Inside Scientology author Janet Reitman's highly anticipated appearance at Inkwood Books in South Tampa on Monday night did not disappoint, as she spoke to an audience that in some cases knew as much if not more about the inner workings of the church and its dark side than the author herself.
The reading also was sparked by the entrance midway through her discussion of two well-known former members of the church's hierarchy, Mike Rinder and Tom DeVocht, both of whom were formerly close to Church of Scientology (COS) head David Miscavige, but made claims in recent years about his violent actions (DeVocht is cited frequently as a source for the book), leading to angry denunciations about their own personal character by COS officials.
And perhaps most dramatically, a former Scientologist at the reading announced that it was her first night coming out, as it were, as a former member of the church.
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2011.
