Ron T Miscavige (–2021)

This read like the attempt of an abuse victim making excuses for their abuser. Yes, some moments of abuse are mentioned but there is still that need to qualify that the abuser didn't mean it or it was an accident, etc. And the constant use of "nullify" to refer to someone being severely verbally and psychologically abused had the feel of cult speak. Most of us would use "belittle" or "demean" to refer to what David Miscavige did when he berated people but Ron never really leaves Scientology ideology behind even though he's left the physical facilities. He's still waiting for his son to change and then everything will be happy families again. It won't but like I said this reads like an abuse victim who feels like they have to apologize for being abused even though the victim is the father of the abuser.

There are parts that don't seem to fit or are irrelevant to the story. Ron also doesn't seem to take responsibility for many of his actions and especially in how he raised his family like the domestic violence he reports about himself or that he was on the road a lot. I understand that David is a micromanaging sociopathic narcissist with a god complex but he had to learn some of that somewhere.

It was a decent read but don't expect much.… (altro)

Ruthless should be read as a supplement to the other great books about Scientology out there - [b:Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief|16142053|Going Clear Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief|Lawrence Wright|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358119149s/16142053.jpg|21973918], [b:Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape|15827066|Beyond Belief My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape|Jenna Miscavige Hill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354001608s/15827066.jpg|21737662] (both of which Ron Miscavige mentions in his memoir), [b:Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology|26827675|Troublemaker Surviving Hollywood and Scientology|Leah Remini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1491248986s/26827675.jpg|46857936] and [b:Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion|10091466|Inside Scientology The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion|Janet Reitman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442818206s/10091466.jpg|14988434]. This is not a book for readers with no knowledge of Scientology.

Ron is David Miscavige's father, but this position adds little to his personal account. We learn that during David's tenure as leader of the church, Ron had little contact with his son. Ron recounts the horror stories of David's emotional and physical abuse of his followers, but these stories are not personal accounts, but rather stories that Ron heard from an anonymous source.

I have a sick obsession with Scientology (and cults in general!) and was excited to read a personal account from the infamous David Miscavige's father. However, this book is incredibly disappointing because Ron has little to add to the canon of existing Scientology literature. In fact, his memoir is devoid of any insight. I would only recommend this book to Scientology junkies like myself.… (altro)

A quick, slightly interesting read, but I've heard most of these stories either in media coverage of this book or from others who've left the organization. I wasn't bothered by his defense of Scientology philosophy because that's a normal part of the process when an individual leaves a religion. I was bothered by his glossing over of his physical and verbal abuse of his family and his blame-game attitude about his marriage. I didn't find him to be a very likable guy and found it hard to have much sympathy for him. The book was also poorly written, which was distracting and hard to overlook.… (altro)