And Then They Were Gone

Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown

By: Judy Bebelaar, Ron Cabral

Narrated by: Venus DeMilo Thomas

Of the 918 Americans who died in the shocking murder-suicides of November 18, 1978 in the tiny South American country of Guyana, a third were under age 18, and more than half were in their 20s or younger.

The powerful stories told in And Then They Were Gone: Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown begin in San Francisco at the small school where Reverend Jim Jones enrolled the teens of his Peoples Temple church in 1976. Within a year, most of these kids had joined Jones and his other congregants in what Jones promised was a tropical paradise based on egalitarian values, but which turned out to be a deadly prison camp. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late 1970s, And Then They Were Gone draws from interviews, books, and articles—many of the stories told here for the first time.

The authors were teachers at Opportunity High, the alternative school where Jones enrolled the Temple teens. Bebelaar and Cabral were named San Francisco Library Laureates, 2019, and the book has won seven other honors and awards, including three first prizes, from Northern Callfornia publishers and authors (General Nonfiction) and Royal Dragonfly Book awards (Historical Nonfiction and Other Nonfiction). The book has also won awards in the fields of sociology and young adult fiction.

©2018 Judith A Bebelaar (P)2023 Judith A Bebelaar

Incredibly moving and compelling

I thought I knew the whole story of Jonestown, but this book proved I didn’t. My heart breaks for these kids who only wanted a better life than what they had. Their poems will remain with me. Venus DeMilo’s narration was clear and concise. More importantly, you can feel her heart as she tells the stories of the innocent youth (and others) who only wanted a better life. I hope to listen to more stories narrated by her.

Excellent story and vocal performance

I really enjoyed this audio book. The story was gripping and the narration was excellent: well paced and very engaging. I didn’t know too much about Jonestown, other than one documentary I watched with my husband, but Venus DeMilo Thomas’s somber and passionate telling of this chilling tale brought a level of energy to the story that kept me coming back for more. I learned so much more detail about what happened there. Would love to hear more from this performer.