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Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Image by Stephen Dyrgas/Creative Commons via flickr

Tuesday, Doug is joined by Pulitzer prize-winning author Lawrence Wright whose latest book investigates the Church of Scientology. Wright says that he's fascinated by why people would be drawn to what he's called "the most stigmatized religion in America." Over the course of three years, Wright sat down with more than 200 current and former members to get at that question. The result is an exhaustive look at the history and the inner workings of Scientology. His book is called Going Clear. (Rebroadcast)

Lawrence Wright is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. His books include "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief" [ Amazon / Indiebound] and "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11" [ Amazon/ Indiebound], which earned him the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.