Derek

Derek asked Lawrence Wright:

I learned quite a bit about UBL and Al Qaeda by reading "The Looming Tower". While I also enjoyed and learnt quite a bit about Scientology from "Going Clear", I came away with many more questions about the church and their members than Al Qaeda. Is this something readers have told you before? Or did you experience this yourself?

Lawrence Wright I suppose al-Qaeda is easier to understand, in terms of the young people who are attracted to it, often from broken countries offering few opportunities. Al-Qaeda offers them the chance to change history. Scientology sells the idea of personal success, but the cost can be ruinous, both financially and in terms of the destruction of relationships. Unlike the case of al-Qaeda, that's not obvious from the start.

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Goodreads

Goodreads asked Lawrence Wright:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Alison Jepsen

Alison Jepsen asked Lawrence Wright:

I recently read your book, Going Clear, and have been thinking about it a lot. From what you learned while interviewing others about Scientology, what do you think is the need that you saw most consistently that caused people to want to join and stay in for years? How did you feel coming out of such an intense project?

Max Driffill

Max Driffill asked Lawrence Wright:

How does this latest book fit into the rest of your work, which focuses a great deal on the power of belief to lever action and behavior?

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Lawrence Wright

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