A Billion Years by Mike Rinder

A Billion Years by Mike Rinder

This explosive memoir from former Scientology executive Mike Rinder reveals the secret inner workings of the powerful organization and his remarkable escape from its highest ranks that is "not only a cautionary tale but also an inspiring story of resilience" (Leah Remini, New York Times bestselling author).

Mike Rinder's parents began taking him to their local Scientology center when he was five years old. After high school, he signed a billion-year contract and was admitted into Scientology's elite inner circle, the Sea Organization. Brought to founder L. Ron Hubbard's yacht and promised training in Hubbard's most advanced techniques, Rinder was instead put to work swabbing the decks.

Still, Rinder bought into the doctrine that his personal comfort was secondary to the higher purpose of Hubbard's world-saving mission, swiftly rising through the ranks. In the 1980s, Rinder became Scientology's international spokesperson and the head of its powerful Office of Special Affairs. He helped negotiate Scientology's pivotal tax exemption from the IRS and engaged with the organization's prominent celebrity members, including Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley, and John Travolta.

Yet Rinder couldn't shake a nagging feeling that something was amiss--Hubbard's promises remained unfulfilled at his death, and his successor, David Miscavige, was a ruthless and vindictive man who did not hesitate to confine many top Scientologists, Mike among them, to a makeshift prison known as the Hole.

In 2007, at the age of fifty-two, Rinder finally escaped Scientology. Overnight, he became one of the organization's biggest public enemies. He was followed, hacked, spied on, and tracked. But he refused to be intimidated and today helps people break free of Scientology.

"An intensely personal, cathartic memoir of blind allegiance, betrayal, and liberation" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), A Billion Years reveals the dark, dystopian truth about Scientology as never before.

Pressley, Karen Schless: - KAREN SCHLESS PRESSLEY enjoyed her career in fashion designer and music publishing pre-Scientology. She survived Scientology after two decades, as a celebrity recruiter for Scientology's Celebrity Centre, and as the Commanding Officer of the Celebrity Centre international network. A 12-year member of its extremist group, the Sea Organization, she held creative and executive positions at the International Management headquarters: from costume designer in Scientology's film studio, to International Management Public Relations Officer in the Senior Executive Strata, to doing special projects (international uniform manufacturing) under church leader David Miscavige, in charge of Sea Org image and uniform designer in the International Finance Office Network. After her third escape in 1998, she became an activist against Scientology's abuses. She has spoken at more than 100 events and appeared on CNN, NBC Dateline, CBS Morning Show, and French and German documentaries on Scientology. She is a 2009 honors graduate of Kennesaw State University, Atlanta, GA, with a B.S. in Communication, and earned a Master of Arts in Professional Writing from KSU in 2011. Karen enjoyed a career as an adjunct instructor of English at Southern Polytechnic State University in 2011, and as an adjunct instructor of Communication at Kennesaw State University from 2012 through 2015. She is enjoying family life on the Florida Gulf coast.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781982185763
ISBN 10	1982185767
Title	A Billion Years
Author	Mike Rinder
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Gallery Books
Year published	2022-09-27
Number of pages	336
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable