Saturday, December 10, 2011
Neat Review
I just finished reading a novel (based on a true story) written by Paul Csige, who spent a year at a Scientology boarding school. It reminded me a lot of "Catcher in the Rye." Great book, and hard to put down.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Interesting review from a disappointed reader
I read this because I had just finished a great memoir about a woman who grew up in Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints sect run by Warren Jeffs. I was so intrigued by her story (Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs) that I was curious about other strict religious environments, such as Scientology, and thought this book would be an interesting perspective on it. Unfortunately, this book could have been about any teenage boy living in a boarding school anywhere. The pranks, the language, the discipline - they all seemed quite commonplace and ordinary. Just your typical "coming-of-age" story. Not at all what I expected. Though the book was a quick, easy read in spite of being over 950 pages, I was disappointed and felt it would be more appealing to a younger audience (such as 15 year old boys). It also shed very little light on what Scientology is about.
Friday, September 30, 2011
New Review from a Reader
Good trailer! This is a profound, touching and well written fictionalized story from the perspective of bright but dyslexic teenager who makes the choice to attend a boarding school he knows almost nothing about rather than become the failure his father has already decided he will probably be. Little does he know what he has gotten himself into and where it will take his life. This is a ' must read ' book!
-4Christ3ever
Thursday, September 29, 2011
New Article about Scientology with input from Paul Csige
Here is an article written by BENJAMIN CARLSON at THE DAILY. This article examines the Delphian school, the institution the fictionalized Lamia school from 'The Symphony of Leif' is based on.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Amazon Best Seller List
Just saw this. "The Symphony of Leif" is No. 5 on the top 10 list in Non-Formal Education.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Neat Review
Just got this from a reader on Amazon. I thought it was pretty kick-ass. I'm always up for reader reviews.
I bought this book for myself because I saw that it was about life for one boy at a Scientology boarding school. As soon as it arrived, I was still reading Janet Reitman's 'Inside Scientology' so I offered it to my teenager in the hopes that the book would take him away from his video games onto the reading list I planned for him for the summer.
My son could not put the book down until he was finished. I have never seen him like this about a book! When I told him I was going to write a review, he said to tell readers "This is an awesome book!" And indeed it is. I wish Janet Reitman had read it before she wrote about the exscientology kids in this new book of hers. She would have had a better perspective of what these kids are made to endure and perhaps ask more involved questions when she interviewed them.
This is an profound, touching and well written fictionalized story from the perspective of bright but dyslexic teenager who makes the choice to attend a boarding school he knows almost nothing about rather than become the failure his father has already decided he will probably be. Little does he know what he has gotten himself into and where it will take his life. We share in the often times harrowing adventure as he matures while learning to survive the Truman Show confines of the opressive and totalitarian Scientology based 'Lamia School', based, I suspect, on the infamous Delphian School of Sheridan, Oregon.
Now, I am a former long time scientologist who has seen first hand the harm that Scientology does to people and families. Especially the harm done to children. One only has to read the stories of other attendees of this school program, as well as the many exscientology kids testimonies on the internet, to understand.
This is, perhaps, the first book ever written about the life of a teenager entering the dark world of Scientology unawares. The fact that it is fictionalized is due to several factors:
1), who wants to be sued by Scientology? lol!
And 2) it gives the author option to allow the teen to take liberties with his experiences and imagination to arrive at his own form of retribution.
You follow the main character, Leif, through his efforts to make sense of and rise above the insanity and indoctrination while others succumb to one degree or another. In reading this, it reminded me of a magnified version of The Stepford Wives for teens. This is a good thing because the importances of a 14 year old are always magnified. It's the nature of the beast of puberty.
This is a must read book for readers of all ages but a word of of caution for parents that there is a small amount of profanity typical of teens and they may want to review it first. I suggest they do this anyway because it is an excellent look into the psyche of a teenager trying to make sense of and take a stand against evil influences. I am sure that this was a cathartic effort for Paul Csige and I am grateful that he has blessed us with this book. I hope many others, especially those concerned about cultic influences, make a point to read it.
-Mary McConnell
I bought this book for myself because I saw that it was about life for one boy at a Scientology boarding school. As soon as it arrived, I was still reading Janet Reitman's 'Inside Scientology' so I offered it to my teenager in the hopes that the book would take him away from his video games onto the reading list I planned for him for the summer.
My son could not put the book down until he was finished. I have never seen him like this about a book! When I told him I was going to write a review, he said to tell readers "This is an awesome book!" And indeed it is. I wish Janet Reitman had read it before she wrote about the exscientology kids in this new book of hers. She would have had a better perspective of what these kids are made to endure and perhaps ask more involved questions when she interviewed them.
This is an profound, touching and well written fictionalized story from the perspective of bright but dyslexic teenager who makes the choice to attend a boarding school he knows almost nothing about rather than become the failure his father has already decided he will probably be. Little does he know what he has gotten himself into and where it will take his life. We share in the often times harrowing adventure as he matures while learning to survive the Truman Show confines of the opressive and totalitarian Scientology based 'Lamia School', based, I suspect, on the infamous Delphian School of Sheridan, Oregon.
Now, I am a former long time scientologist who has seen first hand the harm that Scientology does to people and families. Especially the harm done to children. One only has to read the stories of other attendees of this school program, as well as the many exscientology kids testimonies on the internet, to understand.
This is, perhaps, the first book ever written about the life of a teenager entering the dark world of Scientology unawares. The fact that it is fictionalized is due to several factors:
1), who wants to be sued by Scientology? lol!
And 2) it gives the author option to allow the teen to take liberties with his experiences and imagination to arrive at his own form of retribution.
You follow the main character, Leif, through his efforts to make sense of and rise above the insanity and indoctrination while others succumb to one degree or another. In reading this, it reminded me of a magnified version of The Stepford Wives for teens. This is a good thing because the importances of a 14 year old are always magnified. It's the nature of the beast of puberty.
This is a must read book for readers of all ages but a word of of caution for parents that there is a small amount of profanity typical of teens and they may want to review it first. I suggest they do this anyway because it is an excellent look into the psyche of a teenager trying to make sense of and take a stand against evil influences. I am sure that this was a cathartic effort for Paul Csige and I am grateful that he has blessed us with this book. I hope many others, especially those concerned about cultic influences, make a point to read it.
-Mary McConnell
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