and Canada.
Hollywood denizens know best that Scientology is at once celebrity-laden and secretive. Author Lawrence Wright tries to unfurl both in his controversial new book - so controversial it won't be published in the UK or Canada. This despite the fact Wright's unauthorized history of the church used prominent former church members, including Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis, as primary sources on the record. Wright cites reams of research in detailing the life of Scientology founder, L.Ron Hubbard, as well as 200 interviews with those close to the Church of Scientology who reveal unflattering, even frightening, accounts of the control the church wields over its members.
In response, Scientology officials state, "The book is an error-filled, unsubstantiated, bigoted anti-Scientology book." They refer to Wright's atheism and call him bigoted. Yet Wright isn't alone in this assessment.
So why did he pursue this subject? How does his research into Scientology compare to other religions Wright has focused on? What's his reaction to the accusations from Scientology representatives? And why does so much of this story come back to Hollywood?
Guest:
Lawrence Wright, Author, “Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & the Prison of Belief;” Staff Writer, “The New York;” Wright won a Pulitzer Prize for “The Looming Tower”
The Church of Scientology's response to Wright's book: