Raven: The Untold Story of The Reverend Jim Jones and His People

Thirty years ago yesterday, 900 people living on a commune in Guyana under the religious guidance of Jim Jones killed themselves, or were murdered. The story of Jonestown is an amazingly twisted tale involving faith, trust, charisma, control, and politics. In my opinion, that story has never been synthesized better than in Raven: The Untold Story of The Reverend Jim Jones and His People, just republished this week. Tim Reiterman, the main author of the 1982 book and former San Francisco Chronicle reporter, was investigating the cult for more than a year before the suicides. During a fact-finding mission to Guyana with Congressman leo Ryan, Reiterman was shot by Peoples Temple gunmen. He was injured, but Ryan and several others were killed. That's when all hell broke loose.

As Reiterman points out in his preface to the book, Jones had a sign hanging above his throne with this phrase painted on it: "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Indeed. There are still stories from Jonestown waiting to be remembered, and lessons to learn from those stories. Raven: The Untold Story of The Reverend Jim Jones and His People is a good place to start. Also, Xeni will be posting a number of Jonestown related items today so please stay tuned.
Buy Raven: The Untold Story of The Reverend Jim Jones and His People (Amazon), Interview with Reiterman (TIME)

• [Llyandra]

  During the early 70s, I belonged to a Camp Fire Girls troop. We were a close group of about 10 girls. One of those girls, later moved out of town. And then came the horrible day, when I learned that she and her brother were among the children murdered that day in Jonestown. There lives were stolen from them. The adults may have had some choice, but the children were total innocents.

• [Takuan]

  always felt Abraham deserved a swift kick in the balls. “Whoa there lord, you want me to do WHAT?”

• [Antinous]

  I met many PT members. They used to bring food to demonstrators (which was mostly what I did in the 70s.) I’ve also held one of the Kool-Aid packets. I knew the lawyer who defended Larry Layton, and he brought one back after a fact-finding trip to Jonestown. SF was a small town back in the 70s.

• [Takuan]

  sometimes I think there should be an underground that deals with cults as they emerge. Be like whacking moles though, I suppose.

• [buddy66]

  Oh God said to abraham kill me a son
  Abe said man you must be puttin me on
  God said no, abe said what
  God say you can do what you wanna but
  The next time you see me comin you better run
  Well abe said where dyou want this killin done
  God said out on highway 61

  —Bob Dylan

• [David Carroll]

  Here is an interview with Stephan Jones, Jim’s son:

  http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/videos.html?id=754053559

• [Anonymous]

  This is why I cringe every time I hear someone casually using the phrase “drinking the Kool-Aid.” I guess it’s a generational thing.

• [Mark Frauenfelder]

  “Good morning, you son-of-a-bitch!”

• [buddy66]

  picky-pick: It was Flavor-Aid, not Kool-Aid, wasn’t it?

  Hard to credit now, really sad, but Jones was a positive and progressive force in San Francisco when he first arrived on the scene. Despite his religiosity many of the city’s lefties were welcoming, even approving, of his egalitarian, interracial ideas. I never went to his church, although some friends did; we saw him as a benign civic presence … at first.

  Rest them all.

• [David Pescovitz]

  BUDDY66 @10, Yes, that’s part of what’s so incredible about this story. Thanks for bringing that up. Jones was appealing to a wide spectrum of people, not just “rubes.”

• [buddy66]

  Herb Caen of the SF Chronicle, the city’s resident disher and disser, was positively ga-ga over Jones at first, and gave him tons of press.

• [Takuan]

  so where was the tipping point? When did the sane and strong realize what they were dealing with and why didn’t they act to save the weaker?

• [Antinous]

  Also the thirtieth anniversary of me having my wisdom teeth removed. When I took the 22 Fillmore across town to the oral surgeon, the bus went by the back side of the People’s Temple. There were all these huge crates in the parking lot labeled ‘Jonestown, Guyana’. The whole bus got really, really quiet.

• [FoetusNail]

  Before having children, I never could understand doing that to someone who trusted you so completely to protect them. Now, after having two children, I find it all the more impossible to understand the depth of their sickness. Buddy, never trust religious people.

• [lego7]

  Wasn’t that yesterday

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Ryan

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown

• [noen]

  Wasn’t Jim Jones CIA?

• [David Pescovitz]

  WOW. That’s an amazing memory, Antinous.

• [David Pescovitz]

  LEGO7@2, yes, corrected, thanks!