Insider's view of the rise and fall of the Peoples Temple

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	• Seductive Poison Deborah Layton Doubleday, 1998 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 254 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A haunting tale

I recently saw Deborah Layton discussing her experiences with Jim Jones and the People's Temple on PBS. I was really struck by this attractive, intelligent, and articulate woman who seemed nothing like what I'd imagined someone involved with the People's Temple would be. I guess I had somehow imagined they were all, well, kooks and wierdos. I've long been intrigued by Jonestown, and could never wrap my brain around how 913 people could be duped into mass suicide, so I quickly bought Deborah's book, Seductive Poison. I found it to be one of those rare books that whenever I got a few minutes to spare, I just had to pull it out and devour a few more pages. The book is richly written and gives deep insight into the People's Temple movement and the sad tragedy that unfolded in Jonestown, written by someone with firsthand knowledge. One aspect that I found so moving about "Seductive Poison" is that Layton really humanized the people of Jonestown. These were good, decent folks who were terribly deceived and manipulated by an evil madman. They weren't the kooks I'd imagined, but rather people I think I genuinely would have liked, had a lot in common with, and would have been friends with. Fortunately Deborah Layton was eventually able to see through Jim Jones' lies and find her way to freedom. The story of her final escape from Guyana is as tense and heart-stopping as any action movie, yet profoundly sad, and ultimately hopeful as she emerges from the lies and manipulation that once held her. Sadly, so many others at Jonestown were unable to find that freedom. Seductive Poison is a haunting journey, and will cause you to understand the human loss of the Jonestown tragedy in ways that will linger with you for a long time.

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Insider's view of the rise and fall of the Peoples Temple

This book is an insider's view of the rise and fall of the Peoples Temple. Ms. Layton was one of Jim's most trusted aides and as such knows more about what went on in the temple than the average member. She describes how she got sucked into the cult, her activities after being sucked in, what life was like in Jonestown, and how she came to see the truth and escape. At the end of the book she gives updates on many of the people who were significant to her, whether they survived or died, and, if they survived, how.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars only because I read the book Escape right before this book and it was a more riveting read.

The book is autobiographical in nature. Ms. Layton talks about all the things she was involved with in the Peoples Temple - the illegal bank accounts, her first time being raped by Jim Jones, how and when Jonestown went from a paradise to hell on earth (when Jones came, it completely changed), and the continuous brainwashing from when she first came to the temple to when she finally escaped. The escape itself completely absorbed me and it was hard to put the book down. Ms. Layton also gives insights into Jim Jones, his charisma, and his character.

I was only 7 1/2 years old when Jonestown occurred and the book helped fill in so many details that I had never known. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple.

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The Inner Workings of a Cult Life and Death in Jonestown

I have never read a memoir that was this honest or this terrifying. Deborah Layton was a member of the People's Temple for 7 years. She was one of Jim Jones trusted few. This is a true "insider account" of what happened.

Ms Layton has the rare ability of pulling the reader into the story. It allows you to feel and understand the working of a cult from the inside out.. You see the path that led her to Jones and the bravery it took for her to leave. As a confused and rebellious adolescent Layton was attracted to Jim Jones' religious movement for its radical teachings on inter racialism and social justice. As a member of his inner circle, she saw things that made her secretly question him, though she remained faithful to his socialist vision. Layton paints a graphic picture of how Jones exercised confusing emotional, sexual and physical manipulation and abuse. This mixture of love, fear and a sense of purpose, the sense of working for a greater good, kept her there for seven years and kept others there until the end.

In December 1977 Layton (along with her Mother who had also joined) traveled to the new headquarters in Jonestown, Guyana. Upon arrival they discover that the residents were enduring a living hell. The conditions were appalling. Constant middle of the night suicide drills followed by 16 hour work days in unbearable heat. People are near starvation. There is a constant fear of being labeled a "traitor" and the punishment that would follow.

With no money, passport or way of contacting anyone on the outside Layton finds a way to escape. It's heart pounding and terrifying. My hands were shaking as each new obstacle unfolded itself. She returns to the United States with dire warnings, trying to get help for her sick Mother who is still there. (Layton's Mother died of cancer a few days before the "mass suicide". She died with no pain killers. They were confiscated upon arrival in Jonestown and given to Jones) No one believes the people inside are being held hostage by the infamous Jones and his growing madness.

Only months after her escape, the Jonestown Mass Suicide/Murder occurred. Deborah Layton was one of the few who escaped. Her story is told in an honest and insightful way. It's a riveting, nail biting, heart pounding, stay up all night book that reads like a novel.

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Very compelling and insightful

Something I always have a hard time grasping is: how does a person get sucked into something so clearly unhealthy, and what keeps them in? It's so hard to understand because it's such a gradual process, and many of us feel we are perhaps too "smart" to get hooked into any kind of cult. In reality, it takes months or years for cult brainwashing to reach levels where it really does feel impossible to escape, and even highly intelligent people are caught up - this is not easily conveyed in ANY medium, be it a 2 hour documentary or a 300 page book.

But Layton takes a really good shot at it, and does an excellent job. The first two chapters of the book are somewhat slow and give background information on Deborah before she even finds out about the Temple. They describe her troubled childhood, and help understand how she could view the Church as a positive force in her life. Then, in great detail, she recounts how Jones continually manipulated, re-divided and controlled all the people within his organization. You really feel the stress and fear of the people trapped within. She makes it easy to understand everyone's plight.

Some things really struck me about the book. One thing I liked was Layton's strong desire to tell the truth. I felt it shine through in her measured descriptions of events, honest retelling of her less-than-perfect childhood, and disinclination to "play the victim" or sensationalize her experiences. I also liked that she didn't attempt to provide historical information on events she didn't experience herself - like the Church years before she joined, or the actual events of Nov. 18 in Jonestown where she wasn't present.

I also really appreciated the fact that this factual memoir was still interwoven with a good message. The parallels Deborah drew between her experiences and those of her Grandparents in WW2 concentration camps were interesting. I really liked the way she pointed out the choice she makes in what to share with her daughter, compared with what (and how) her mother shared with her: it helps to reassure that Deborah's experiences were not in vain.

For anyone interested in the history and facts behind life in the People's Temple, this is an important read. It's the most detailed account I've yet heard, and the story itself is quite riveting. I do not know how well it would serve someone who knew nothing about Jonestown whatsoever, but as a supplement to e.g. a documentary (or some other very historical look at the People's Temple), this makes an excellent read.

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A different kind of terror

Gosh! I doevoured this book in this last carnival holiday! It's really amazing and one of the most shocking stories i've ever seen. It's interesting to check out how more than 900 ppl are led outside their habitat and slaved by a weird guy... as someone once said'"it's the hypnotized being led by the f**cked up". Also I can imagine the paranoic state the writer was into as soon as she leaves jonestown. JJ had this belief of them being followed by government agencies so much ingrained in thei followers head.

There's a movie called "bug", by th same producers of "the exorcist" that also shows a girl being converted to the reality of a paranoic guy she's never seen before ... the end is also shocking.

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