GaffneyMD

A Truly Insightful, Balanced, & Personal Telling of Life.

Revisado: 09-16-22

This is a first hand, personal, account of a huge swath of Ms. Gillham-Grady’s life that is as detailed as it is compelling, emotionally raw, and heartfelt. Told in the first person with a sincere attempt to not lose the reader (who may not be as familiar with all of the nuanced language, vocabulary, methods, etc. in Scientology). The author was clearly committed to conveying her experience authentically - even though she had the clear benefit of hindsight. My only critique of the audiobook, specifically, would be that the narrator (who speaks with an American accent) sometimes does not correctly interpret the intonation/rhythm of someone who writes with an Australian accent. The narrator also stumbles over some of the “unique” vocabulary but these elements are hardly rare in books not read by the author. However, these minor missteps pale in comparison to the story being told and the emotion clearly poured into the pages by the author.

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A fascinating tale of a dark time.

Revisado: 10-01-19

Terry Gross’ (from NPR/WHYY-Philadelphia) interview with Stephen Kinzer about this dark time in US history provoked my interest in the book — which did not disappoint. It is a well-written, well-constricted, and deeply thought provoking story of the post-WWII creation and massive expansion of CIA programs to develop non-atomic weapons of mass destruction.

Amidst the historical underpinnings are details about the personal lives of the players involved in these programs and some of the justifications they used to continue their work over many years.

My only critique has nothing to do the writing itself but of the delivery. In his attempt to add some dramatic flair - Mr. Linkin tries (somewhat unsuccessfully) to mimic a speech impediment of one of the central characters and on occasion (oddly) mis-pronounces some words. However, these slight flaws pale in comparison to the positives.

Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a deeper dive into history as well as those who enjoy trying to understand the psychological composition of people who are able to justify human atrocities in service of what they believe is the greater good.

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