Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming

Death in the Jungle tells the harrowing story of the “Reverend” Jim Jones and the tragic fate of his followers.

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming. Anne Schwartz Books (PRH), 2025, 319 pages.

Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 15-18

Recommended for: ages 16-up

Gen-Xers my daughter’s age won’t remember: she was only three in November 1998, when the reports came of horrifying events in a country most Americans had never heard of. First, news of a U.S. Congressman shot and killed on an airstrip in Guyanna, South America. The next day, hundreds of bodies were discovered at a settlement deep in the rain forest—victims, it appeared, of a mass suicide. Early reports estimated the dead at perhaps numbering over 400 hundred. But that was just the surface. Another layer of bodies was found underneath, many of them children. Eventually the dead would total 909.

Death in the Jungle begins as it must with Jim Jones, a bright boy from Indiana who from an early age displayed a gift for spellbinding speech. Also an odd obsession with death. Drawn into Pentecostalism in his late teens, he preached wherever he could find a pulpit or street corner and developed an outreach to the marginalized—especially African Americans. In the 1950s, when Jones launched his ministry, very few white ministers were preaching about the evils of racism, much less building mixed-race congregations. After moving his church from Indiana to northern California in 1965, Jones found an even richer field for evangelism.

By that time, he was no longer preaching Christ, but evangelical socialism. He no longer believed in God, but spoke of himself as God. His gospel was not good news, but paranoia fueled by drugs and alcohol. Even before he launched his scheme of a personal kingdom in the jungle, Jones was warning his followers that the US Government was out to get them and he was their only protector. When Congressman Leo Ryan visited Jonestown on a fact-finding mission, Jones decided he had no choice but to kill him. Once that deed was done, the US Government really would be coming for him and his people. “Revolutionary suicide” was the only way out.

In the 47 years since that gruesome discovery in the jungle, plenty has been written about the People’s Temple cult, but this is the first comprehensive account (that I know of) written for teens. The language and some of the details are toned down, but it’s a very grim read–sensitive readers take note. Still, as a case study of mass delusion and cult leadership, it asks good questions. How could so many, even among the educated and privileged, get caught up in such an obvious delusion? What kind of charisma could persuade so many to voluntarily give up their lives—and worse, the lives of their children?

The author provides no definite answers, and quotes Stephan Jones (the cult leader’s only natural and legitimate child) that “[cultic deception] really can happen to anyone.” As Jeremiah says, the human heart is deceptive and beyond understanding. Planting our feet and our faith firmly on the Rock is the only proof against deception, and that’s a lesson every young person should learn early.

Considerations:

• A few instances of vulgarity (such as the s-) word and misusing God’s name.
• Disturbing subject matter, as should be clear from this review.

Bottom Line: A grim but useful warning against the dangers of mass delusion.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: More nonfiction by Candace Fleming includes The Family Romanov, Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen, and The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh (starred review).
• Resource: After this study of bad leadership, see our Learning to Lead booklist!

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