   | Death in the jungle : murder, betrayal, and the lost dream of Jonestown Author: Fleming, Candace | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
A chilling chronicle, written for young adults, of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple and how Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple, convinced more than 900 of his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced punch.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (05/01/25)
School Library Journal (+) (03/01/25)
Booklist (+) (00/02/25)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (+) (00/03/25)
The Hornbook (+) (00/05/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 02/03/2025 In riveting detail, Fleming (The Enigma Girls) recounts the murder of more than 900 Peoples Temple followers in Guyana by American cult leader Jim Jones (1931-1978). A prologue poses complicated questions ("What caused seemingly ‘normal’ people to get caught up in something so fanatical?"), provides historical and contemporary cult definitions, and includes examples of their potentially destructive values and demands. Searing accounts of Peoples Temple survivors and defectors go on to examine Jones’s personal history, which a quote from the subject’s son Stephan asserts one must know to understand the formation of the organization. Frank text notes Jones was "bossy and controlling. And always got his way" during his upbringing in Indiana. Struggling to make ends meet in adulthood, Jones earns money and gains his initial following by traveling with the revival circuit, a nomadic group of preachers who "claimed to have been called by God to spread the Gospel." An author’s note highlights Fleming’s hope that this fascinating and disturbing work will help readers "recognize the destructive groups in their own midst." Includes b&w photographs, biographies of key players, and source list. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) - Copyright 2025
School Library Journal - 03/01/2025 Gr 8 Up—Fleming tackles the harrowing story of the Jonestown massacre, at which over 900 people, one-third of whom were children, died in a mass murder-suicide at the direction of Peoples Temple cult leader Jim Jones in Guyana in 1978. She covers how by preaching racial equality and faith healing, Jones, a white, charismatic Pentecostal preacher, founded his church in a poor, segregated section of 1950s Indianapolis. His ministry quickly became popular, particularly among African Americans. Fearing nuclear attack, in 1965, he moved his church and followers to northern California, where he started a communal living compound. He soon expanded, amassing a few thousand followers who signed over everything from their property to even guardianship of their children. Some members became disillusioned, and a few managed to leave, but overall numbers grew. By the early 1970s, Jones renounced all religion, was an avowed socialist, and lived a drug-addicted, paranoid life, controlling every aspect of his followers' lives. In 1978, reports of financial misconduct and physical abuse led to a Congressional visit and the murder of visiting officials, the antecedent to Jones's order for "revolutionary suicide." Fleming's writing is riveting as she adeptly chronicles Jones's motivations, appeal, and downward spiral of his mental state while compassionately portraying the heartbreaking account of many victims. Extensive documentation shows her detailed research, including interviews with survivors interested in seeing their story told as a cautionary tale for young people. VERDICT Gripping and wrenching. A must for all libraries.—Karen T. Bilton - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
