Book Reviews - Jeff Hawkins

In 1968 I worked for Pubs Org (Scientology Publications Org) in Edinburgh, and a group of three joined staff. They came from the USA and wanted to help improve Scientology's promotion (magazines and the like). They knew of the ban on people entering the U.K to study Scientology and successfully avoided that. They went to Saint Hill in South England and asked for Pubs Org, were told it had moved but were refused the new address. In fact the staff they asked just encouraged them to go on staff at the org of the people they asked. Somehow (by asking non staff members) they found we (Pubs Org) were in Edinburgh. They took the train to Edinburgh and joined staff. Jeff Hawkins was one of them. He left Scientology staff 35 years later and has written a book on his experiences. That book is the first subject of this double book review.

The name of the book is Counterfeit Dreams, and it was first published in 2010 as a summary and expansion of an Internet Blog that Jeff had written of the same name. He thus had the feedback of people reading the blog when he wrote the book. The first chapters give a very good picture of the Pubs Org I worked in, which although not being a Sea Org organisation, was very much influenced by Sea Org practices (which was the reason I did not renew my contract!). Jeff's Scientology staff slave career went on a lot longer. He was involved in improving Scientology promotion, and probably was responsible for the success of official Scientology in the following years. I recommend the book. I got the printed book, but you can also get it from Kindle – they quoted me (in Europe) the price of $9.94.

However Jeff did not rest on his laurels. It would appear that he had an obsession (or flair) for communicating (not a bad thing if kept under control – i.e. two way communication, including a large dose of curiosity and a desire to help ). He established another blog, called "Leaving Scientology". For there were still unanswered (or partially answered) questions. Among them would have been;

• How could an organization get so insane, when according to data given out when the 7 division org board was announced in 1965 it was "perfect" and had special facilities for correcting wrongnesses in the organization.

• How do you leave in an optimum way, since all possible (legal and illegal) barriers are put in your way.

• How has it got so bad?

Jeff must have got a lot of experience while running that blog on what problems and questions people still had. Additionally he has done a lot of research into various aspects and experiments related to cults (suppressive groups). In his book Leaving Scientology, he has carefully distilled his experience and research and presented them in a very well written manner. You can get it from Kindle as an e-book.

What struck me most about Leaving Scientology, having read books on cults, etc., when I was thrown out of the "Church" and read and heard a lot since then was the idea of systemic problems? To quote a passage from the book: "What do I mean by systemic problems? Well, two of the factors Zimbardo talks about in his book, factors that encourage people to be abusive to others, are deindividuation and dehumanization." Jeff goes into some experiments made. It was a missing piece for me to the jigsaw puzzle. It also has a bearing (which I have not worked out) on things like why is Russia (and all former USSR areas) still rather suppressive, despite a revolution against the Czars, the death of Stalin, and the end of the cold war. (Truly this planet is complex!) But there is more – it is a very well researched book, in my opinion. As an aside, on a similar line, Geir Isene "On Scientology" a YouTube thing at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7QOAUcqyYc also gave me food for thought, especially on some peoples goal to reform the "Church" and also who is responsible for an individual's results from Scientology and other practices.

You can see the original "Leaving Scientology" blog at: https://leavingscientology.wordpress.com where there are comments of others. Jeff has wisely distilled these down in his book, Leaving Scientology,which you can get as an e-book (Kindle) for $9.94 (or less).

Counterfeit Dreams comes as an e-book (Kindle) at $9.94 includes VAT & free international wireless delivery (that means price to Denmark). The hardback edition can be obtained at: http://counterfeitdreams.com for $24.95 - you might consider it worthwhile having it on your bookshelf – there are pictures (including top picture on page 180, of me as a forty one year old "Antony" at Pubs Org in Copenhagen).

 STOP PRESS

On 17th January 2015 Jeff Published his latest book in a Kindle edition: Closing Minds How Scientology’s" Ethics Technology” is Used to Control their Members, Hawkeye Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.