A review by suzannetronier
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn

4.0

A fascinating and thorough story of a man raised to believe he was god who then behaved as if he were one-a terrible, vengeful god who could turn on the charm when he wanted to and one who mastered the art of the con. Above all, he wanted to be worshiped and admired, and not unlike our current president, he would say anything to achieve that. He toyed with the idea of mass suicide as a statement for several years grooming followers to both accept it and to trust him with their lives. The time he chose to enact it was right when he felt the world closing in on him in the form of bad press and lawsuits. His blaze of glory involved taking 900 people with him, 300 of them infants and children. Perhaps the greatest example ever of the advice to beware false prophets.