Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple: The History of the Most Notorious Cult and Mass Murder-Suicide in American History
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Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple: The History of the Most Notorious Cult and Mass Murder-Suicide in American History Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Charles River Editors (Author, Publisher), Mark Norman (Narrator)
3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 55 ratings
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The United States has never had a shortage of cults based on religious teachings and charismatic leaders, but perhaps none are as infamous as Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, which remain notorious for the mass murder-suicide event in Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978, during which nearly 900 people drank cyanide-laced Flavor Aid, including nearly 300 children. To this day, "drinking the Kool-Aid" is a popular phrase in America to refer to people who blindly follow a person or idea without thought, and the event at Jonestown was the deadliest deliberate act involving Americans in history until the 9/11 attacks. In addition to those deaths, Peoples Temple members also murdered a handful of others on the same day, including journalists, a member trying to leave Jonestown, and Congressman Leo Ryan. Almost from birth, Jones believed he had a higher calling, and after being immersed in various Christian churches and both political and religious doctrine, Jones founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis in 1955, when he was still in his mid-20s. While that might have been an unusual course in life for most Americans, Jones was hardly the first to take such a path, and indeed, his group expanded at a remarkable pace in the 1960s, which included a move to California after Jones claimed to foresee a nuclear attack on Chicago and the destruction of Indianapolis. By the 1970s, services at the group's Temple attracted thousands of visitors, even as Jones increasingly criticized Christianity and the Bible.

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  1. Listening Length
    1 hour and 49 minutes
  2. Author
    Charles River Editors
  3. Narrator
    Mark Norman
  4. Audible release date
    March 27, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Charles River Editors
  7. ASIN
    B06XT3XB72
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 1 hour and 49 minutes
Author Charles River Editors
Narrator Mark Norman
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 27, 2017
Publisher Charles River Editors
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B06XT3XB72
Best Sellers Rank #347,017 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1,315 in Biographies of Religious Figures
#3,345 in True Crime (Audible Books & Originals)
#6,181 in Crime & Criminal Biographies

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
3.4 out of 5
55 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kevin77
4.0 out of 5 stars A good but not great book
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
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A good but not great book on the People's Temple and Jonestown. I liked that it used many primary sources but explanations in between and editing primary source quotes for length would have made it better.
One person found this helpful
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Michael Lapelosa
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2015
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This book is the story of the infamous Jim Jones and the People's Temple religious cult, which resulted in the mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978, during which nearly 900 people committed suicide . It was deadliest deliberate act involving Americans in history until the 9/11 attacks. The book describes the unusual childhood of Jim Jones who always believed he had a higher calling, and founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis in 1955. The author uses extensive quotes from Jones and various members to describe the events which led to the change from a religious group to a zombie like cult of personality. The narrative is augmented with excellent photographs. The facts leading up to the mass suicide are re-told in straightforward prose.
However, what is missing, I found is the motivation of the people who joined the People's Temple, gave all of their possessions to Jim Jones, obeyed him without dissent, moved entire families to an isolated area of Guyana and finally, poisoned themselves and their loved ones. The book discusses this only superficially and to me, this is the most compelling and interesting part of the story.
6 people found this helpful
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truecrimefreak
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2021
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Crazy man a d the book is good
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Scofieldman
1.0 out of 5 stars Rambling
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2019
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This book is not worth the money. It does add a few good pictures of the characters, but that's about all. It rambles without order. There will be long quotes that really have no significance.
One person found this helpful
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Patsy Bush
4.0 out of 5 stars So much information
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2016
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It had so much more information. The things that I didnt know about this tragedy just blew me away.
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Modupe Hendricks
3.0 out of 5 stars Why?
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2015
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this book is extremely difficult to give any stars to because of the subject matter. The book handled the topic of Jim Jones and the People’s Temple in a concise manner. I do not understand why the members of Jim Jones’s church followed him like he was the Messiah. The book alluded to the fact that members of the church were kept constantly busy and had very little sleep. The book did persuade me to read/ find more information about Jim Jones and the People’s Temple. I will rate this book a three because of the distasteful topic. This book is excellent for providing brief and concise information on this topic.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2017
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It was not what I expected.
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JJares
3.0 out of 5 stars Too Many Questions Remain After Reading This Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2019
The problem with this book is that it doesn't answer the 'why' of the Jonestown Massacre.  The book does explain that the members were kept constantly busy, with little sleep.  Thus, they may have not had the energy to question what Jim Jones was saying.  What caused the associates to join and then stay? The book also didn't answer the questions about which (if any) of Jim Jones's family died?  Did his children and wife die there?  I also thought the end was rushed.  They mentioned that one man was convicted of the congressman's murder and emerged from prison in 2002.

Generally, the information that was offered was good.  The book explains that Jones was an unusual child growing up.  He founded his religion in Indianapolis in 1955.  The book used extensive quotes from churchgoers, to give a flavor of the mind-set of the members.  There were plenty of photos to carry the story along.  What happened to Jonestown after the suicides?  Is it still there?  Where were the bodies buried?  Where is Jim Jones buried?
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Top reviews from other countries

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Zoe
1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2020
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Pamphlet with tiny tiny text, very little new information and really difficult to read
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Meh
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
Your posting wasn't correct at the time of purchase. I should've received a physical copy but whatever.
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Brigitte Gaspard
4.0 out of 5 stars sehr gutes Buch
Reviewed in Germany on August 1, 2016
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Es beschreibt wirklich was in solchen Menschen vor sich geht. Kann dieses Buch an jeden weiterempfehlen der Englisch spricht, schade nur dass es das Buch nicht auch auf Deutsch gibt. Deshalb nur 4 Sterne.
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