jonestown mass suicide, jonestown, guyana, 1978

An inspiring and powerful memoir of surviving the Jonestown massacre and becoming a fearless voice against injustice and inequality by California congresswoman Jackie Speier. Jackie Speier was twenty-eight when she joined Congressman Leo Ryan's delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones's Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac. Jackie was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from what would become one of the most harrowing tragedies in recent history, Jackie had to choose: Would she become a victim or a fighter? The choice to survive against unfathomable odds empowered her with a resolve to become a vocal proponent for human rights. From the formative nightmare that radically molded her perspective and instincts to the devastating personal and professional challenges that would follow, Undaunted reveals the perseverance of a determined force in American politics. Deeply rooted in Jackie's experiences as a widow, a mother, a congresswoman, and a fighter, hers is a story of true resilience, one that will inspire other women to draw strength from adversity in order to do what is right--no matter the challenges ahead.

An inspiring and powerful memoir of surviving the Jonestown massacre and becoming a fearless voice against injustice and inequality by California congresswoman Jackie Speier. Jackie Speier was twenty-eight when she joined Congressman Leo Ryan's delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones's Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac. Jackie was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from what would become one of the most harrowing tragedies in recent history, Jackie had to choose: Would she become a victim or a fighter? The choice to survive against unfathomable odds empowered her with a resolve to become a vocal proponent for human rights. From the formative nightmare that radically molded her perspective and instincts to the devastating personal and professional challenges that would follow, Undaunted reveals the perseverance of a determined force in American politics. Deeply rooted in Jackie's experiences as a widow, a mother, a congresswoman, and a fighter, hers is a story of true resilience, one that will inspire other women to draw strength from adversity in order to do what is right--no matter the challenges ahead.

In 1954, a pastor named Jim Jones founded a church in Indianapolis called Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church. A preacher with idealistic beliefs, he quickly filled his church with those eager to hear his sermons on social justice. As he became more idealistic his behavior became more erratic and his message, more ominous. His followers leaned on each other for the sense of equality they got from the church but increasingly Jones made it more and more difficult for anyone to leave. Soon Jones moved his congregation to a remote jungle in Guyana, South America. There authorities began to investigate allegations of abuse and false imprisonment. Soon Jonestown became a mass murder scene when Jim Jones deprived his followers of food, sleep, and hope, and ultimately forced them to commit "revolutionary suicide".

Deborah Layton discusses what it was like to be a member of the Peoples Temple cult in Jonestown, Guyana, and explains how the cult's leader brainwashed the other members into a mass suicide.

Deborah Layton discusses what it was like to be a member of the Peoples Temple cult in Jonestown, Guyana, and explains how the cult's leader brainwashed the other members into a mass suicide.

Describes the life of Jim Jones and the church he established, supposedly to help people find a better life, and recounts the events that led to the deaths of Jones and his followers at their compound in Guyana in 1978.

What started as a Utopian dream soon devolved into a terrifying work camp run by a madman, ending in the mass murder-suicide of 914 members in November 1978.