Falling from a Pink Cloud

M. L. Francoeur's memoir starts with a childhood marked by trauma and follows the long search for meaning that grew out of it. That search led him into Scientology and several other controversial groups, each of which promised a way out of reality rather than a way through it. The book asks what happens when the hunt for salvation turns into a way of avoiding yourself.

The turning point comes as Francoeur faces the ghosts of his past, including an unsettling vision of his dead father. He comes to see that healing does not come from altered states of mind. It comes from facing his demons directly. The subtitle, When Spirituality Leads to a Dead End, points to the book's central idea, that spirituality can be used to bypass pain and to build self-deception.

The memoir traces his climb out of the despair left by trauma and his slow arrival at an honest sense of who he is. It is written for readers who are struggling with their past, their faith, or their place in the world.