Jim jones surviving sons on the massacre at jonestown. It is an extremely fair view of both the man, jim jones, and the people who followed him. File this november 1978 file photo shows the peoples temple compound, led by jim jones, after bodies were removed, in jonestown, guyana. Jeff guinns new biography of jim jones, the road to jonestown, is a salient look at how a demagogue is made. They did so on the orders of the cults leader, jim jones. The road to jonestown book by jeff guinn official publisher. The death toll exceeded 900, making it one of the largest mass deaths in american history. After getting word of people coming to investigate the society, jones had committed a mass suicide by poisoning koolaid and giving it to the people of jonestown. The mass suicidemurder took place at the socalled jonestown settlement in the south american nation of guyana. This is a scarily relevant book about the jonestown. An audio recording made on november 18, 1978, at the peoples temple compound in jonestown, guyana immediately preceding and during the mass suicide and murder of over 900 members of the cult. This is a scarily relevant book about the jonestown massacre gq. The 918 deaths in guyana under cult leader jim jones were more mass murder than suicide. The story is based on the 2017 book by road to jonestown by jeff guinn.
Jim jones surviving sons on the massacre at jonestown more stephan jones and jim jones jr. Bebelaar counted the names of 19 opportunity students on it. Even before they left for the jonestown site, the peoples temple members were subjects of local scandal in the news. An excellent, thoroughly researched book on the jonestown massacre. The road to jonestown npr coverage of the road to jonestown. As guinn found out while researching and writing the road to jonestown. Dozens of peoples temple members in guyana survived the mass suicides and murders of more than 900 because they had slipped out of jonestown or happened to be away nov.
The transcript of reverend jim jones last speech, guyana 1978. Jim jones was the cult leader of the peoples temple who led more than 900 followers in a mass suicide known as the jonestown massacre. Dateline nbc takes an indepth look at jim jones and the jonestown massacre. It follows the groups leader reverend jim jones from his roots as a charismatic preacher and civil rights advocate in indiana into a narcissistic demagogue who led the biggest mass suicide in u. The book the road to jonestown by jeff guinn states. The jonestown massacre took place on november 18, 1978, after more than 900 members of an american cult called the peoples temple died in a mass suicidemurder under the direction of their. Jim jones and his wife, marceline, taken from a photo album left behind in jonestown, guyana. On november 18, 1978, in what became known as the jonestown massacre, more than 900 members of a famous american cult called the peoples temple died in a mass suicidemurder under the direction of their leader jim jones 193178. Those who drank jim joness koolaid in guyana did not drink it first. Jonestown was a small community in the jungle of guyana, south america. Flavor aid, don harris, jackie speier, mark lane author, the brian jonestown massacre, donald freed, wings of deliverance by.
Dateline nbc takes an indepth look at jim jones and jonestown massacre retro indy. In his new book, the road to jonestown, journalist jeff guinn details how jones captivated so many. The boston globethe definitive story of preacher jim jones, who was responsible for the jonestown massacre, the largest murdersuicide. Jonestown, guyana was the scene of one of the most harrowing tragedies in american history. He says that to understand how a thing like that can happen, you have to do what leaders like jim jones and his. But none has been quite so dramatic or compelling as the jonestown massacre of 1978, in which the reverend jim jones and 9 of his disciples perished. In the 1950s, a young indianapolis minister named jim jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and marxism. Jim jones, the peoples temple, and the murderous ordeal at jonestown in 1978. Stephan, jim jones son who was 19 at the time, says the warning signs that went unnoticed at jonestown can be seen in the world today.
In 2012, she was named to newsweek s list of 150 fearless women in the world and is included in the 2018 politico 50 list of top influencers transforming american politics. Jim jones and the peoples temple, released in bookstores on tuesday, most of the people involved had a. How jim jones led massacre victims to drink the koolaid. Yet, of the many books about jonestown published by peoples temple attorneys, defectors, survivors, members, or their relatives, in no case was the author an african american. Jim jones, the cult leader behind the mass suicide. Deborah layton had been a member of the peoples temple for seven years when she departed for jonestown, guyana, the promised land nestled deep in the south american jungle. This featurelength docudrama tracks the final buildup to a horrific doomsday. Pdf the road to jonestown download full pdf book download. How the victims and survivors of the jonestown massacre were treated by the media immediately after the events was another tragedy, on top. Religion in american life named the reverend who distributed confiscated bibles in jonestown only after the communes bathrooms ran out of toilet paper as one of the nations 100 outstanding clergymen in 1976. The road to jonestown jim jones and peoples temple is among the best comprehensive and authoritative books written covering the jonestown massacre that claimed the lives of 918 people in guyana, south america on november 18, 1978.
Jones followers originally came to the guyanese community, known as jonestown, seeking paradise and an escape from racism and persecution in the united states. Dateline nbc looks at jim jones and the jonestown massacre. The evans family, who survived the jonestown massacre by walking out of. Among the survivors were stephan, tim and jim jones jr.
The author also has the unique perspective of having been at jonestown personally, and having survived the airstrip massacre. This was a quote in the book from jim jones that gave me chills. By the new york times bestselling author of manson, the comprehensive, authoritative, and tragic story of preacher jim jones, who was responsible for the jonestown massacrethe largest murdersuicide in american history. This is a scarily relevant book about the jonestown massacre jeff guinns new biography of jim jones, the road to jonestown, is a salient look at how a demagogue is made. Jackie received a ba in political science from the university of california at davis. The book covers every aspect of jim jones life, from his early childhood until his death. Nonfiction books on peoples temple by year of publication. Sunday 18 november is the 40th anniversary of the notorious jonestown massacre where more than 900 people died at a settlement run by christian cult leader jim jones. Jonestown, location of the mass murdersuicide of the californiabased peoples temple cult at the behest of their charismatic but paranoid leader, jim jones, in jonestown agricultural commune, guyana, on november 18, 1978. Steven hassan interviews vernon gosney, a survivor of the jonestown massacre, and discusses the mind control cult of jim jones.
The list below is of all published books about jonestown and peoples temple. They were spared because they played on the jonestown basketball team and had been away in georgetown, guyana, for a tournament the day of the massacre. Jim jones is known for being the leader of the peoples temple religious group and for the jonestown massacre, when he led the mass murdersuicide of more than 900 members of the group at their commune in jonestown, guyana, on november 18, 1978. On november 18, 1978, 909 members of the peoples temple living in the jonestown settlement in guyana consumed a deadly, cyanidelaced drink. Reporters 1978 account of deadly ambush, jonestown tragedy. The jonestown massacre also remains the only time in history in which a u. Teachers recall students they lost in jonestown in and. Originally compiled by denice stephenson of the california historical society, it is now updated by the editors of this site. Jim joness sons speak out in 40th anniversary jonestown. On november 18, 1978, at the direction of charismatic cult leader jim jones, 909 members of the peoples temple died, all but two from apparent cyanide poisoning, in a revolutionary suicide. Jim jones, founder of the peoples temple sect, in jonestown in november 1978. It has been claimed by some jonestown researchers that leo ryan, who had been a vocal critic of the cia for years, had discovered the community was not being run by jim jones, but by the cia.
Instead, they found something that resembled a concentration camp in which they worked long hours with little food and much abuse, those who escaped jonestown have reported. Jonestown massacre took place under direction of cult leader jim jones, in which 909 members of the peoples temple died by murdersuicide in. Ballad of jim jones by the brian jonestown massacre, available on thank god for. Nearly 40 years later, jonestown offers a lesson in demagoguery. The jonestown massacre revisited the new york times. Books about jim jones and jonestown score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.