Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the People's Temple | 
 enlarge | Author: Deborah Layton
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Rating:  250 reviews
Sales Rank: 95412
Media: Paperback
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0385489846
Dewey Decimal Number: 289.9
EAN: 9780385489843
ASIN: 0385489846
Publication Date: November 9, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20080724215545T
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Amazon.com
Deborah Layton was, by her own account, a typical rebellious youth, with nothing in her dossier to indicate that she would eventually find herself in Jim Jones's People's Temple in Guyana, looking for a way out of the green hell that had become the People's Temple Agricultural Project. She barely escaped in June 1978. Within months, more than 900 people drank Jones's cyanide punch and committed "revolutionary suicide" in the face of mounting stateside pressure on the cult, some of it prompted by Layton's own testimonials upon her safe return home. Her brother, Larry, also survived, and as one of the few left alive in Guyana became a scapegoat for Jones's crimes; he is now serving a life sentence in federal prison. There is a simple naivete at the root of Seductive Poison. Layton's own youthful innocence, foremost, but also the desire to trust another person, the need for belonging and meaning, which led so many perfectly normal Americans to place their faith in a suicidal madman. Far from confirming the simplistically monstrous Jones of the public imagination, Layton paints the man as a dark, twisted shaman, by turns soothing, then suddenly malevolent and petty, with a hugely sadistic streak that belied his perfectly coifed hair, expensive suits, and impressive political connections. The scenes in which she describes her escape and flight to safety are wrenching, her last-minute conversation with Jones and his seductive appeal for her to return home to Jonestown are chilling, and her fear and indecision are still palpable on the printed page. For Layton to recount tales this personal and horrifying must have been tremendously difficult. For her to lift those recollections above the bargain-basement freak-show reputation the People's Temple has achieved in the popular imagination and depict them with the power of great tragedy is nothing but extraordinary. --Tjames Madison
Product Description
Told by a former high-level member of the Peoples Temple and Jonestown survivor, Seductive Poison is the "truly unforgettable" (Kirkus Review) story of how one woman was seduced by one of the most notorious cults in recent memory and how she found her way back to sanity.
From Waco to Heaven's Gate, the past decade has seen its share of cult tragedies. But none has been quite so dramatic or compelling as the Jonestown massacre of 1978, in which the Reverend Jim Jones and 913 of his disciples perished. Deborah Layton had been a member of the Peoples Temple for seven years when she departed for Jonestown, Guyana, the promised land nestled deep in the South American jungle. When she arrived, however, Layton saw that something was seriously wrong. Jones constantly spoke of a revolutionary mass suicide, and Layton knew only too well that he had enough control over the minds of the Jonestown residents to carry it out. But her pleas for help--and her sworn affidavit to the U.S. government--fell on skeptical ears. In this very personal account, Layton opens up the shadowy world of cults and shows how anyone can fall under their spell. Seductive Poison is both an unflinching historical document and a riveting story of intrigue, power, and murder.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 245 more reviews...
Moving and inspirational. A must read June 6, 2008
Hannah
Originally bought as a source for a research paper, i had come into this searching for a simple first hand account of the Jonestown incident. However, once i began reading, Seductive Poison evolved into much more than just a primary source. What sets this book apart from any other literature on the accounts of Jonestown is Layton's honesty. She provides the reader with a background of information leading up to joining Jim Jones and finally wraps up with the eventual mass-suicide. Instead of focusing primarily on the final events of Jonestown and the actions of Jim jones himself, Layton tells her story, from beginning to end which will help others understand why anyone would have gotten up and followed a man such as Jim Jones.
Before beginning this book, i was skeptical. I had many questions about the followers of Jones, their motives, their mental state, what they believed in and I was worried that Layton might try to sway the reader in one direction or another. However, that is not the case. Seductive Poison provides the reader with facts, journal entries, letters, and most importantly, Photos of the loved ones she describes throughout the entire book.
Often the writing of memoirs such as this involving such an emotional attachment don't live up to the story itself. However, Deborah Layton is a talented writer which allows the reader immerse themselves in the content rather than focus on the pros and cons of the writing. From her steady attention to detail to the heartfelt commentary, Layton has truly pulled off a winner. Because of her first hand situation in the Peoples Temple, Seductive Poison is informative. Anyone interested in seeking the ways and workings of a cult, how cults come-to-be cults, why anyone would join one or just looking to read of a women's personal journey of coming into her own, should give this book a chance. I did, and I'm thrilled with my choice.
 Insider's view of the rise and fall of the Peoples Temple April 28, 2008
Victoria Shephard (San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States)
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.
Very compelling and insightful April 25, 2008
Gregory Kennedy (Fayetteville, AR USA)
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.
The Inner Workings of a Cult Life and Death in Jonestown April 23, 2008
Tara Gibson (PA)
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.
A haunting tale March 26, 2008
Jeremy Sohlstrom
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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