Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;and#8220;I love socialism, and Iand#8217;m willing to die to bring it about, but if I did, Iand#8217;d take a thousand with me.and#8221;andnbsp; and#8212;Jim Jones, September 6, 1975andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In 1954, a pastor named Jim Jones opened a church in Indianapolis called Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church. He was a charismatic preacher with idealistic beliefs, and he quickly filled his pews with an audience eager to hear his sermons on social justice. After Jones moved his church to Northern California in 1965, he became a major player in Northern California politics; he provided vital support in electing friendly political candidates to office, and they in turn offered him a protective shield that kept stories of abuse and fraud out of the papers. Even as Jonesand#8217;s behavior became erratic and his message more ominous, his followers found it increasingly difficult to pull away from the church. By the time Jones relocated the Peoples Temple a final time to a remote jungle in Guyana and the U.S. Government decided to investigate allegations of abuse and false imprisonment in Jonestown, it was too late.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt; follows the experiences of five Peoples Temple membersandnbsp;who went to Jonestown: a middle-class English teacher from Colorado, an elderly African American woman raised in Jim Crow Alabama, a troubled young black man from Oakland, and a working-class father and his teenage son. These people joined Jonesand#8217;s church for vastly different reasons. Some, such as eighteen-year-old Stanley Clayton, appreciated Jonesand#8217;s message of racial equality and empowering the dispossessed. Others, like Hyacinth Thrash and her sister Zipporah, were dazzled byandnbsp;his claims of being a faith healerand#8212;Hyacinth believed Jones had healed a cancerous tumor in her breast. Edith Roller, a well-educated white progressive, joined Peoples Temple because she wanted to help the less fortunate. Tommy Bogue, a teen, hated Jonesand#8217;s church, but was forced to attend servicesand#8212;and move to Jonestownand#8212;because his parents were members. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt; is the story of Jonestown as it has never been told before. andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestselling author Julia Scheeres drew from thousands of recently declassified FBI documents and audiotapes, as well as rare videos and interviews, to piece together an unprecedented and compelling history of the doomed camp, focusing on the people who lived there. Her own experiences at an oppressive reform school in the Dominican Republic, detailed in her unforgettable debut memoir andlt;iandgt;Jesus Landandlt;/iandgt;, gave her unusual insight into this story. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The people who built Jonestown wanted to forge a better life for themselves and their children. They sought to create a truly egalitarian society. In South America, however, they found themselves trapped in Jonestown and cut off from the outside world as their leader goaded them toward committing and#8220;revolutionary suicideand#8221; and deprived them of food, sleep, and hope. Yet even as Jones resorted to lies and psychological warfare, Jonestown residents fought for their community, struggling to maintain their gardens, their school, their families, and their grip on reality.andnbsp; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Vividly writtandlt;a name="_GoBack"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;en and impossible to forget, andlt;iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt; is a story of blind loyalty and daring escapes, of corrupted ideals and senseless, haunting loss.
Review
"Jonestown has become a grim metaphor for blind obedienceand#8212;for fanaticism without regard to consequences. In the aptly titledandlt;iandgt; A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt;, Julia Scheeres captures the humanity within this terrible story, vividly depicting individuals trapped in a vortex of hope and fear, faith and loss of faith, not to mention the changes sweeping America in the 1960s and '70s. She makes their journeys to that unfathomable tragedy all too real; what was truly incredible, she shows, was the escape from death by a tiny handful of survivors. Drawing on a mountain of sources compiled and recently released by the FBI, she changes forever the way we think about this dark chapter of our history."andlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;and#8212;andlt;Bandgt;T.J. Stiles, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning andlt;iandgt;The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilandlt;/iandgt;tandlt;/Bandgt;
Review
and#8220;I thought I knew the story of Jonestown, but in reading andlt;iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt; discovered that much of what I'd read and heard was pure myth. Through meticulous research, beautiful writing and great compassion, Scheeres presents an engrossing account of how Jim Jones' followers--eager parishioners who yearned for a more purposeful life and were willing to work for it--found themselves trapped in a nightmare of unfathomable proportions. This book serves as testimony to the seductiveness of religious fervor, and how in the wrong hands it can be used to nefarious ends. It is also a poignant and unforgettable tribute to those who lost their lives and to those few who survived.and#8221;andlt;iandgt; andlt;/iandgt;-- andlt;Bandgt;Allison Hoover Bartlett, author of the bestsellingandlt;iandgt; The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsessionandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"For those who can picture only the gory end of Jonestown, Julia Scheeres offers a heartbreaking and often inspiring glimpse of what might have been. Her masterfully told and exhaustively researched andlt;iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt; should stand not only as the definitive word on Jonesand#8217; horrific machinations, but on the utopian dreams of a bygone generation. A worthy follow-up to her superb memoir, andlt;iandgt;Jesus Landandlt;/iandgt;." --andlt;Bandgt;Tom Barbash, author of andlt;iandgt;On Top of the World: Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, and 9/11: A Story of Loss and Renewalandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"The definitive book on Jonestown and the Danse Macabre of suicide and murder orchestrated by mad Jim Jones.
Review
and#8220;This the best book in a good long time on the dangers of fanatical faith, the power of group belief and lure of deep certainties. These demons that haunt the human mind can only be countered by facing them with courage and honesty and#8211; this is precisely what Scheeres has done.and#8221; --andlt;bandgt;Ethan Watters, author of andlt;iandgt;Crazy Like Usandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Chilling and heart-wrenching, this is a brilliant testament to Jones's victims, so many of whom were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Publisher's Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;, starred reviewandlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"Scheeres shows great compassion and journalistic skill in reconstructing Jonestownand#8217;s last months and the lives of many Temple members (including a few survivors)...[andlt;Iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/Iandgt; is a] well-written, disturbing tale of faith and evil." --andlt;iandgt;andlt;bandgt;Kirkusandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Julia Scheeres' andlt;iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt;... tells the tragic tale of Jonestown -- in its way, a peculiarly American apocalypse." --andlt;iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;L.A. Timesandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
"The first solid history of the Temple...less a warning about the dangers of religosity than a clear headed chronology." --San Francisco magazine
Review
"Julia Scheeres's book sheds startling new light on this murky, mini-chapter of contemporary history....the narrative is [a] compelling...psychological mystery." --andlt;iandgt;andlt;bandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Riveting...You will not be able to look away. " --The San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"How do you tell a new story about Jim Jones and his followers, when everyone knows how it ends? ...Julia Scheeresand#8217; riveting Aandlt;iandgt; Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt; gives us reason to look again. " --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Miami Heandlt;/iandgt;rald andlt;BRandgt; andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"Riveting...You will not be able to look away. " --andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;The San Francisco Chronicleandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Chilling and heart-wrenching, this is a brilliant testament to Jones's victims, so many of whom were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Publisher's Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;, starred reviewandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Julia Scheeres' andlt;iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/iandgt;... tells the tragic tale of Jonestown -- in its way, a peculiarly American apocalypse." --andlt;iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;L.A. Timesandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/divandgt;
Review
"The first solid history of the Temple...less a warning about the dangers of religosity than a clear headed chronology." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;iandgt;San Franciscoandlt;/iandgt; magazineandlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"Her account is notably levelheaded in a field where sensationalism, conspiracy theories and bizarre reasoning run free." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Salonandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"A gripping account of how decent people can be taken in by a charismatic and crazed tyrant." --andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Almost unbearably chilling... but tempered with enormous sympathy." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Boston Globeandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
andlt;iandgt;"Aandlt;/iandgt; work of deep empathy for so many lives lost in the name of different shades of hope." --andlt;iandgt;andlt;bandgt;L.A. Timesandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;A andlt;Iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; Editor's Choiceandlt;/divandgt;
Review
"It is important to get a story like this out there and remind the public about it once in a while, so that history like this does not repeat itself." --andlt;Bandgt;Gather.comandlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"The revelations of [A Thousand Lives] shine through our everyday relationships to war, our politics, our beliefs and our own actions.
Review
"Gripping." --andlt;Iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;The Globe and Mailandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/Iandgt;
Review
andlt;Iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2011andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/Iandgt;
Review
andlt;Bandgt;A andlt;Iandgt;Boston Globeandlt;/Iandgt; Best Book of 2011andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"Almost unbearably chilling... but tempered with enormous sympathy." --Boston Globe
Review
A New York Times Editor's Choice
Review
and#8220;The definitive book on Jonestown and the Danse Macabre of suicide and murder orchestrated by mad Jim Jones. Julia Scheeres takes us by the hand and leads us gently, inexorably, into the darkness.and#8221; and#8211;andlt;Bandgt;Tim Cahill, author of andlt;iandgt;Lost in My Own Backyardandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
A andlt;Iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; Editor's Choice
Review
"The revelations of [andlt;Iandgt;A Thousand Livesandlt;/Iandgt;] shine through our everyday relationships to war, our politics, our beliefs and our own actions. This is a strikingly relevant book ." --andlt;Iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;San Francisco Sunday Chronicle Book Reviewandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/Iandgt;
Synopsis
The most personal and comprehensive account of Jonestown ever recorded.
Synopsis
They left America for the jungles of Guyana to start a better life. Yet what started as a Utopian dream soon devolved into a terrifying work camp run by a madman, ending in the mass murder-suicide of 914 members in November 1978.
In Don’t Tell Them They’re Dying, the New York Times bestselling memoirist Julia Scheeres traces the fates of five individuals who followed Jim Jones to South America as they struggled to first build their paradise, and then survive it. Each went for different reasons—some were drawn to Jones for his progressive attitudes towards racial equality, others were dazzled by his claims to be a faith healer. But once in Guyana, Jones’s drug addiction, mental decay, and sexual depredations quickly eroded the idealistic community.
For this groundbreaking book, Scheeres examined more than 50,000 pages of newly released documents that the FBI collected from the camp after the massacre—including diaries, crop reports, and letters that were never sent home—as well as hundreds of audiotapes of Jones addressing his group.
Scheeres’s own experience at a religious boot camp in the Dominican Republic, detailed in her unforgettable debut memoir Jesus Land, gives her unique insight into this chilling tale. Haunting and vividly written, Don’t Tell Them They’re Dying is a story of blind loyalty and daring escapes, of corrupted ideals and senseless, searing loss.
Synopsis
In 1954, a pastor named Jim Jonesandlt;Bandgt; andlt;/Bandgt;opened a church in Indianapolis called Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church. He was a charismatic preacher with idealistic beliefs, and he quickly filled his pews with an audience eager to hear his sermons on social justice. As Jonesand#8217;s behavior became erratic and his message more ominous, his followers leaned on each other to recapture the sense of equality that had drawn them to his church. But even as the congregation thrived, Jones made it increasingly difficult for members to leave. By the time Jones moved his congregation to a remote jungle in Guyana and the US government began to investigate allegations of abuse and false imprisonment in Jonestown, it was too late. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;A Thousand Lives andlt;/Iandgt;is the story of Jonestown as it has never been told. andlt;Iandgt;New York Times andlt;/Iandgt;bestselling author Julia Scheeres drew from tens of thousands of recently declassified FBI documents and audiotapes, as well as rare videos and interviews, to piece together an unprecedented and compelling history of the doomed camp, focusing on the people who lived there. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The people who built Jonestown wanted to forge a better life for themselves and their children. In South America, however, they found themselves trapped in Jonestown and cut off from the outside world as their leader goaded them toward committing and#8220;revolutionary suicideand#8221; and deprived them of food, sleep, and hope. Vividly written and impossible to forget, andlt;Iandgt;A Thousand Lives andlt;/Iandgt;is a story of blind loyalty and daring escapes, of corrupted ideals and senseless, haunting loss.andlt;B andgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
About the Author
Julia Scheeres is the author of andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestselling memoir andlt;iandgt;Jesus Landandlt;/iandgt;. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and two daughters and is a member of the San Francisco Writersand#8217; Grotto.