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A Thousand Lives
A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown | Julia Scheeres
13 posts | 16 read | 34 to read
In 1954, a pastor named Jim Jones opened a church in Indianapolis called Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church. He was a charismatic preacher with idealistic beliefs, and he quickly filled his pews with an audience eager to hear his sermons on social justice. As Joness behavior became erratic and his message more ominous, his followers leaned on each other to recapture the sense of equality that had drawn them to his church. But even as the congregation thrived, Jones made it increasingly difficult for members to leave. By the time Jones moved his congregation to a remote jungle in Guyana and the US government began to investigate allegations of abuse and false imprisonment in Jonestown, it was too late. A Thousand Lives is the story of Jonestown as it has never been told. New York Times bestselling author Julia Scheeres drew from tens of thousands of recently declassified FBI documents and audiotapes, as well as rare videos and interviews, to piece together an unprecedented and compelling history of the doomed camp, focusing on the people who lived there. The people who built Jonestown wanted to forge a better life for themselves and their children. In South America, however, they found themselves trapped in Jonestown and cut off from the outside world as their leader goaded them toward committing revolutionary suicide and deprived them of food, sleep, and hope. Vividly written and impossible to forget, A Thousand Lives is a story of blind loyalty and daring escapes, of corrupted ideals and senseless, haunting loss.
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DaniJ
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Pickpick

This is the most complicated case of radicalization, groupthink and a cultish following I‘ve ever heard of. The social psychology involved to create a community of over 1,000 and have them all die for the cause is beyond evil. The Jonestown Massacre may go down in history as the most atrocious murder-suicide this world has ever seen.

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Kshakal
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Eggs So pretty 😍 1y
33 likes2 comments
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JacintaMCarter
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Pickpick

#2021Book48
The thing I liked best about this particular cult-related book was the focus on the victims and survivors. Scheeres didn't demonize the people who fell under Jim Jones's spell, but instead worked to understand why they chose to leave everything behind and follow him to the jungle of Guyana. Every story has more than one side, and Scheeres did a great job digging into every side of the Jonestown mass-murder/suicide.

Texreader Excellent review 3y
36 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JulietReads
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britt_brooke
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Beyond conducting survivor interviews, Scheeres pieced together diary entries, letters, depositions, FBI interviews, and numerous tape recordings found at Jonestown to give us an in-depth look at the Peoples Temple, focusing on details about certain members. This provides explicit information I‘d never read before. It‘s horrifying to learn details of how the revolutionary suicide was carried out. The survivor stories are fascinating.

PagesByTheWater Was this the mass suicide that happened in South Africa? I listen to a Podcast called Timesuck and that is two episodes away and this sounds interesting. 6y
britt_brooke @PagesByTheWater It was in Guyana, South America, but yes, I‘m sure it‘s the same one. It happened in 1978. Crazy stuff! 6y
Kaye 🌟NF 6y
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britt_brooke @kaye 🙌🏻 6y
emilyhaldi Would be worth the read to hear the survivor stories 😱 6y
britt_brooke @emilyhaldi Yes! They are intense. 6y
150 likes7 stack adds6 comments
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britt_brooke
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Today, husband and I went to the Winter Classic! 🏒 This year it was the Blackhawks vs Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium. It was such a cool experience!! However, now, we‘re sitting on our group‘s bus in hellacious traffic *trying* to leave South Bend and return to our hotel in Chicago. WHY DIDN‘T I BRING MY KINDLE?? 😫 Thank the gods for the Kindle app, though. I can grab a few chapters.

guinsgirlreads Awesome!! 👏🏻 6y
tjwill Fun! We watched some of it on television. How was it in person? How well can you see from the stands there? It‘s an interesting set up. 6y
Leftcoastzen Wow! 6y
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Melissa_J Nice! What was it like? Was it hard to see? The seats don‘t look all that close to the ice. 6y
britt_brooke @tjwill @Melissa_J We could still see pretty well even though the ice is kinda isolated out there. It was cold, damp, and a bit windy, but fortunately husband‘s employer put us up in club level so it was reasonably warm in the seats (plus we could watch from inside if we wanted). I had to thaw out a couple of times, though. 🥶😆 Fun time! 6y
MallenNC This seems like so much fun! Sorry you didn't bring your Kindle for the traffic jam. 6y
Jas16 I have always wanted to go to one of these games. Plus I am a big Bruins fan so I am very jealous. 6y
Sharpeipup I was just talking about this with a friend. Apparently it‘s coming to Dallas in 2020... 6y
britt_brooke @Jas16 Happy they got a win for you! 6y
britt_brooke @Sharpeipup I‘ve heard that, too. 🤔 6y
Crazeedi That would be so neat. They had that in pittsburgh. Couple years ago, didn't get to go but thought it'd be awesome. Glad you enjoyed! 6y
tjwill @britt_brooke Sounds chilly! 😁 I hope the traffic has improved! 6y
LeahBergen Fun!! 🏒 6y
Adelle1 Wow. So many people! I went in Boston the 2nd year they had it. It was a blast but SO cold! 6y
LeslieO So fun! The first one was in Buffalo, I wish I had gone to it. (edited) 6y
mrp27 So fun! 6y
britt_brooke @Adelle1 Just over 76K in attendance today. It was a fun crowd! That‘s awesome you went to one of the earlier ones. Such a fun atmosphere. 6y
britt_brooke @LeslieO Bummer, that would‘ve been awesome being the very first one. 6y
LeslieO It would have been fun (at least for awhile) because it snowed like crazy! But the Sabres lost that game in shootouts, so there's that. 6y
158 likes21 comments
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Julsmarshall
Pickpick

Fascinating, horrifying, sad, heartbreaking.

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Julsmarshall
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Been wanting to read this forever! True crime combined with a religious cult is fascinating to me! #currentread

Suet624 Ooooohhhhh.... I want this book. 8y
RiotMom I highly recommend Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer if you are into this! 8y
Julsmarshall @RiotMom I couldn't put it down! I love everything by Krakauer! 8y
britt_brooke I need to read this! I just read Jesus Land and enjoyed her writing style. 8y
57 likes10 stack adds4 comments
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MrsReads1
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Bookish Gals October Day 9: Book Heartbreak

I'm sure everyone is familiar with Columbine by now but I haven't often seen A Thousand Lives mentioned. This is a heartbreaking book that details the origins of People's Temple, run by Jim Jones, and how 900+ people would eventually die at Jonestown. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how one man can lead hundreds to their deaths.

#bookishgalsoctober #myshelves #necessarynonfiction

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MandaRie
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Pickpick

An interesting read. I didn't know a lot about Jonestown or Jim Jones, so this was very eye opening for me, and terribly tragic. Well written and good stories about several members who joined the church.

3/5
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bookishkai

A look at the victims and survivors of Jonestown.

maximoffs Thank you!!! 8y
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CherylDeFranceschi
Mehso-so

Informative. Well written. Terrifying.