Amy D. (Iowan) reviewed on 7/9/2009 + 173 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This is a first-person account of the seduction of members, many disadvantaged, troubled or young, into the cult that was the Peoples Temple. The author, Deborah Layton, found solace in the church that had already welcomed her brother. Her rough teen years were quickly put behind her when she rose through the ranks of the church and gained Jim Jones trust.

However, he garden of Eden that was promised in Guyana turned out to be anything but and Layton knew that she had made a terrible mistake. Leaving behind everyone she held dear, she risked her life to return to the US.

Regardless of how many historical accounts you may have read of the massacre of 1978, this eye-witness testimony underscores how so many could have fallen under the spell.

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