One of the highest-ranking defectors from Scientology exposes the secret inner workings of the powerful organization in this remarkable memoir that is ânot only a cautionary tale but also an inspiring story of resilienceâ (Leah Remini, New York Times bestselling author).
Mike Rinderâs 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 Scientologyâs elite inner circle, the Sea Organization. Brought to founder L. Ron Hubbardâs yacht and promised training in Hubbardâs 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 Hubbardâs world-saving mission, swiftly rising through the ranks. In the 1980s, Rinder became Scientologyâs international spokesperson and the head of its powerful Office of Special Affairs. He helped negotiate Scientologyâs pivotal tax exemption from the IRS and engaged with the organizationâs prominent celebrity members, including Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley, and John Travolta.
Yet Rinder couldnât shake a nagging feeling that something was amissâHubbardâs 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 organizationâs 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.
âAn intensely personal, cathartic memoir of blind allegiance, betrayal, and liberationâ (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), A Billion Years reveals the dark, dystopian truth about Scientology as never before.