Full Article Text
Home |Register |Sign In
Home
Top Picks: All Books
The Road to Jonestown
The Road to Jonestown
Jim Jones and Peoples Temple
by Jeff Guinn
Price: $28.00 (Hardcover)
MorePublished: April 11, 2017
Rating: 0.0/ 5 (0 votes cast)
From the Publisher: 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 Massacre—the largest murder-suicide in American history. In the 1950s, a young Indianapolis minister
named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism. His
congregation was racially integrated, and he was a much-lauded leader inthe contemporary civil rights movement. Eventually, Jones moved hischurch, Peoples Temple, to northern California. He became involved in
electoral politics, and soon was a prominent Bay Area leader. In this
riveting narrative, Jeff Guinn examines Jones’s life, from his extramaritalaffairs, drug use, and fraudulent faith healing to the fraught decision tomove almost a thousand of his followers to a settlement in the jungles ofGuyana in South…
Rate This Book
Add To Wishlist
|Rate/Review Add To Bookshelf
Get This Book
Personalize / Add More ChoicesGo to your preferred retailer, click to choose a format and you' ll be taken directly to their site where
you can get this book.
What We Say
Like most people, my knowledge of cult leader Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple begins and ends with Kool-Aid and a
mass suicide in Guyana in the 1970s. This fascinating biography tells the story of his entire life and it makes for a quietlygripping read. I can't speak to what's new here compared to earlier books and I've never seen any of the films or
documentaries about that bizarre episode. But this is a convincing, matter-of-fact work that presents Jones in as objective
a light as one could ask for, no small task given the terrible end he brought to his followers. Even more interestingly to me,author Jeff Guinn helped me understand how someone could be involved with the Peoples Temple without being theShare This Book
About The Author
Jeff Guinn
MoreJeff Guinn is a former award-winning
investigative journalist and the bestselling
author of numerous books, including GoDown Together: The True Untold Story of
Bonnie and Clyde, The Last Gunfight: The
Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K.Corral and How It Changed the West, and
Manson: The …. Guinn lives in Fort Worth,
Texas.
Release Info
List Price: $28.00 (Hardcover)
Published: April 11, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 544
ISBN 10: 1476763828
ISBN 13: 9781476763828
gullible or foolish prey for a charlatan that outsiders might imagine. My empathy for those ensnared in a cult for whatever
reason is greater. It begins simply with the story of Jim's mother, a woman prone to grandiose lies and determined to make
a notable life for herself. When that doesn't happen, she settles for being the mother of a boy who is sure to become a
great man. According to Guinn, Jim Jones had a gift for winning over people from an early age, an easy way with a lie andan even easier way with the half-truth that pulls others onto your side. Intriguingly, much of his early life and ministry isweirdly compelling and in a way admirable. Jim Jones had a lifelong devotion to racial and economic justice that was real,if complicated. His work in Indianapolis was progressive, helping to integrate many of the city's businesses in a way that
made him appealing to those on every side of the issue. But also from the start we see duplicity, such as his willingness to
preach the Bible while privately disdaining a belief in a "Sky God" and really wanting to lure people towards Marxism. WhileJones duped folks with fake mind readings and fake miracles, he also delivered a genuinely progressive and positivemessage. Jones put it into practice with soup kitchens and integration of his ministry and college scholarships -- real andpalpable changes in the world around him. The Peoples Temple was a place that didn't just promise a better life in the
hereafter but helped anyone with the problems of today, whether it was navigating red tape at City Hall or helping elect
like-minded politicians. He appealed to Bible thumpers and Marxists, to disillusioned people of faith and atheists andsomehow held it all together. His methods always contained the original sin of lies and deceit, but you can see why so manypeople felt drawn to the tangible work the Peoples Temple accomplished. That makes it all the creepier as Jones becomes
more and more megalomaniacal, as he veers from mocking the idea of God to claiming divinity for himself. Jones became a
drug-addled fool and at the same time a detail-oriented leader of a vast enterprise generating millions of dollars. He toyedwith running for office or fleeing the country to establish a base in Brazil or the Soviet Union or Cuba or ultimately Guyana.He went from a faithful and happy marriage to running a virtual harem of female (and male) followers. The contradictionsand confusions build and build until the only surprise is that it didn't all end even sooner in disaster. For anyone with the
slightest interest in cults or Jones in particular, this is a revealing work. -- Michael Giltz
What Others Say
“I have to say that it is weird to find out the background of things that I grew up hearing about around the
dinner table. The level of research and detail in The Road to Jonestown is the best ever, and really lets readers
understand not only what happened, but how and why. This book tells the Jim Jones story better than anything I
have read to date.” - Jim Jones, Jr.
"Magisterial. . . . Guinn's exhaustive research, shrewd analysis, and engaging prose illuminate a monstrous yet
tragic figure--and the motives of those who lost their souls to him." - Publishers Weekly
"A vivid, fascinating revisitation of a time and series of episodes fast receding into history even as their forgottensurvivors still walk among us." - Kirkus Reviews
What You Say
Filter by
No Reviews Found .....
about us |faq|advertise |privacy policy |newsletter |contact us ©2018, BookBuddha LLc. All Rights Reserved.
Home
Top Picks: All Books
The Road to Jonestown
The Road to Jonestown
Jim Jones and Peoples Temple
by Jeff Guinn
Price: $28.00 (Hardcover)
MorePublished: April 11, 2017
Rating: 0.0/ 5 (0 votes cast)
From the Publisher: 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 Massacre—the largest murder-suicide in American history. In the 1950s, a young Indianapolis minister
named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism. His
congregation was racially integrated, and he was a much-lauded leader inthe contemporary civil rights movement. Eventually, Jones moved hischurch, Peoples Temple, to northern California. He became involved in
electoral politics, and soon was a prominent Bay Area leader. In this
riveting narrative, Jeff Guinn examines Jones’s life, from his extramaritalaffairs, drug use, and fraudulent faith healing to the fraught decision tomove almost a thousand of his followers to a settlement in the jungles ofGuyana in South…
Rate This Book
Add To Wishlist
|Rate/Review Add To Bookshelf
Get This Book
Personalize / Add More ChoicesGo to your preferred retailer, click to choose a format and you' ll be taken directly to their site where
you can get this book.
What We Say
Like most people, my knowledge of cult leader Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple begins and ends with Kool-Aid and a
mass suicide in Guyana in the 1970s. This fascinating biography tells the story of his entire life and it makes for a quietlygripping read. I can't speak to what's new here compared to earlier books and I've never seen any of the films or
documentaries about that bizarre episode. But this is a convincing, matter-of-fact work that presents Jones in as objective
a light as one could ask for, no small task given the terrible end he brought to his followers. Even more interestingly to me,author Jeff Guinn helped me understand how someone could be involved with the Peoples Temple without being theShare This Book
About The Author
Jeff Guinn
MoreJeff Guinn is a former award-winning
investigative journalist and the bestselling
author of numerous books, including GoDown Together: The True Untold Story of
Bonnie and Clyde, The Last Gunfight: The
Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K.Corral and How It Changed the West, and
Manson: The …. Guinn lives in Fort Worth,
Texas.
Release Info
List Price: $28.00 (Hardcover)
Published: April 11, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 544
ISBN 10: 1476763828
ISBN 13: 9781476763828
gullible or foolish prey for a charlatan that outsiders might imagine. My empathy for those ensnared in a cult for whatever
reason is greater. It begins simply with the story of Jim's mother, a woman prone to grandiose lies and determined to make
a notable life for herself. When that doesn't happen, she settles for being the mother of a boy who is sure to become a
great man. According to Guinn, Jim Jones had a gift for winning over people from an early age, an easy way with a lie andan even easier way with the half-truth that pulls others onto your side. Intriguingly, much of his early life and ministry isweirdly compelling and in a way admirable. Jim Jones had a lifelong devotion to racial and economic justice that was real,if complicated. His work in Indianapolis was progressive, helping to integrate many of the city's businesses in a way that
made him appealing to those on every side of the issue. But also from the start we see duplicity, such as his willingness to
preach the Bible while privately disdaining a belief in a "Sky God" and really wanting to lure people towards Marxism. WhileJones duped folks with fake mind readings and fake miracles, he also delivered a genuinely progressive and positivemessage. Jones put it into practice with soup kitchens and integration of his ministry and college scholarships -- real andpalpable changes in the world around him. The Peoples Temple was a place that didn't just promise a better life in the
hereafter but helped anyone with the problems of today, whether it was navigating red tape at City Hall or helping elect
like-minded politicians. He appealed to Bible thumpers and Marxists, to disillusioned people of faith and atheists andsomehow held it all together. His methods always contained the original sin of lies and deceit, but you can see why so manypeople felt drawn to the tangible work the Peoples Temple accomplished. That makes it all the creepier as Jones becomes
more and more megalomaniacal, as he veers from mocking the idea of God to claiming divinity for himself. Jones became a
drug-addled fool and at the same time a detail-oriented leader of a vast enterprise generating millions of dollars. He toyedwith running for office or fleeing the country to establish a base in Brazil or the Soviet Union or Cuba or ultimately Guyana.He went from a faithful and happy marriage to running a virtual harem of female (and male) followers. The contradictionsand confusions build and build until the only surprise is that it didn't all end even sooner in disaster. For anyone with the
slightest interest in cults or Jones in particular, this is a revealing work. -- Michael Giltz
What Others Say
“I have to say that it is weird to find out the background of things that I grew up hearing about around the
dinner table. The level of research and detail in The Road to Jonestown is the best ever, and really lets readers
understand not only what happened, but how and why. This book tells the Jim Jones story better than anything I
have read to date.” - Jim Jones, Jr.
"Magisterial. . . . Guinn's exhaustive research, shrewd analysis, and engaging prose illuminate a monstrous yet
tragic figure--and the motives of those who lost their souls to him." - Publishers Weekly
"A vivid, fascinating revisitation of a time and series of episodes fast receding into history even as their forgottensurvivors still walk among us." - Kirkus Reviews
What You Say
Filter by
No Reviews Found .....
about us |faq|advertise |privacy policy |newsletter |contact us ©2018, BookBuddha LLc. All Rights Reserved.