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Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People
The seminal book on the story of Jonestown (Associated Press) is restored to print for the thirtieth anniversary of the Jonestown massacre, with a new preface by the author.
After many years, one of the most widely sought out-of- print books is newly available: Raven reveals the complete, shocking story of Jonestown, providing the definitive account of the worst cult tra...more
After many years, one of the most widely sought out-of- print books is newly available: Raven reveals the complete, shocking story of Jonestown, providing the definitive account of the worst cult tra...more
Paperback, 688 pages
Published
November 13th 2008
by Tarcher
(first published January 1st 1982)
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“To me, if we never got further than this, it would be heaven.”
Reverend Jim Jones sat on his throne at the pavilion before a thousand or so displaced people – people he had lured away from their homes and families to live in a dense, predator-infested Guyanese jungle which he had told them was “Paradise.” The swath torn out of the thick brush and trees was done by the members of Jones' People's Temple movement, primarily a group of people not accustomed to such labours. In fact, the...more
Reverend Jim Jones sat on his throne at the pavilion before a thousand or so displaced people – people he had lured away from their homes and families to live in a dense, predator-infested Guyanese jungle which he had told them was “Paradise.” The swath torn out of the thick brush and trees was done by the members of Jones' People's Temple movement, primarily a group of people not accustomed to such labours. In fact, the...more
In case you weren't aware, Jim Jones was one crazy televangelist motherf****, who led over 900 members of his People's Temple Church to commit mass suicide by drinking cyanide laced Flavor-Aid (yes, that's right, it was generic Kool-Aid)in the late 70's. Yes, this happened a long, long time ago, but yet it still gives me chills when I think about the mindfuck that Jones was perpetuating and that lots of people actually bought into it. Jones, according to the book, was apparently the Rico Suave...more
Tim Reiterman was one of the journalists who accompanied Congressman Leo Ryan to Jonestown in November of 1978. His book not only examines what happened there, but goes back to the childhood of Jim Jones and the beginnings of the movement known as the Peoples Temple so as to "capture the lure of the Temple, to convey the thinking and personalities of not just disgruntled defectors but also of the heartbroken loyalists with something positive to preserve and remember -- and to unmask the re...more
The tragedy in Jonestown (remember... the Kool-Aid Suicide Gang?) in 1978 is a story about a lot of things, and though Tim Reiterman did a great job telling the story in his book Raven, I felt there were things he was leaving out. How did the government not catch on to Jones' brainwashing and illegal activity? The beatings? The stealing? Not paying taxes? How is it possible that the families of more than 900 people weren't objecting to the sudden, FUCKING BIZARRE behavior of their loved ones? So...more
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Interesting interview with Reiterman and Deborah Layton, author of Seductive Poison A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the People's Temple on KQED. Reminded me of a very important book I read several years ago by John Hall Gone from the Promised Land Jonestown in American Cultural History, an excellent book.
Dudes - this book is written by an obsessive. . .one of the authors was shot in Jonestown which gives him the purple heart legitimacy but brother needed a solid editor to clean the shit up. You get a lot of crazy-ass dirt from one of the nuttiest maniacs in the history of cults but I haven't really been compelled by the story. If I was charting this book out I'll bet I would find reams of conflicting dates and bad info. Not an amazingly written book, not a disaster. . .I'll tell you when I'm don...more
thoughtful and careful - written by a journalist, not necessarily a storyteller; but it made me think about what precursors are necessary for an absolute belief, no matter how absurd, to swallow a normal person.
what precedes someone becoming a member of a cult, or falling into Mormon "obedience", or allowing domestic violence to succeed? is there a special vulnerability? a need, maybe to seek outside completion of an internal void? maybe just a thirst for community or acceptanc...more
what precedes someone becoming a member of a cult, or falling into Mormon "obedience", or allowing domestic violence to succeed? is there a special vulnerability? a need, maybe to seek outside completion of an internal void? maybe just a thirst for community or acceptanc...more
About to read it again...30 year Anniversary. 11/08
Having wondered for a really really long time about what the "deal" was with Jonestown, seemed like the 30 year anniversary mark would be a good time to figure that out (November 18, 1978).
This is an excellent book, very thorough, which covers Jom Jones' entire life--from troubled childhood to mental disintegration in South America.
I'd recommend a much shorter book if you just want to quickly know...more
Having wondered for a really really long time about what the "deal" was with Jonestown, seemed like the 30 year anniversary mark would be a good time to figure that out (November 18, 1978).
This is an excellent book, very thorough, which covers Jom Jones' entire life--from troubled childhood to mental disintegration in South America.
I'd recommend a much shorter book if you just want to quickly know...more
A radio interview in 2009 with the author of this book, Tim Reiterman, is what got me so obsessed with Jonestown. I have since read many books on the people's temple, as well as other cults such as the children of god. This is by far the best book on the subject, and Reiterman having been injured in Guyana at the hands of Jim Jone's gunmen is the perfect person to tell the story. Recommended to anyone looking for an interesting true story.
Lucid, well-informed writing about a morbidly fascinating topic. The cover's promise of leaving no questions unanswered sounded a bit far-fetched, but this tome did actually answer most of the questions I had had after watching PBS's Jonestown documentary. Also, Tim Reiterman skillfully handled the challenge of weaving in his own involvement as part of the Ryan party.
oriana
marked it as to-read
Huh. This looks maybe even better and thorough-er than Seductive Poison? But though I really do want to learn about this stuff, I'm not sure I can handle 600+ pages of mind-fuckery.
***
Update: Ask and ye shall receive, etc. A friend just sent me this and holy shit it is huge. I will have to read it very very slowly, because no way in hell can I carry this around for subway reading.
***
Update: Ask and ye shall receive, etc. A friend just sent me this and holy shit it is huge. I will have to read it very very slowly, because no way in hell can I carry this around for subway reading.
Cynmo
added it
A great brick of a book. I dipped in here and there, rather than reading linearly. My husband teased me as I flipped through the pages, "are you looking for the dirty parts?" There weren't descriptive sexual parts, though Jones claimed he was exhausted by being pursued by many of his female and male church members for sexual favors.
Finished it yesterday and I'm still reeling. If you're at all interested in extremism, religion, fascism this is an amazing read. It starts at Jones' childhood and traces his psychological development from insecure kid, to religious huckster, to full-fledged paranoid mass murderer. It's fascinating, sad, and all too real feeling.
The author included so much detail about Jim Jones and the People's Temple that I've read almost 3/4 of the book without yet getting to the massacre. I recommend it if you're looking for a truly in-depth look. The behind the scenes stuff, and the psychological studies of Jim Jones are fascinating. I can see why people followed him, yet at the same time am amazed that they didn't see right through to the crazy.
I will say that I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. I feel like t...more
I will say that I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. I feel like t...more
If you really want to understand the workings of Jim Jones' mind, this is the book to read. It was interesting and full of information that I hadn't heard about before. It covers from his childhood all the way up to his death in 1978 in Guyana.
Juliette
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Cult Research
Recommended to Juliette by:
The Life and Death of Peoples Temple Documentary
This is seriously the ultimate, most comprehensive and complete book about Jim Jones and The Peoples Temple. The fact that author Tim Reiterman went to Jonestown, Guyana, and lived to research and write about it is unbelievable. He interviewed and researched The Peoples Temple so extensively, this is as good as it gets. For some insane reason, this book is long out of print and hard to find. It really should be updated and reissued. The writing is solid and informative, and I keep checking it ou...more
This is a page turner. You won't believe what really happened inside this cult. This book is no longer in print. However, I have a copy if people want to borrow it.
Read this after hearing about it on a msnbc special about Jonestown. Fascinating to see how this man could convince 900+ people to kill themselves. Reading it you think that you would NEVER fall for this, but some of the people who did thought the same thing.
How could hundreds/thousands of people follow this man to the ends of the earth and give up their lives for him? Depressing as hell but fascinating.
The complete tale of Jim Jones and his disgusting, pill-popping, evil self. Not for the faint of heart. Be aware: 600+ pages but worth it.
Completely and utterly disturbing, devastating and grim.
Epic in scope, you will not believe the drama from beginning to the final minutes.
Epic in scope, you will not believe the drama from beginning to the final minutes.
Although the length of this book was intimidating at over 600 pages, it did not get tedious as I expected it to. Many people believe they know what happened at "Jonestown," but they really DON'T unless they've read this book. It provides in-depth coverage of the many personalities and historical circumstances that led to the rise of the People's Temple, including the strange character of Jim Jones himself. Reiterman remains uncommitted to any "agenda" other than telling the s...more
Uncanny what a couple of peace loving socialist egalarians can do with the right motivation. Very eye opening,
I have always been interested in the whole Jonestown saga, so I found finding this book FASCINATING. It started with Jim Jones's childhood, his parents' background, etc., and goes all the way through the mass suicides in Guyana. I've read a couple of other books on this same subject, but this one is by far the most interesting and most comprehensive.
It did make me wonder - as subjects like this always do - whether there was EVER a time in my life when I would have fallen for a cult...more
It did make me wonder - as subjects like this always do - whether there was EVER a time in my life when I would have fallen for a cult...more
This is by far the best book I have read lately! After seeing the History Channel documentary about the last days in Jonestown several years ago, I have become obsessed with Jim Jones and Jonestown. Tim Reiterman is one of the few journalists allowed into Jonestown just before the end. He was with Congressman Ryan's party hours before the mass suicide and was among the wounded on the airstrip. This 600 page tome reads like a magazine without sparing any emotion or detail! I finished it only...more
A good (although sometimes a bit tiring) documentary work about an absolutely crazy man and his amazingly naive followers.
Slow moving but authoritative. Fascinating and bizarre.
Micky
is currently reading it
It has been very interesting to find out that Jim Jones was a sociopath even as a child. His mother sounds very interesting to me..she was a non-conformist; she hadn't even planned on ever marrying, she wanted to go to college. Life has a way of getting in the way of course. She didn't wore pants when women really weren't supposed to do that and (gasp!) she smoked in public.. she worked outside of the home..out of necessity but I don't know if she minded. Of course, is this what the author po...more
1983 PEN Center USA Award Winner for Nonfiction
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