I have been recommending The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun's Tomb, Crash From Outer Space: Unraveling the Mystery of Flying Saucers, Alien Beings, and Roswell, and The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II to my students a LOT recently for nonfiction projects, and personally enjoy the subject matter of those a bit more. I am not a fan of true crime podcasts the way some people are. I picked this up because I have vivid memories of picking up a magazine in my middle school library that showed full color pictures of the aftermath of this horrific historical event, but couldn't remember much about what happened before this culminating event. I was not allowed to watch the television coverage and probably skipped over some of the news articles about it, since I was 13.

Fleming does an excellent job at followed Jim Jones from his earliest years as a child with inadequate parenting who became drawn to the church to the bitter end after he forced his followers to kill themselves or be killed. She does this is a very balanced, factual way, and has clearly done extensive research, talking to many survivors and going through news reports and documents. Even the depiction of the "revolutionary suicide" is not sensationalized. The information is presented in the order the events happened, which was very useful. I was discussing this with a friend who also had vague memories of the event who couldn't remember when Congressman Ryan and his entourage were attacked. There was a lot going on, so not having flashbacks really helped.

I especially appreciated that the photographs that were included were NOT of the dead bodies, although there was one of crushed paper cups and stethoscopes that I remember from 1978. There are pictures of life in Jonestown, with children at school, community events, etc., which makes this especially poignant. These are real people who thought through following this leader and going to Guyana. Fleming does a great job of pointing out that while it's easy to say "Oh, I would never do something like that", there are often circumstances behind the scenes that make such decisions seem valid.

This was rather long and slow paced for middle school readers, but would make an excellent addition to a high school library where readers will be more interested in the formation of horrible historical figures who gained huge followings. Very well done.

I Ioved this book - it was super informative and very suspenseful. I loved the photos included, as well as direct quotes from the People’s Temple survivors. I loved the message sent to YA readers on the importance of questioning ideas when it comes to group thinking, as it can be dangerous and destructive. My only wish would have been a more in depth follow up on the survivors and if there was any way the government responded to the People’s Temple and creating more awareness or regulation around cult behavior.

Can good reads add half stars please? This one is 4.5. The author does a great job of laying out the story of Jonestown in a clear eyed and empathetic way. I’ve read everything there is to read about Jonestown and still gained insight from this book. I wouldn’t be able to have students read it in its entirety, but I’ll definitely be using excerpts from it when we cover ‘influence’ in our psychology unit. Hyacinth Thrash is someone I’ve always wanted to hear more about. I am pleased to see her be one of the main voices here. Very well done!

"Death in the Jungle" is a well researched book on an event that is not often remembered. It shows glimpses into the character of Jim Jones. The book is well written and provides insight into the people that followed him. I would recommend a read.

Death in the Jungle is a nonfiction read that will appeal to relucent readers and those new to nonfiction. Readers will learn how Jim Jones was able to ensnare so many individuals into his destructive group - the Peoples Temple.

This was a strong concept for a young adult version of Jim Jones and Jonestown. It had that research element perfectly and was engaged with what was happening. It had that research that I was looking for and worked with what I was expecting. Candace Fleming has a strong writing style and enjoyed how good this was.

Very well-written and the research behind the story is impeccable. Then story and content is 5 stars. I don't love the decision to tell the story chronologically. It's the people who drive the story, and we get there in the last half of the book. Great insight into humanity and the underside of it. Great addition to the YA nonfiction genre for adolescent readers. Readers of all ages will get something positive from reading this book! If you want to know the Jonestown story, love nonfiction, or want to evaluate the decisions humans make, read this book!

I was super excited by a new one by Fleming not only because her nonfiction is always amazingly researched and written with care, but we hosted her several years ago as an author visit to our high school having recently written Murder Among Friends. This one, a five star for sure is riveting and thrilling just like Murder Among Friends. And I know a bit more about Jim Jones' story having listened to/read The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple being curious about this man, the Peoples Temple, and the "revolutionary act" of mass suicide, that is questionable at best as many indications are that children and some adults were forcibly injected with the cyanide-laced Flavor Aid (incorrectly in one report listed as Kool Aid, when it was in fact Flavor Aid and is not inextricably linked in pop culture when someone "drinks the Kool Aid").

Fleming is a master storyteller. She begins with Jim Jones' early life with a distant, disabled father and rules-flaunting mother, Jones' curious friendships, his young marriage, his rise in the ranks of a church that served the people and wanted to be built on socialist ideals before the drugs and paranoia set in and where more than 900 died in a remote jungle area of Guyana.

Fleming focuses in on several specific people to pull out details of Jones' life like his children, the mistresses, a few elderly members, etc. which makes the human connection all the more sad as that was a response to the news-- that they were all deranged cult followers and why many didn't care as much about them as they might have if the tragedy unfolded differently.

Fleming brings another heart-pounding and thoughtful nonfiction to the table.

A YA nonfiction book I could not put down!
⛪️
Jim Jones was a kid during the Depression. It was this and his parental abandonment that helped shaped who he ended up becoming. He was allowed to run wild around town and ultimately taken to church, where he felt he found his calling as a preacher. Over the years Jones gets married, becomes a popular preacher with multiple temples in the United States and ends up settling a socialist cult in the jungles of Guyana, South America. It’s there he creates a compound called Jonestown. After several months of settling there, Jones is able to indoctrinate and murder more than 900 people and call it revolutionary suicide. How was he able to achieve this?
🛐
This was such a wild ride! I think this is the most engrossing nonfiction book (not bio or memoir) that I’ve ever read. @candaceflemingbooks could teach a master class in writing nonfiction that feels like fiction and cults have always been an interesting topic for me. The fact that this event really took place still feels unreal and reading this only blows my mind even more. I literally cannot wait for this title to release April 29. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CW: religious bigotry, sexual assault, drugging, alcohol, drug abuse, drug use, torture, violence, assault, death, murder, suicide, parental abandonment, domestic violence, adoption, racism, microaggressions, kidnapping, gun violence, gaslighting, adultery

A riveting, harrowing account of cult leader Jim Jones and Jonestown written for young adult readers. This non-fiction book traces the beginning of The People's Temple, a church started by Jim Jones in Indiana, to the rain forest in Guyana in South America, where over 900 people died. Informative and engrossing, the book is most interesting when it talks about the children and teens who were apart of the People's Temple and their lives before and after the shocking event that changed their lives and the world forever.

This was fabulous! I couldn't put it down. Obviously, we know what the end result was going to be (the 900+ deaths), but I read the whole things in one day because I wanted to know what was going to happen to the folks who Fleming profiled in the story. I think this presents the topics in a relevant way for teens. Highly recommended!