Overview

After the heartbreaking loss of her own father, the youngest daughter, Mary, found a replacement in Reverend Jim Jones. But as a member of his Peoples Temple in California, she soon became overworked, underfed, and was beaten. Meanwhile, her family back home watched helplessly as she slowly disappeared into Jim Jones's clutches. Then, just as her parents' generation once searched for a better life in a new country, Mary moved with her young family to Guyana. Jonestown: An American Family Tragedy tells this story. It also includes Jim Jones's personal history, his rise to enormous power, and his catastrophic downfall that left 913 people dead. Readers will learn about life inside Jonestown, its gradual decline, and the truth of November 18, 1978: it was murder, not suicide. Nevertheless, many people today remain attracted to charismatic leaders promising a better life. Yet often these same leaders can often wind up harming them instead: Jonestown still holds a lesson.

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9781961302112

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Reviews

The best, if rare, books about iconic events are those that help readers understand not just what happened, but why and how. H. J. Jones's Jonestown: An American Family Tragedy is one of the very few Jonestown/Peoples Temple titles that provides essential context to the story of a horrific event, in this case how the early life and terrible experiences of a beloved sibling played perfectly into the clutches of Jim Jones and agonizingly ended in the depths of the Guyanese jungle. This is necessary reading, that, for all the horror it conveys, remains a story about love as well as loss. I salute the author. -JEFF GUINN, author of The Road to Jonestown This book reads very much in the moment. I could feel the angst, anger, remorse, and unimaginable sadness. As a JT survivor myself, I applaud H. J. Jones for her painstaking visualization, as well as the precise timeline of the tragedy. I totally appreciate her didactic approach and insight done in a very, very respectful way. -EUGENE SMITH, Jonestown survivor and author of Back to The World

Author Information

"As a first generation American, H. J. Jones grew up hearing Dutch spoken in the family; but instead of the ""old country,"" America's Great Lakes would become her heart's true home. However, her sense of adventure led her to 45 states and 28 countries despite being a homebody and fearful flier. Having once slept on a flat Moroccan rooftop, in a musty Danish hayloft, and in an English pasture with a lone bull, she considers travel to be the best education. Nevertheless, the author also holds two master's degrees. In this book, she seeks to honor her sister who died in Jonestown, examines life in that Guyanese jungle, and warns about demagogues. She hopes that in sharing her family's history, readers can see how anyone, given the right conditions, can be led astray."

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