'The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple' by Jeff Guinn is a thorough history of Jim Jones, exploring his evolution from a pro integrationist to a manipulative cult leader who orchestrated the Jonestown mass suicide. Guinn delves into Jones' childhood, his rise to power, and the events that led to the tragic end in Guyana in 1978. The writing style is captivating and detailed, drawing from a wide range of sources including direct interviews, making it a compelling non-fiction read that reads like a novel.
Genres:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include mass suicide, abusive behavior, psychological manipulation, and discussions of drug use.
From The Publisher:
2018 Edgar Award Finalist-Best Fact Crime
"A thoroughly readable, thoroughly chilling account of a brilliant con man and his all-too vulnerable prey" (The Boston Globe)-the definitive story of preacher Jim Jones, who was responsible for the Jonestown Massacre, the largest murder-suicide in American history, by the New York Times bestselling author of Manson.
In the 1950s, a young Indianapolis minister named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism. His congregation was racially mixed, and he was a leader in the early civil rights movement. Eventually, Jones moved his church, Peoples Temple, to northern California, where he got involved in electoral politics and became a prominent Bay Area leader. But underneath the surface lurked a terrible darkness.
In this riveting narrative, Jeff Guinn examines Jones's life, from his early days as an idealistic minister to a secret life of extramarital affairs, drug use, and fraudulent faith healing, before the fateful decision to move almost a thousand of his followers to a settlement in the jungles of Guyana in South America. Guinn provides stunning new details of the events leading to the fatal day in November, 1978 when more than nine hundred people died-including almost three hundred infants and children-after being ordered to swallow a cyanide-laced drink.
Guinn examined thousands of pages of FBI files on the case, including material released during the course of his research. He traveled to Jones's Indiana hometown, where he spoke to people never previously interviewed, and uncovered fresh information from Jonestown survivors. He even visited the Jonestown site with the same pilot who flew there the day that Congressman Leo Ryan was murdered on Jones's orders. The Road to Jonestown is "the most complete picture to date of this tragic saga, and of the man who engineered it…The result is a disturbing portrait of evil-and a compassionate memorial to those taken in by Jones's malign charisma" (San Francisco Chronicle).
Ratings (6)
Incredible (3) | |
Loved It (3) |
Reader Stats (22):
Read It (8) | |
Want To Read (13) | |
Did Not Finish (1) |
1 comment(s)
An extremely disturbing yet fascinating read. Can't believe something like this actually happened and how dangerous cults can be. Good writing and very interesting with all the fact and stories. But won't probably not read it again, to horrible of a story
What can you read after
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple?
About the Author:
Jeff Guinn is the bestselling author of numerous books, including Go Down Together, The Last Gunfight, Manson, and The Road to Jonestown. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
