* <\/strong>American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation<\/em><\/a>, a book by Adam Morris which considers the role that charismatic preachers and religious leaders have played in U.S. history, includes a lengthy section on Jim Jones and Peoples Temple. The book was published in March 2019. An essay from the book \u2013 using Peoples Temple and the Jonestown tragedy as a point of departure \u2013 appeared in Buzzfeed<\/a> on March 25, 2019. Reviews of the book include:<\/p>\n * <\/strong> Beautiful Revolutionary<\/em>, a novel written by Laura Elizabeth Woollett based on the Peoples Temple story \u2013 and more specifically, drawn upon the character of Temple leader Carolyn Moore Layton \u2013 was released in the United States in May 2019. Several reviews of the book<\/a>, originally published in Australia in 2018, appeared in the 2018 edition of the jonestown report<\/em>.<\/p>\n More recent reviews and descriptions of the book include:<\/p>\n Laura Woollett\u2019s own writings about the book include:<\/p>\n In September 2019, the book was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for fiction.<\/p>\n Laura\u2019s writings for this website may be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n * <\/strong>In April 2019, another Australian author, Jo Thornely, published her book Zealot<\/em>, which focuses on the history of ten destructive cults, beginning with Peoples Temple. The book was reviewed by Erich Mayer of ArtsHub<\/a> on April 24 [scroll down to bottom of page].<\/p>\n * <\/strong> Undaunted<\/em>, the memoir of Jackie Speier, the legislative aide to Leo Ryan who herself was severely wounded at the Port Kaituma airstrip during the attack on the congressional party, has been the subject of extensive press coverage since its publication in late 2018. Among the interviews which Speier \u2013 now a U.S. Representative from Ryan\u2019s old district \u2013 has given are:<\/p>\n Reviews of the book include:<\/p>\n Rep. Speier also discussed her Jonestown experience \u2013 and reflected on\u00a0 the lessons she learned from it \u2013 on several other occasions in the past years. Among them:<\/p>\n An excerpt of the book appears here<\/a>.<\/p>\n * <\/strong> Cult City: Jim Jones, Harvey Milk, and 10 Days That Shook San Francisco<\/em>, by Daniel Flynn, which was published in October 2018, has been reviewed numerous times since publication of the last edition of the jonestown report<\/em>. Among the reviews and descriptions:<\/p>\n The book also formed the basis of a column by Calvin Freiburger<\/a> on Life Site News<\/em> on the 40th anniversary of the Harvey Milk assassination.<\/p>\n Mr. Flynn also wrote several pieces about his book, including:<\/p>\n The book is the subject of a review essay<\/a> by Heather Shearer in this year\u2019s edition of the jonestown report<\/em>.<\/p>\n * <\/strong>Ron Cabral and Judy Bebelaar, the authors of And Then They Were Gone<\/em>, which was published in 2018, were named San Francisco Library Laureates for 2019 in early February. In making the announcement, the Friends and Foundation of the San Francisco Public Librarywrote: \u201cOur celebration will recognize 35 accomplished writers in the Bay Area and beyond. In addition to specific interest in your book, we look for diversity among authors and genres in selecting Laureate nominees.\u201d<\/p>\n The book was also awarded first prize in the General Non-Fiction category by the Northern California Publishers and Authors on April 12, 2019. It was also among the five books nominated in the General Non-Fiction category by the Northern California Books Awards.<\/p>\n Among the descriptions and reviews which have been published since the last edition of the jonestown report<\/em>:<\/p>\n Among the interviews of the authors was on May 9, 2019 by KALW Public Radio<\/a> in San Francisco.<\/p>\n <\/a>Jonestown in Film<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Reviews of the film include:<\/p>\n * <\/strong>In January 2019, the 2006 film, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple<\/em>, was ranked by the YourTango website<\/a> as one of the \u201c16 Best Movies About Cults.\u201d<\/p>\n A talkback session with director Stanley Nelson \u2013 along with Jonestown survivor Jim Jones Jr, and others \u2013 was recorded<\/a> on November 28, 2018, ten days after the 40th\u00a0<\/sup>anniversary.<\/p>\n Jonestown in Television<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n * <\/strong> Very Scary People,<\/em> a new series on HLN \u2013 a news network featuring live coverage of national, regional, lifestyle, and entertainment news\u2013 devoted each of its first six two-hour installments to well-known mass murderers or serial killers. The Ukiah Daily Journal<\/em> reviewed<\/a> the program on Jim Jones, which aired on CNN Headline News on April 21.<\/p>\n Descriptions and reviews include:<\/p>\n * <\/strong>The third season of Riverdale<\/em>, a popular American teen drama television series\u00a0on The CW based on the characters of\u00a0Archie Comics, opened with the suicide of a character in a manner evoking the deaths in Jonestown: Dilton Dolley has apparently joined a cult and dies by drinking cyanide mixed into a blueberry drink called “Fresh-Aid.”<\/p>\n <\/a>Jonestown in Theater<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n * <\/strong> Thank You, Dad<\/em>, a three-act play presented in near-documentary style on the life of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple, had its world premiere at the Baltimore Theater Project in January 2019. Presented by Rapid Lemon Productions, the work included excerpts from documents and tapes from the Temple\u2019s history, including the final tape from Jonestown\u2019s last day. As Jayne Blanchard<\/a>, a reviewer for DC Theatre Scene concluded, The overlapping voices of the followers wrench your heart as they thank Jones all he did for them, optimistic that a better life is waiting on the other side and, most devastating, that their deaths will mean something.That is what stays with you \u2026 Not the ravings of a madman, although [Jones portrayer Lance] Bankerd is hypnotic capturing Jim Jones\u2019 Grand Guignol meglomania. No, you think about the people\u2013idealists, believers in a equal society\u2013reduced to a catchphrase, \u201cdrinking the Kool-Aid,\u201d that is synonymous with blind, warped devotion. Never forget.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The play was also reviewed by Patricia Mitchell of DC Metro Theater Arts<\/a> on January 13, and by Amanda M. Gunther of TheatreBloom.com<\/a> on January 11.<\/p>\n Michael Kevin Darnell played the part of Jim Jones in this one-man show when it ran in late summer at Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It was reviewed in The Maryland Theatre Guide<\/a> and Broadway World (Washington, D.C.)<\/a>.<\/p>\n * <\/strong> The Temple<\/em>, a drama which evokes numerous images and language from Jonestown, especially its final day, even though the setting is an anteroom of a larger building and furnished with clear plastic chairs, ran at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, Australia in the spring of 2019. A review<\/a> by Alison Croggon of Witness Performance was published on May 11.<\/p>\n <\/a>Jonestown in Art<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n <\/a>Jonestown in Music<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n * <\/strong>The Peoples Temple album, He\u2019s Able<\/em>, was revisited in an article in Rolling Stone<\/a> in November 2018, 45 years after its release. The article includes several musical selections from the album.<\/p>\n * <\/strong>A metal group called The Blanche Davidians released a song Alex Jonestown Massacre<\/a>, in December 2018 which opens with a portion of an oft-played tape of Jim Jones exhorting his followers in Jonestown to fight with whatever weapons they have.<\/p>\n * <\/strong>In conjunction with the release of their single \u201cYour Addiction\u201d in June, the duo Night Club produced a video<\/a> which describes the song as conjuring up \u201ca cult of people that have lost their hearts through their addictions. Sort of inspired by Peoples Temple\/Heaven\u2019s Gate type cults through the lens of a John Carpenter\/Sam Raimi flick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\nby Kevin O\u2019Leary, Los Angeles Review of Books<\/em>, July 5, 2019<\/li>\n
\nby Colin Dickey, The New Republic<\/em>, April 24, 2019<\/li>\n
\nby Moly Worthen, The New York Times<\/em>, April 26, 2019<\/li>\n
\nBy Greg Barnhisel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>, April 5, 2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n
\n
\nKCBS, February 7, 2019 (28 minutes)<\/li>\n
\nThe Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC, January 2, 2019 (21 minutes)<\/li>\n
\nAOL Travel UK, December 28, 2018<\/li>\n
\nPress Play with Madeleine Brand, KCRW, November 30, 2018 (16 minutes)<\/li>\n
\nby Elissa Chudwin, Santa Rosa Press Democrat<\/em>, August 19, 2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nby Sue Lempert, The San Mateo Daily Journal<\/em>, January 21, 2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nby Boying Pimentel, The Philippine Daily Inquirer<\/em>, March 25, 2019
\nSpeier defends the courage of a Filipino journalist who has been arrested several times for her opposition to the government of Rodrigo Duterte includes a description of her role in the investigation of Peoples Temple, focusing principally on Jim Jones\u2019 drug use.<\/li>\n
\nby Rebecca Nelson, Elle Magazine<\/em>, July 26, 2019
\n\u201cWhen something that grotesque happens to you at a young age, you reevaluate life\u2026 When you look death in the eye, you\u2019re not as fearful. There\u2019s a fearlessness in terms of taking on issues, which is a silver lining. It empowers you.\u201d<\/li>\n
\nby Kate Bradshaw, Menlo Park (CA) Almanac<\/em>, August 13, 2019
\nSpeier\u2019s longtime advocacy for control measures stems from her wounding at the Port Kaituma airstrip, and in August, she called for \u201cfor the President to lead by words and deeds\u201d following the summer\u2019s mass shootings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nby Paul Kengor, TribLive.com<\/em>, January 10, 2019<\/li>\n
\nby Kyle Sammin, The Federalist<\/em>, November 9, 2018<\/li>\n
\nby K. Lloyd Billingsley, Independent Institute<\/em>, November 5, 2018<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/605-Adults-304-Children.jpg\")
<\/a>* <\/strong>A 13-minute documentary entitled 605 Adults 304 Children<\/em><\/a>, by Michael Mahaffie, was screened in several film and digital video festivals in 2019, including at Rutgers University<\/a> in New Jersey and at the Oxford Film Festival<\/a> in Mississippi, both in February, and at the Omaha Film Festival<\/a> in March. It won Honorable Mention at the 2019 United States Super 8 Film Festival. The film consists of footage shot in Jonestown. A short trailer appears on Vimeo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
\nby Alex Biese, Asbury Park Press<\/em>, February 12, 2019<\/li>\n
\nby Alex Biese, Asbury Park Press, June 2, 2019
\n#10: \u201cIn terms of impact-per-frame, no film this year could top [this film].\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Sundance.jpg\")
<\/a>* <\/strong> Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle<\/em>, was aired on November 17 and 18, 2018 on the Sundance Channel. It was based upon the book The Road to Jonestown<\/em>, by Jeff Guinn. The trailer appeared on Docnyc.com<\/a>, entertainment.ie<\/a>, and Shortlist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
\nby Sara Winegardner, November 16, 2018, Cablefax<\/li>\n
\nby Matt Brennan, November 16, 2018, Paste Magazine<\/em><\/li>\n
\nby Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>, November 16, 2018.<\/li>\n
\nby\u00a0Les Luchter, Media Post<\/em>, November 15, 2018<\/li>\n
\nby Varsha Vasudevan, MEAWW.com, November 15, 2018<\/li>\n
\nby Stephanie Nolsco, Fox News, November 16, 2018<\/li>\n
\nFox News<\/li>\n
\nby Libby Torres, Daily Beast<\/em>, November 10, 2018<\/li>\n
\nThe World Tribune<\/em>, April 11, 2019<\/li>\n
\nby Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone<\/em>, November 5, 2018
\nRolling Stone<\/em>interview with author Jeff Guinn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/thank-you-dad-photo-by-wong.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/john-waters.jpg\")
<\/a>* <\/strong>An art exhibition of 160 works by John Waters<\/a> which ran through the spring of 2019 at the Wexner Center for the Artsat Ohio State University, included one piece based upon the deaths in Jonestown in 1978. Entitled \u201cFaux Video Room\u201d (2006), the piece consisted of a black curtain covered a solid black wall, but when visitors pulled back the curtain, they heard a recording of the \u201cDeath Tape\u201d recorded on Jonestown\u2019s last day. Known for such gender-bending movies as Pink Flamingo and Female Trouble, Waters has had a longtime interest in Peoples Temple, and bought a copy of the recording almost 20 years ago because, as he said, his record collection needed it.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Sleep.jpg\")
<\/a>* <\/strong> The Sleep<\/em>, a sculpture which was inspired in part by the 1978 deaths Jonestownand which has appeared on the federal building in Iowa City, Iowa since 1985, was the subject of a November 16, 2018 article in Little Village Magazine<\/a>. \u201c\u201cA great deal of my art, particularly the relief\u00a0The Sleep<\/em>, is about blowing the whistle on society,\u201d\u00a0artist Robert Longo said in a contemporary 1985 interview<\/a>. \u201cI made the piece right after Jonestown.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/black-doldrums.jpg\")
<\/a>* <\/strong>The British garage rock duo known as the Black Doldrums released the song People\u2019s Temple<\/a> in late November. It also appears on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n