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Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown Audiobook
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Publisher Description
How did Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple, convince more than 900 of his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced punch? From a master of narrative nonfiction comes a chilling chronicle of one of the most notorious cults in American history.
Using riveting first-person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming reveals the makings of a monster: from Jones’s humble origins as a child of the Depression… to his founding of a group whose idealistic promises of equality and justice attracted thousands of followers… to his relocation of Temple headquarters from California to an unsettled territory in Guyana, South America, which he dubbed "Jonestown”… to his transformation of Peoples Temple into a nefarious experiment in mind-control.
And Fleming heart-stoppingly depicts Jones’s final act, persuading his followers to swallow fatal doses of cyanide—to “drink the kool-aid,” as it became known—as a test of their ultimate devotion.
Here is a sweeping story that traces, step by step, the ways in which one man slowly indoctrinated, then murdered, 900 innocent, well- meaning people. And how a few members, Jones' own son included, stood up to him... but not before it was too late.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF with sources and a bibliography.
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“Karen Murray’s balanced narration fits this nonfiction account…While it’s an uncomfortable listen, the story is remarkable and haunting. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
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“Gripping and wrenching.”
— School Library Journal (starred review) -
“A more nuanced understanding of a highly sensationalized historical event.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“An engrossing exploration of just how easily good intentions can drag people down the wrong path if led by a charismatic speaker with a skill for manipulation.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) -
“Riveting…This fascinating and disturbing work will help readers ‘recognize the destructive groups in their own midst.’“
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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An Amazon Editors' Pick of Best YA Nonfiction
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Finalist for the Audie Award for Best Nonfiction Narration
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Winner of the YALSA Nonfiction Award
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Finalist for the Golden Kite Award
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A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
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A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2025
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A Booklist Best Book of 2025
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A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pick of 2025
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A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year
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A BookPage Best Book of 2025
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About Candace Fleming
Candace Fleming is the award-winning author of many books for children and young adults. Her books have often earned multiple starred reviews. The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh received six starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and School Library Journal and was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as a “fascinating chronicle.” The Family Romanov received six starred reviews, won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Visit her on the web at candacefleming.com.
About Karen Murray
Ryan Vincent Anderson is a voice talent and Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator.