Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown

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.)