“Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography”

By: Andrew Morton

Andrew Morton’s new book, “Tom Cruise; An Unauthorized Biography” is most definitely “unauthorized.” Author Morton seems to spend as much time writing about the "Church of Scientology" (generally thought of as a cult and is actually banned in Greece) as he does Cruise the man. And that has the Scientology camp pretty angry, because Morton’s book is defiantly not a pro-Scientology tome. The Associated Press reported that, after publication of the book the “church responded with a 15 page statement, calling the book a “bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies.” Cruise’s publicity firm, Rogers & Cowan also issued a statement saying that Morton was basically lying. While Morton does supply a bibliography at the end of the book, he does not use footnotes, and sometimes the quotes he uses are just hanging out there, un-attributed.

But the book does make for interesting reading, and perhaps a guilty pleasure in the sense that it’s full of gossip. But Morton does have some points. Cruise is a crusader for Scientology. And he doesn’t care who knows it. He’s king of the hill in Hollywood, now running and part owner of United Artists film studio. He has married beautiful Katie Holmes, (see her before Tom and after Tom photo in the book; that says a lot) and a new baby, (not the spawn of author L. Ron Hubbard as many Scientologists allegedly hoped).

One of the controversial things Scientology believes in, (aside from the whole Alien Beings thing), is that mental health disorders can basically be dealt with using vitamins, and that psychiatrists should be eliminated.

On a local level the book talks about the Mental Health Matters website. The Arizona legislative watchdog group sites lawmakers who supported bills which were trying to keep the state from being involved in mental health, which they call “pro-Scientology” legislation. An article in the Arizona Republic quotes Arizona Senator Carolyn Allen, who chairs the Senate Health Committee as saying, “you don’t have to buy into their religious philosophy” to agree with the philosophy on medications.” Scientology’s beliefs on mental health are best shown by Tom Cruise when he speaks to Matt Lauer on the Today Show (second half of interview) about Brooke Shields taking medications for post-partum Depression.

The Elli Perkins tragedy is also related in the book. Perkins was a Scientologist for 30 years, and as a result refused to take her son to a psychiatrist, despite advice from several doctors. Eventually he murdered his mother, stabbing her 77 times. He was later diagnosed as mentally ill, having paranoid schizophrenia. Soon afterwards an ad appeared in a Los Angeles newspaper saying, “Thank you Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology, for your expert advice on mental illness.”

While Morton admires Cruise’s ambition and talent as an actor, (and he doesn’t call him the anti-Christ, but perhaps he’ll do a sequel), he is definitely against Scientology. He calls it “The intellectual equivalent of the Flat Earth Society, a group locked in a time warp inexorably bound by the rules defined by its founders.” He also seems to be most distressed by the “disconnect” policy of the church. It states that if one of your family members defects from the church, you must either leave the church with them, or disconnect from them. In other words severe all connections with your family forever. Morton tells of several broken families and the heartache they suffered, according to them, because of the church.

You can reserve a copy at your local Prescott Public Library . 

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