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Scientology The Big Lie: How I Made an Evil Cult Look Good
When Mitch Brisker first arrived at the doorstep of Scientology’s infamous Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles, he was a 23 year old heroin-addicted film school drop-out. He survived addiction only to become entangled in the identity stealing cult known as Scientology. Earning a degree in cinema from California Institute of the Arts, Mitch went on to become a successful commercial director. His work caught the eye of Scientology’s notorious leader, David Miscavige, and he ultimately became the chief architect of Scientology’s global propaganda machine. Three decades later he left the cult and began speaking out about the abuses he witnessed and experienced. Mitch describes Scientology as a global crime scene happening in real time. This is his story.
436 pages, Paperback
Published November 24, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 1, 2024
An Amazing and Fantastic Read!!
(I am leaving this review on my wife Mary Kay’s “GoodReads” account)
I was completely riveted and enthralled by this book and by Brisker’s story of his rise and fall as seemingly the most powerful non-Sea Org member of the cult that is Scientology; wonderfully written and with such a powerful and harrowing attention to detail (and having already read post-Scientology books by Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, Marc Headley, Janice Gilham-Grady (the first of her two massive volumes) and Amy Scobee), this was such a different perspective from someone who came to Scientology when he was at the end of his drug-addicted rope and at the height of despair in his young life and becoming basically the person who rose to such heights in it, in charge of creating all of their promotional films and media presentations etc and changing their public image and who was such a confidante of leader David Miscaviage, seemingly protected and untouchable to the nth degree, only to be punished and discarded like so many countless “church members” before him; this is a fascinatingly riveting work and highly recommended!!
Steve London
2/29/2024
(I am leaving this review on my wife Mary Kay’s “GoodReads” account)
I was completely riveted and enthralled by this book and by Brisker’s story of his rise and fall as seemingly the most powerful non-Sea Org member of the cult that is Scientology; wonderfully written and with such a powerful and harrowing attention to detail (and having already read post-Scientology books by Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, Marc Headley, Janice Gilham-Grady (the first of her two massive volumes) and Amy Scobee), this was such a different perspective from someone who came to Scientology when he was at the end of his drug-addicted rope and at the height of despair in his young life and becoming basically the person who rose to such heights in it, in charge of creating all of their promotional films and media presentations etc and changing their public image and who was such a confidante of leader David Miscaviage, seemingly protected and untouchable to the nth degree, only to be punished and discarded like so many countless “church members” before him; this is a fascinatingly riveting work and highly recommended!!
Steve London
2/29/2024
February 11, 2024
I want to give this book 5 stars. Why can't I give it 4 1/2? The ding is for the editing. What can I say, I'm an English major and a writer, and typos distract me. They are legion in this book. Text running together without spaces, missing words, misspelled words, tense changes in the middle of a sentence. I believe there was an urgency to complete the book and hope that in the second edition, this can all be rectified (I'll volunteer to help). An Index and Glossary of Terms would also be helpful; it's only because I have done so much studying of Scientology that these items weren't missed by me, but for other readers I believe they would be much appreciated. But these complaints are small potatoes and so the 5 stars.
Mitch Brisker has lived a unique life, starting with his childhood in Laurel Canyon, where he came of age surrounded by hippies, rock stars, and other immeasurably cool people. He's quite cool himself. Being from the same generation, just a few years younger and a few miles south, for me the early chapters of this book really struck a chord. He's a good writer; the scenes vivid, so that they cast me back to that time in my mind.
Then the story swerves, which is where it really begins. He became addicted to heroin, a pastime that soon turned tragic. At his lowest most vulnerable point, Scientology came into his life.
It should be understood that although Scientology is one of the deepest, darkest, most destructive and criminal of cults, most Scientologists are good, highly intelligent people. The group of people who took Mitch in at his lowest point sincerely wanted to help him, and in fact they did assist him in beating his addiction. They also succeeded in absorbing him into the cult, where he stayed for the next approximately 40 years.
In the cult as in life, Brisker was unique. He did not join the Sea Organization. He was a public Scientologist, a dedicated member, with a valued skill. Mitch was a filmmaker, and Scientology had a big, big problem. L Ron Hubbard, the "Source (as in "God," the final and only word for all things Scientology)" had instructed that Scientology must be disseminated via film. Hubbard's own efforts at making the films required had been abysmal failures, but still they must be made. Thus began the decades of "making an evil cult look good."
What makes Brisker's story unique is that he worked for Scientology making the films successfully while never joining the Sea Org. He did not work for pennies (as Sea Org members did); he worked for real dollars. He did not live in crowded berthings; he lived at his own home. If he needed to stay at the Int Base he had a premium cottage to live in. He did not eat rice and beans for weeks on end; he ate well at the Int Base and whatever he wanted to eat otherwise. He was never subjected to the Rehabilitation Project Force or imprisoned in the infamous hole.
At the same time he worked closely with and under the thumb of Hubbard's psychopathic, all powerful successor to Hubbard, David Miscavige. He was charged with making the films that Hubbard had written; not a single word could be changed (until the Introduction to Scientology film came along, that is).
He worked with Sea Org members closely on these films, but was mostly shielded from learning of the torture, sleep deprivation, food deprivation, humiliation, and degradation these people endured on a daily basis. When he was made privy to some disturbing events, he shook it off. For many years he continued to believe in the mission. He loved his work and took pride in doing it well. He didn't want to know. Scientology has this thing called the 8 Dynamics, beginning with Self and finishing with "God" or "Infinity." Scientologists believe it "ethical" to take the action that is "the best for the greatest number of dynamics." Individuals are given short shrift and indoctrinated to believe that it is a good thing. (NOTE: an entire book could be and hopefully will be written about Scientology's "ethics" - it is a twisted, dangerous and destructive philosophy)
There's a book by Rick Wilson titled "Everything Trump Touches Dies." The same can be said for Scientology. Mitch Brisker, through literally no fault of his own, was held liable for some mess or other at the Gold Base (during a time he was elsewhere working for Scientology). Keep in mind that under Miscavige, messes are the rule and not the exception, but they can never be attributed to his own chaotic and cruel mismanagement. NEVER.
Brisker was subjected to weeks of punishing "sec checks," auditing sessions designed to strip a person of any privacy whatsoever and break them down to a mere shell of whoever they had been prior to this punishment. He was held by Scientology, not precisely against his will, but then his will had been erased. It took an extreme and heartbreaking event to break this cycle, ironically almost singularly caused by one person who for her own personal reasons held an inexplicable, vile, hatred toward Mitch. During this time Miscavige simply looked the other way.
This book should be read by any student of this cult, or cults in general and destructive cults in particular. Brisker offers great insight into the mind of Miscavige, while admitting that there is actually no knowing for sure what drives the man. His membership in Scientology spans over half of its existence. Mitch Brisker left Scientology and has since become active in the ex community. He is an absolute asset to the effort to end the cult, and his book an invaluable addition to the library of books about this terrible organization.
Mitch Brisker has lived a unique life, starting with his childhood in Laurel Canyon, where he came of age surrounded by hippies, rock stars, and other immeasurably cool people. He's quite cool himself. Being from the same generation, just a few years younger and a few miles south, for me the early chapters of this book really struck a chord. He's a good writer; the scenes vivid, so that they cast me back to that time in my mind.
Then the story swerves, which is where it really begins. He became addicted to heroin, a pastime that soon turned tragic. At his lowest most vulnerable point, Scientology came into his life.
It should be understood that although Scientology is one of the deepest, darkest, most destructive and criminal of cults, most Scientologists are good, highly intelligent people. The group of people who took Mitch in at his lowest point sincerely wanted to help him, and in fact they did assist him in beating his addiction. They also succeeded in absorbing him into the cult, where he stayed for the next approximately 40 years.
In the cult as in life, Brisker was unique. He did not join the Sea Organization. He was a public Scientologist, a dedicated member, with a valued skill. Mitch was a filmmaker, and Scientology had a big, big problem. L Ron Hubbard, the "Source (as in "God," the final and only word for all things Scientology)" had instructed that Scientology must be disseminated via film. Hubbard's own efforts at making the films required had been abysmal failures, but still they must be made. Thus began the decades of "making an evil cult look good."
What makes Brisker's story unique is that he worked for Scientology making the films successfully while never joining the Sea Org. He did not work for pennies (as Sea Org members did); he worked for real dollars. He did not live in crowded berthings; he lived at his own home. If he needed to stay at the Int Base he had a premium cottage to live in. He did not eat rice and beans for weeks on end; he ate well at the Int Base and whatever he wanted to eat otherwise. He was never subjected to the Rehabilitation Project Force or imprisoned in the infamous hole.
At the same time he worked closely with and under the thumb of Hubbard's psychopathic, all powerful successor to Hubbard, David Miscavige. He was charged with making the films that Hubbard had written; not a single word could be changed (until the Introduction to Scientology film came along, that is).
He worked with Sea Org members closely on these films, but was mostly shielded from learning of the torture, sleep deprivation, food deprivation, humiliation, and degradation these people endured on a daily basis. When he was made privy to some disturbing events, he shook it off. For many years he continued to believe in the mission. He loved his work and took pride in doing it well. He didn't want to know. Scientology has this thing called the 8 Dynamics, beginning with Self and finishing with "God" or "Infinity." Scientologists believe it "ethical" to take the action that is "the best for the greatest number of dynamics." Individuals are given short shrift and indoctrinated to believe that it is a good thing. (NOTE: an entire book could be and hopefully will be written about Scientology's "ethics" - it is a twisted, dangerous and destructive philosophy)
There's a book by Rick Wilson titled "Everything Trump Touches Dies." The same can be said for Scientology. Mitch Brisker, through literally no fault of his own, was held liable for some mess or other at the Gold Base (during a time he was elsewhere working for Scientology). Keep in mind that under Miscavige, messes are the rule and not the exception, but they can never be attributed to his own chaotic and cruel mismanagement. NEVER.
Brisker was subjected to weeks of punishing "sec checks," auditing sessions designed to strip a person of any privacy whatsoever and break them down to a mere shell of whoever they had been prior to this punishment. He was held by Scientology, not precisely against his will, but then his will had been erased. It took an extreme and heartbreaking event to break this cycle, ironically almost singularly caused by one person who for her own personal reasons held an inexplicable, vile, hatred toward Mitch. During this time Miscavige simply looked the other way.
This book should be read by any student of this cult, or cults in general and destructive cults in particular. Brisker offers great insight into the mind of Miscavige, while admitting that there is actually no knowing for sure what drives the man. His membership in Scientology spans over half of its existence. Mitch Brisker left Scientology and has since become active in the ex community. He is an absolute asset to the effort to end the cult, and his book an invaluable addition to the library of books about this terrible organization.
May 8, 2024
This appears to be a self-published work which could have used a stronger editor. However, a lot of the material presented was fresh to the hole that is the cult of Scientology. Brisker was helped out of heroin addiction decades ago with the care and compassion of the organization. He was tasked with what he thought was a one time film production role. This job spanned several decades. Although never elevated to the inner sanctum, the Sea Org., he was given access to the upper echelon of celebrity and Miscavige himself. My major complaint is source material was not cited. There weren’t footnotes or a works cited page. In fact, much just seemed to be the author’s memories and opinions of why things were done.
July 3, 2025
Brisker's saga through addiction, manipulation, abuse, and redemption reveals new information about the inner workings of Scientology, specifically revelations about David Miscavige, who runs the cult with an iron fist. The author makes parallels to historical oppression and travesties which mirror his perspective on the antisocial beliefs of L. Ron Hubbard. With dark, emotional twists and turns, Brisker bares his soul about the toll his time making films for the "church" took on his psyche. I would recommend this book to anyone invested in learning about cults, especially memoirs about people escaping Scientology.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews