by Jeff Guinn
First published 2017
Jim Jones is a rising star in the civil rights movement, preaching a blend of Marxism and Christianity to his racially integrated congregation. But as his power grows, so do his demons - affairs, drug use, and fraudulent healings. Driven by delusions of grandeur, Jones uproots his flock to the jungles of Guyana, where over 900 people will meet a shocking end on a fateful November day.
Genres: history, 20th-century, crime, cults, non-fiction, biography-memoir, american-history
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, power-dynamics, religious-fanaticism
Setting: Guyana, Indianapolis (Ind.), Jonestown (Guyana), San Francisco (Calif.)
Period: 20th-century
531 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: death, drug-use, violence