Inside Scientology: How I Joined Scientology and Became Superhuman
Book cover, 1972 ed.
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| Author | Robert Kaufman |
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| Language | English |
| Subject | Church of Scientology |
| Publisher | Olympia Press |
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Publication date
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June 1972 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 279 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 533305 |
| Followed by | Inside Scientology/Dianetics (revised ed. 1995) |
Inside Scientology: How I Joined Scientology and Became Superhuman is a 1972 book by Robert Kaufman, in which the author takes a critical look at the Church of Scientology. It was first published in 1972 by Olympia Press. The book was the first to disclose secret Scientology materials. It was also published in 1972 in German, and was the first extensive critical report on Scientology in German.
The book has subsequently been revised in a 1995 edition, titled: Inside Scientology/Dianetics. After revising the text of the work, Kaufman gave a copy of the work to a friend to edit and release for distribution on the internet, in 1995. Kaufman died on July 29, 1996.
A full-text online version of the 1995 revised edition by Kaufman is freely available on the internet.
Other prominent critical writers on related topics gave the book high marks, including Jon Atack, author of the book A Piece of Blue Sky.
Critical writings about the Church of Scientology by William S. Burroughs, as well as his review of Inside Scientology, led to a battle of letters between Burroughs and Scientology supporters that played out in the pages of Rolling Stone.
The third text of Burroughs' book, Ali's Smile/Naked Scientology, is a reprint of a review by Burroughs of Inside Scientology, from the November 9, 1972 issue of Rolling Stone. This is followed by a letter from a Church of Scientology representative in reaction to the review of Kaufman's book, and then Burroughs' reply to that.
In the foreword to the 1995 edition of his work, Kaufman described several incidents of litigation and harassment by the Church of Scientology. A man named James Meisler, who described himself as a "Reverend in the Church of Scientology", demanded to see a copy of Kaufman's as yet unpublished manuscript. When Kaufman refused, Meisler stated: "It's your neck..We've got you covered on all fronts."
A man calling himself "Larry Tepper" befriended Kaufman, claiming to be a compatriot debating whether to leave Scientology. He wanted to know if Kaufman had any writings about the organization, and Kaufman gave him the first 100 pages of his work. A few days later, a photocopy of the section Kaufman had given Tepper arrived at Olympia Press, from Scientology's Los Angeles headquarters, with marked proposed corrections.
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