Road to Jonestown

Jim Jones and Peoples Temple

By: Jeff Guinn

Narrated by: George Newbern

The definitive story of preacher Jim Jones, who was responsible for the Jonestown Massacre, the largest murder-suicide in American history, by the New York Times bestselling author of Manson.

In the 1950s, a young Indianapolis minister named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism. His congregation was racially mixed, and he was a leader in the early civil rights movement. Eventually, Jones moved his church, Peoples Temple, to northern California, where he got involved in electoral politics and became a prominent Bay Area leader. But underneath the surface lurked a terrible darkness.

In this riveting narrative, Jeff Guinn examines Jones’s life, from his early days as an idealistic minister to a secret life of extramarital affairs, drug use, and fraudulent faith healing, before the fateful decision to move almost a thousand of his followers to a settlement in the jungles of Guyana in South America. Guinn provides stunning new details of the events leading to the fatal day in November, 1978 when more than nine hundred people died—including almost three hundred infants and children—after being ordered to swallow a cyanide-laced drink.

Guinn examined thousands of pages of FBI files on the case, including material released during the course of his research. He traveled to Jones’s Indiana hometown, where he spoke to people never previously interviewed, and uncovered fresh information from Jonestown survivors. He even visited the Jonestown site with the same pilot who flew there the day that Congressman Leo Ryan was murdered on Jones’s orders. The Road to Jonestown is “the most complete picture to date of this tragic saga, and of the man who engineered it…The result is a disturbing portrait of evil—and a compassionate memorial to those taken in by Jones’s malign charisma” (San Francisco Chronicle).

©2017 Jeff Guinn (P)2017 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

2018 Edgar Award Finalist—Best Fact Crime

“A thoroughly readable, thoroughly chilling account of a brilliant con man and his all-too vulnerable prey” (The Boston Globe)

Illuminating

I thought I knew something about Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, but what I really had was a memory based on the more or less sensationalist news accounts at the time of the mass suicide. Nothing about the good works and undoubtedly good early intentions of Jones. Exactly when he became unhinged is still a mystery to me, but I appreciate the fuller account of the events and the people involved.

Listening to this, I was able to empathize, for perhaps the first time, with cult followers rather than just scornfully dismissing them as lunatics. There was a time when I might well have been very susceptible to Jones’ curious mix of religion, blasphemy, economic theory, and social principles.

As for the writing, certain minor facts are repeated, repeated, and then repeated again. A small annoyance.

I disliked the narration. The reader rather randomly punches at certain words, whether they merit being emphasized or not. Kind of like an inexperienced news anchor at your local station. It comes out sounding like the reader is going for a verbal style rather than letting the performance come from an understanding of what is being read.

Substantively well done

But the narrator sucked, which highlighted weaknesses in the writing. Someone should teach the narrator that the t in “often “ is silent and Moscone rhymes with pony, not tone, for example.

Exhaustive

I feel like Jones' many crimes (including rape) were merely passed over for the record and that often Jones' good deeds and ideas were given much more time. I do realize people were helped by Jones but at what cost? Losing your life and autonomy is not worth a fraction of the terror his followers suffered.

Exhaustively researched and impeccably compiled. There was one spot, and only one, where the characters weren't clear. Jim's lawyers and and the dude who was feeding his paranoia, more background on them would have been helpful.

very informative and entertaining

I've always be intrigued as to how one man could convince 900 people to commit suicide. This book goes into great background of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple to try get to the heart of that question. Very well read too.

Long winded but..

In my opinion, it really creates the full version of Jim Jones and what lead him to be him. I’ve read many pieces and watched documentaries on Jim Jones and Jonestown but this was by far the most detailed and informed out of all of them. Overall, a good book. I also think the narrator was a good choice for this book.

Overall quite enjoyable and worth the listen

Overall I found it pretty decent, the only part I found intolerable is the endless references to "how racist Americans and whites specifically are" - both in 1960's America- AND today. The story is intriguing and a good listen otherwise, the narrator does an excellent job.

Great research. The reader does very well.

I found out more than I could have imagined. From Indiana to California to Guyana. Jim Jones proved to be a slimeball. Strangely I used to think he was a regular guy/pastor who went off the deep end. No. He was always off the deep end. And I wasn't all that interested in the guy. I have now listened to this book three times. It's one of my favorites. And my library is large. It's just so outlandish what this man did! Happy listening.

Like a Documentary

I really enjoyed this book. It was very informational and read almost like a documentary would. They have testimony from people in the group but isn't focused on 1 person other than Jim Jones. If you want to know the rise and fall of Jim Jones, this is perfect. If you are looking for a full story from someone inside the group, this might not be for you.

Good perspective

I like the way this account doesn’t demonize Peoples Temple but tries to understand it.

A ridiculous, dangerous, socialist lunatic!

Crazy mother***! -This one asides from being a lunatic that led over 900 people to commit murder-suicide In 1978, was a communist! Lengthy book about Jim Jones and how Jonestown came to be. I couldn’t put it down. I recommend this audiobook.