{"id":83718,"date":"2018-10-31T11:08:19","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T18:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=83718"},"modified":"2025-10-24T16:19:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T23:19:11","slug":"fiction-and-literature","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=83718","title":{"rendered":"Fiction and Literature"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Song of the Suicides<\/em>: An Author\u2019s Note<\/a>, by Salvador Hern\u00e1ez Alonso (2025) \"NEW\"<\/p>\n

Message from Jonestown<\/a>, by Scott Blackwood, author of We Agreed to Meet Just Here<\/a><\/em> (2009)<\/p>\n

Novella to arise from Peoples Temple Research<\/a>, by Tayla Boote<\/a> (2014)<\/p>\n

Articles about writing by Sara Brody<\/a>
\nThe Journey to Horrifyingly Wrong<\/a> (2016)<\/span>
\nA Search for Grace in Jonestown<\/a> (2015)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonestown Revisited<\/a>, a short story by Jan Carew (2014)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Children of Paradise<\/strong><\/em>, by Fred D\u2019Aguiar (2014)
\nReviews
\nFictional Cults Lack Verisimilitude<\/a>, a review by Annie Dawid (2016)<\/span>
\nPoetic Faith<\/em><\/a>, a review by Annie Dawid (2015)<\/span>
\nChildren of Paradise<\/em>: A Book Review<\/a>, by Matt Fulmer (2015)<\/span><\/p>\n

Dawid, Annie<\/a>. Fathom These Events<\/em>: Stories of Peoples Temple and Jonestown<\/a>. (2025) \"NEW\"<\/p>\n

—–. Paradise Undone: A Novel of Jonestown<\/em><\/a>. Chipping Norton, UK: Inkspot Publishing, 2023. See reviews by Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons<\/a> and darlene anita scott<\/a>.
\nArticles about writing by Annie Dawid<\/a>
\nJonestown Manuscript Sees Partial Publication<\/a> (2014)<\/span>
\nParadise Undone<\/em>\u00a0Not Quite Undone<\/a> (2013)<\/span>
\nSaying Farewell to Jonestown<\/a> (2010)<\/span>
\nJonestown, a \u201chard sell,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0(2009)<\/span>
\nThe Yuck Factor<\/a>\u00a0(2008)<\/span>
\nFour Protagonists, One Author<\/a> (2008)<\/span>
\nA Writer\u2019s Journal, Part II<\/a> (2006)<\/span>
\nResurrection City: A Novel of Jonestown<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 An Introduction and an Excerpt (2009)<\/span>
\nFathom These Events: Jonestown, a Novel<\/em>\u00a0A writer\u2019s journal, excerpts<\/a>\u00a0(2005)<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing The Peoples Temple Story for Teenagers<\/a>, by Candace Fleming (2024)
\nFleming Book Presents Jonestown to Young Adults<\/a>, by Cole Waterman\u00a0(2025) \"NEW\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Articles about writing by Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons<\/a>
\nThe World Needs Your Novel<\/a> (2013)<\/span>
\nI Only Want To Be With You, Charlie Brown<\/a> (2013)<\/span>
\nA Trace of Doubt in My Mind<\/a> (2013)<\/span>
\nFinding Jeanette McDonald\u2019s Pool<\/a> (2011)<\/span>
\nAs Long As There\u2019s Life, There\u2019s Hope<\/a> (2010)<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonestown: A Vexation<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, by Carmen Gillespie<\/a> (2011)
\nVolume of Poetry Counters Erasure of Jonestown<\/a> (2011)<\/span>
\nThe Vexation of Jonestown<\/a> (2010)<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding Truth in Fiction<\/a>, by Jane Hammons (2010)<\/p>\n

The Song of the Suicides<\/strong><\/em>: Revisiting the Jonestown tragedy<\/a>, by Salvador Hern\u00e1ez (2018)<\/p>\n

Jungle Rot<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, by Kathleen McKenna Hewtson (2015)
\nArticles by Kathleen McKenna Hewtson
\nJungle Rot<\/em>\u00a0Exposes Jonestown Holocaust<\/a> (2015)<\/span>
\nI wrote the book<\/a> (2009)<\/span>
\nThe Jonestown Chronicles, or on trying to write a book a little shorter than the Bible<\/a> (2008)<\/span>
\nReview
\nLiterary Rot: A Critical Review of\u00a0Jungle Rot<\/em><\/a>, by Katherine Hill (2015)<\/span>
\nA Response to Katherine Hill<\/a>, by Tim Hewtson<\/span><\/span>
\nKatherine Hill Replies to Tim Hewtson<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jonestown<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, by Wilson Harris (1996)
\n\u2018Something must come of this\u2019: Confronting the faces and spaces of Jonestown in Literature<\/a>, by Tayla Boote (2018)<\/span>
\nFictional Cults Lack Verisimilitude<\/a>, a review by Annie Dawid (2016)<\/span>
\n\u201cHell that springs from the grave of memory\u201d: Sacrifice, Whiteness, and Extinction in Wilson Harris\u2019 Jonestown<\/em><\/a>, by Jonathan Highfield (2008)<\/span>
\nMeditating on the Fate of the Earth and Its Species<\/a>, by Gentian Miller (2018)<\/span>
\nThe Sacred and the Profane in Wilson Harris\u2019 Jonestown<\/a>, by Rebecca Moore (2008)<\/span><\/p>\n

White Nights, Black Paradise<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, by Sikivu Hutchinson<\/a> (2015)
\nArticles by Sikivu Hutchinson
\nOn White Negroes, Jim Jones and \u201cSista\u201d Rachel<\/a> (2015)<\/span>
\nNo More White Saviors: Jonestown and Peoples Temple in the Black Feminist Imagination<\/a> (2014)<\/span>
\nReviews
\nFictional Cults Lack Verisimilitude<\/a>, by Annie Dawid (2016)<\/span>
\n\u201cAre We Black, Proud and Socialist?\u201d<\/a>, by Annie Dawid (2015)<\/span>
\nAfrican-American Women Find Voice in New Jonestown Novel<\/a>, by Rebecca Moore (2015)<\/p>\n

Blue Smoke & Mirrors<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/em>, by Arnold Ludwig (2018)
\nArticles by Arnold Ludwig
\nWhy I Wrote\u00a0Blue Smoke & Mirrors<\/em><\/a> (2018)<\/span>
\nAn Exploration of a Novelist\u2019s Mind<\/a> (2016)<\/span>
\nMarceline Jones: Saint, Sinner, or \u2026..?\u00a0Invitation to a Dialogue<\/a> (2012)<\/span>
\nI Killed Jim Jones<\/a><\/em>, Author\u2019s Note (2010)<\/span>
\nI Killed Jim Jones, Prologue<\/a><\/span>
\nReviews
\nWhen \u201cBecause\u201d Is Enough<\/a>, by Bulent Atalay (2018)<\/span>
\nBearing Witness to Tragedy<\/a>, by Matthew Fulmer (2018)<\/span>
\nManipulation, Mirrors and Mind Control<\/a>, by Robert Westlake (2018)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Girl from Jonestown<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, by Sharon Maas
\nThe Girl from Jonestown<\/em> Finally Published<\/a> (2022)
\nArticles by Sharon Maas
\nThe\u00a0White Night<\/em>\u00a0Is Over<\/a> (2013)<\/span>
\nWhite Night:\u00a0<\/em>The Novel<\/a> (2011)<\/span>
\nReviews
\nThe Girl from Jonestown<\/em>: Three Reviews<\/a> (2022) <\/span>
\nThe Girl from Jonestown<\/em>: A Review<\/a>, by Laura Elizabeth Woollett (2022)<\/span><\/p>\n

Hungarian Novelist Takes on American Tragedy<\/a>, by Heged\u0171s\u00a0M\u00e1t\u00e9 (2018)<\/p>\n

Six Unique Books<\/a>, by Jolene McDonald (2023)<\/p>\n

The People v. Pooja Sharma<\/em>: What If\u2026<\/a>, by Shakti Newman (2024)<\/p>\n

A Boyish God<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, by Peter A. Olsson, M.D. (2013)
\nThe Psychological Gestation of\u00a0A Boyish God<\/em><\/a>, by Peter A. Olsson, M.D. (2013)<\/span>
\nA Boyish God<\/em>: A Review<\/a>, Laura Johnston Kohl (2014)<\/span><\/p>\n

Marrow<\/em>: An Origin Story<\/a>, by darlene anita scott (2020)<\/p>\n

Articles about writing by Sylvia Smith
\nOnce It Was A Beautiful Idea<\/a> (2012)<\/span>
\nOn writing a novel about Jonestown, in retrospect<\/a> (2011)<\/span>
\nRounding The Corner: Reflections On Writing About Jonestown<\/a> (2009)<\/span><\/p>\n

Illya Szilak, Reconstructing Mayakovsky<\/strong><\/em>, Last Words and Final Numbers<\/a> (2013)<\/p>\n

Beautiful Revolutionary<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, by Laura Elizabeth Woollett <\/a>
\nArticles by Laura Elizabeth Woollett
\nSo I Wrote A Cult Novel<\/a> (2018)<\/span>
\nLeaving Jonestown<\/a> (2017)<\/span>
\nTwo Women<\/a>\u00a0(2016)<\/span>
\nFrom Carolyn To Evelyn<\/a> (2015)<\/span>
\nLife Lessons With Peoples Temple<\/a> (2015)<\/span>
\nBeautiful Revolutionary<\/em>: A TV Drama<\/a> (2014)<\/span>
\nReviews of Beautiful Revolutionary<\/em>
\nThis Is Not a Beach Book<\/a>, by Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons (2018)<\/span>
\nRevolutionary Beauty<\/a>, by Katherine Hill (2018)<\/span>
\nReading Evelyn, Finding Carolyn<\/a>, by Kathy Sparrow (2018)<\/span>
\nMore a Whisper Than a Shout<\/a>, by Rikke Wettendorff (2018)<\/span><\/p>\n

Asking Why<\/a>, by Russell Working (2011)<\/p>\n

Reviews of other works<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Peoples Temple as Plot Device<\/a>, A review of six action\/thrillers, by Matthew Thomas Farrell (2012)<\/p>\n

Fictional Cults Lack Verisimilitude<\/a>, A Review of The Girls<\/em>, by Emma Cline, Review by Annie Dawid (2016)<\/p>\n

Using Peoples Temple to Tell a Story: Jim Jones in Three Novels<\/a>, by Karen Stroup (2010)<\/p>\n

Joanstown<\/em>: A Different Look at Guyana<\/a>\u00a0Poetry by Michael Gilkes, Review by Rebecca Moore (2017)<\/p>\n

Before White Night<\/em>: A Book Review<\/a>, Novel by Joseph Hartmann, Review by Matt Fulmer (2014)<\/p>\n

Harlequin Romance Meets Stephen King Meets Jonestown<\/a>, A Review of Jim Jones Is Alive <\/em>by Eugene Mendonsa, Review by Katherine Hill (2016)<\/p>\n

Jim Jones Is Alive<\/em>: A Recapitulation<\/a>, Novel by Eugene Mendonsa, Review by Mark T. Gallaga (2016)<\/p>\n

Jonestown, Naipaul, and Me<\/a>, by Nathan Deuel (2012)<\/p>\n

Harmony<\/em>: A Review<\/a>, Novel by Carolyn Parkhurst, Review by Matthew Fulmer (2016)<\/p>\n

Jonestown<\/em>\u00a0as a novel (aka Raping Jim Jones for Royalties)<\/a>, A Review of Jonestown<\/em>, by Ryan Roy, Review by Matthew Thomas Farrell (2105)<\/p>\n

Fictional Account Distorts and Obscures Reality of Jonestown<\/a>, A Review of Jonestown<\/em>, by Ryan Roy, Review by Katherine Hill (2015)<\/p>\n

Jonestown Plays Minor Role in Novel<\/a>, A Review of New People<\/em>, by Danzy Senna, Review by Annie Dawid (2017)<\/p>\n

Jane Smiley Character Dips into Peoples Temple<\/a>, A Review of Early Warning, <\/em>by Jane Smiley, Review by Rebecca Moore (2015)<\/p>\n

Review of Jos\u00e9 Torra Alfaro\u00b4s book \u201cLibertad y Religi\u00f3n. Jonestown: Religi\u00f3n y Socialismo\u201d<\/a>, by Luis \u00c1ngel Gonz\u00e1lez Rocha (2017)<\/p>\n

Book and Literature Notes from the jonestown report<\/em><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

2021<\/a>
\n2020<\/a>
\n2019<\/a>
\n2018<\/a>
\n2016<\/a>
\n2014<\/a>
\n2013<\/a>
\n2012<\/a>
\n2011<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Song of the Suicides: An Author\u2019s Note, by Salvador Hern\u00e1ez Alonso (2025) Message from Jonestown, by Scott Blackwood, author of We Agreed to Meet Just Here (2009) Novella to arise from Peoples Temple Research, by Tayla Boote (2014) Articles about writing by Sara Brody The Journey to Horrifyingly Wrong (2016) A Search for Grace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":83653,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-83718","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/83718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83718"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/83718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132609,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/83718\/revisions\/132609"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/83653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}