The Road to Jonestown

“I have to say that it is weird to find out the background of things that I grew up hearing about around the dinner table. The level of research and detail in The Road to Jonestown is the best ever, and really lets readers understand not only what happened, but how and why. This book tells the Jim Jones story better than anything I have read to date.” – Jim Jones, Jr.“Jeff Guinn offers what might be the most complete picture to date of this tragic saga, and of the man who engineered it… . The result is a disturbing portrait of evil — and a compassionate memorial to those taken in by Jones’ malign charisma.”  – Kevin Canfield * The San Francisco Chronicle *“A thoroughly readable, thoroughly chilling account of a brilliant con man and his all-too vulnerable prey… . Generates a bizarre — dare I say Manson-like? — magnetic force that pulls the reader through its many pages. Noir thriller morphs into horror story.”   – Dan Cryer * The Boston Globe *“Magisterial… . Guinn’s exhaustive research, shrewd analysis, and engaging prose illuminate a monstrous yet tragic figure–and the motives of those who lost their souls to him.” * Publishers Weekly *“A vivid, fascinating revisitation of a time and series of episodes fast receding into history even as their forgotten survivors still walk among us.“  * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *“A powerful account of Jones’s life… . Guinn’s blow-by-blow account of Jonestown’s final days in the book’s last chapters is riveting.” * BookPage *

Jeff Guinn is the bestselling author of numerous books, including Go Down Together, The Last Gunfight, Manson, The Road to Jonestown, War on the Border, and Waco. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame.