From the Bookshelf of Obsessed with True Crime …
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Deborah was a rebellious 16 year old when she met Jim Jones and The Peoples Temple. As time went by she became a trusted member of his inner circle. But as he grew more paranoid and erratic, things started to change. After being in Guyana a while and seeing the overwork, malnutrition and harsh conditions, she bagan to question his message. Eventually fleeing at risk of her life. Only hardly enyone belived her stories. Jim Joens was charismatic and the could not believe he did what she was saying
...more
One of the best of the Jonestown books I've read. However, I would not suggest reading it as a "first dive" into this subject matter. In fact, I would suggest not reading ANY Jonestown book before reading Raven: The Untold Story of The Rev. Jim Jones and His People (by Tim Reiterman and Mitch Horowitz.) It provides detailed histories of both Jim Jones and Peoples Temple, and I think a good grounding in both of those is needed in order to really get the most out of any other Jonestown books, part
...more
After I watched the PBS documetary I realized I wanted to learn more about the people who died in Guyana on November 18th 1978, and Deborah Layton's book read as compellingly as a piece of fiction. It begins with some background of her family history, which might set the stage for Deborah's alienation and ultimate recruitment into The People's Temple. Jones tactics were well-honed, devious, and ultimately fatal. It also shows what people will do when you isolate them, keep them under armed guard
...more
Important as a survivor’s account, and interesting, but unfortunately it’s written in an uneven way.
