Stories from Jonestown, a book by playwright Leigh Fondakowski based largely upon interviews she conducted in the course of researching her play, The People’s Temple, was published earlier this year through the University of Minnesota Press.
A contributor to the jonestown report for several years, Leigh’s reflections about the book – and her speaking engagement at Bucknell, where students read the book as part of a semester-long class on Jonestown – are here.
The book has been well-received critically. Reviews of Stories From Jonestown included:
- • A New Book About Jonestown, the West Coast Cult That Led to a Massacre, by Siran Babayan, LA Weekly, January 3. 2013
• Book Review: Stories from Jonestown by Leigh Fondakowski, by Greg Barbrick, BlogCritics, February 15 (reposted on the publisher’s website)
• ‘Stories from Jonestown’ Is a Poignant Testimony to Spirit, Forgiveness and Stoic Resilience, by Mark Reynolds, PopMatters, February 19;
• Stories from Jonestown by Leigh Fondakowski, by Jeremy Lybarger, Bookforum, January 30 (reposted on the publisher’s website)
• Why We Won’t Let Jonestown (Or 9/11 or Sandy Hook) Die, by Kelsey Osgood, Religion Dispatches, February 25
A collection of pre-publication reviews – written for the 2012 edition of the jonestown report from different segments of its readership – appears here.