The Unbreakable Miss Lovely; How the Church of Scientology Tried to Destroy Paulette Cooper

Ortega, Tony

ISBN 10: 1511639377 / ISBN 13: 9781511639378

Published by Silvertail Books, London, 2015

About this Item

[6], 398 pages. Inscribed by the author on the title page. The inscription reads "To Julia - Your great interest in the subject inspires me! Tony Ortega". Anthony "Tony" Ortega is an American journalist and editor who is best known for his coverage of the Church of Scientology and his blog The Underground Bunker. He was executive editor of Raw Story from 2013 until 2015. Previously, he had been a journalist at the New Times LA, the editor-in-chief of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times from 2005 to 2007, and the editor-in-chief of The Village Voice from 2007 to 2012. He is author of the non-fiction book The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, about the Church of Scientology's attempts to silence her after her own book was published. Ortega spent nearly seventeen years working for various alternative weekly newspapers in the Voice Media Group (VMG). He has worked at the Phoenix New Times, the New Times LA and The Pitch. In 2001, Ortega spent time with and profiled detective and conspiracy theorist William Dear for the New Times LA newspaper after Dear spent several years constructing a case around Jason Simpson (son of O.J Simpson) in the O. J. Simpson murder case. Ortega was highly critical of his methods, in particular spending two weeks impersonating a doctor in an attempt to access Jason Simpson's medical records. Tony Ortega has been covering Scientology for over 20 years and, according to the Phoenix New Times, "has become one of the foremost reporters on the Scientology beat". In 1971 Paulette Cooper wrote a scathing book about the Church of Scientology. Desperate to shut the book down, Scientology unleashed on her one of the most sinister personal campaigns the free world has ever known. The onslaught, which lasted years, ruined her life, and drove her to the brink of suicide. The story of Paulette's terrifying ordeal is told in full for the first time in The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, published by Silvertail Books. It reveals the shocking details of the darkest chapter in Scientology's checkered history, which ended with senior members in prison, and the organization's reputation permanently damaged. --A brilliant exposition of how a child who escaped the Nazis grew up to be hunted by the Church of Scientology' - John Sweeney 'A page-turner packed with barely believable facts. The details are worthy of John le Carre' - Jon Atack. Derived from a Kirkus review: Ortega, in his nonfiction debut, describes a journalist s decades-long battle against the Church of Scientology. There have been assertions of horror stories involving the Church of Scientology in a plethora of books, articles, documentaries, and interviews with ex-members. This new account focuses on Paulette Cooper, one of the first journalists to investigate what many see as the questionable moral practices of L. Ron Hubbard s religion and one of the first people, he says, to become a target of its vengeance. In a 1969 article in Queen magazine and later in a 1971 book, The Scandal of Scientology, Cooper offered a damning exploration of the church and its practices. "More than previous writers," notes Ortega, "Paulette focused on the harassment of those who dared to speak up about Scientology, whether they d been in the church or not." In response to her words, Ortega says, the church set out to destroy her life with an unprecedented years-long campaign of litigation, defamation, intimidation, and harassment that pushed the journalist nearly to the breaking point. In Cooper, Ortega finds the perfect foil to what he portrays as the secretive, suppressive machinations of Scientology: she s a nearly archetypical newshound, savvy and scoop-obsessed, with a colorful history of committing fully to her work. For example, Ortega shares one anecdote of Cooper stowing away on a cruise ship for the sake of a travel piece, hiding in plain sight and stashing a change of clothes in a barroom piano. This book is far from just an.

Seller Inventory # 88818

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Unbreakable Miss Lovely; How the Church of Scientology Tried to Destroy Paulette Cooper
• Publisher: Silvertail Books, London
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1511639377
• ISBN 13: 9781511639378
• Binding: Trade paperback
• Edition: First Printing [Stated].
• Condition: Very good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

HOW THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY TRIED TO DESTROY THE WOMAN WHO DARED TO INVESTIGATE IT - AS FEATURED ON LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

'One of the most remarkable and unlikely narratives in the sprawling field of Scientology exposés...compulsively readable' The A.V. Club

In 1971 Paulette Cooper wrote a scathing book about the Church of Scientology. Desperate to shut the book down, Scientology unleashed on her one of the most sinister personal campaigns the free world has ever known.

For years, Paulette was harassed, stalked, followed and sued. She had people sent undercover to befriend her, was entrapped by private investigators in the pay of Scientology, and was even framed as an alleged mailer of bomb threats. Her life was ruined, and she was driven to the brink of suicide.

The story of Paulette’s terrifying ordeal is told in full for the first time in THE UNBREAKABLE MISS LOVELY. It reveals the shocking details of the darkest chapter in Scientology’s checkered history, which ended with senior members in prison, and the organization’s reputation permanently damaged.

What readers are saying about THE UNBREAKABLE MISS LOVELY:

‘A brilliant exposition of how a child who escaped the Nazis grew up to be hunted by the Church of Scientology’ John Sweeney

‘A page-turner packed with barely believable facts. The details are worthy of John le Carré’ Jon Atack

'A true crime thriller... absolutely engrossing' Amazon Review

'This book was absolutely astonishing! What Scientology put this woman through, year-after-year-after-year, was horrendous' Amazon Review

'Absolutely fascinating description of possibly the most notorious event in the history of scientology' Amazon Review

THE UNBREAKABLE MISS LOVELY is a story of courage and resilience that will take your breath away. Get it now.

About the Author

Tony Ortega is executive editor of The Raw Story and former editor-in-chief of The Village Voice. He's been writing about Scientology throughout his career, and also operates his own website with breaking news about the church at www.tonyortega.org. He lives in New York City. The Unbreakable Miss Lovely is his first book.