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alisarae 's review for:
Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me
by Ron Miscavige
Mom's review: I couldn't finish it because there's too much swearing and bragging.
I agree about the bragging part and the swearing is unnecessary (esp when sometimes he says "blankety-blank-blank"). But really, the bragging is excessive and the way he brushes over his own negative self-aspects, never admitting possible mistakes, is suspect at best and immature to say the least.
The other thing is, Ron Miscavige tells a lot of anecdotes that follow this format: "I WOULD do this, and Person WOULD react like this. But IF SOMEONE else did it, the reaction WOULD be different. There are lots of examples on the internet." The type of language he uses is generalized, and while I don't doubt that it happened, it downgrades the punch of his experiences. Jenna, Ron's granddaughter, uses way more details and names specific dates, people, and places in her book [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]. Maybe it's because Ron has a bad memory (I am like this as well), but I think tacking on the phrase "You can read similar stories on the internet" is a lame excuse for having such vague details in your own story.
Besides that, he gives a lot of juicy gossip, but doesn't say how he would have come to know that (Was it just gossip from his time as a Scientologist? Or through reading forums online? ...in which case he should cite). He qualifies some stories with saying, And even the father of the leader of Scientology wouldn't get to know the details! That's how secretive the organization is. ... But then how would he know so many inner workings if all he did was arrange and record music?
Jenna Miscavige Hill actually did have a lot of inside information and a wider range of experiences within the organization because of her various assignments. She also gives more details about what Scientologists believe and teach, while Ron just repeats the mantra "To clear the world of crime, war, and insanity." So I would recommend you read her book over this one.
I agree about the bragging part and the swearing is unnecessary (esp when sometimes he says "blankety-blank-blank"). But really, the bragging is excessive and the way he brushes over his own negative self-aspects, never admitting possible mistakes, is suspect at best and immature to say the least.
The other thing is, Ron Miscavige tells a lot of anecdotes that follow this format: "I WOULD do this, and Person WOULD react like this. But IF SOMEONE else did it, the reaction WOULD be different. There are lots of examples on the internet." The type of language he uses is generalized, and while I don't doubt that it happened, it downgrades the punch of his experiences. Jenna, Ron's granddaughter, uses way more details and names specific dates, people, and places in her book [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]. Maybe it's because Ron has a bad memory (I am like this as well), but I think tacking on the phrase "You can read similar stories on the internet" is a lame excuse for having such vague details in your own story.
Besides that, he gives a lot of juicy gossip, but doesn't say how he would have come to know that (Was it just gossip from his time as a Scientologist? Or through reading forums online? ...in which case he should cite). He qualifies some stories with saying, And even the father of the leader of Scientology wouldn't get to know the details! That's how secretive the organization is. ... But then how would he know so many inner workings if all he did was arrange and record music?
Jenna Miscavige Hill actually did have a lot of inside information and a wider range of experiences within the organization because of her various assignments. She also gives more details about what Scientologists believe and teach, while Ron just repeats the mantra "To clear the world of crime, war, and insanity." So I would recommend you read her book over this one.