Fondakowski perfectly captures the rapturous hope surrounding Jonestown, which makes its demise all the more heartbreaking.

This is a book that seeks to set the record straight about the culture and politics of Peoples Temple, and as such is a crucial addition to the Jonestown canon. For perhaps the first time, we hear the voices of the Temple instead of seeing the casualties. We get an indelible sense of the believers' youth and optimism, along with the vulnerability that drove them into the arms of the wilderness. Not all of them killed themselves willingly, but all of them gambled on Jones's promise of a better life. They gambled on a future where all they had sacrificed would mean something to the world. The tragic irony is that it did.

There is an immediacy to the stories—from survivors, members' families, press, politicians, and community leaders—many of which have never been printed before. Time seems to travel backward, taking the reader along.

This book, written by Emmy-nominated writer Leigh Fondakowski, who is best known for their work on the play and HBO film The Laramie Project, is well worth taking the time to read.

A sweeping reminder of the promise that drew so many under Jones’ sway, and the horrors that eventually befell them. It allows the people of the Peoples Temple to speak in their own words, unframed from mass perception.

After nearly 35 years, it feels as if the horrible tale of the Jonestown tragedy has been told from every perspective. As new book Stories from Jonestown shows us though, there are some voices that have remained unheard through all of this time. Through a series of interviews with survivors, author Leigh Fondakowski presents a compelling account of life with Jim Jones in Guyana. Along the way, they illuminate the numerous falsehoods which have been accepted as fact over the years as well. Most of all, Stories from Jonestown presents ordinary people whose lives have been irrevocably altered by tragic events. It is a remarkable book.

Required reading for anybody curious about Jonestown and the ways that even the most Utopian society can turn sour and deadly.

For me, this was a haunting book, but one I’m glad I read. Because the tragedy of Jonestown was real, a reminder that people’s grandest plans sometimes take very wrong turns.

If you’ve got a true crime lover on your gift list this year, then look for Stories from Jonestown by Leigh Fondakowski. This book delves deep into what happened 35 years ago in Guyana and why it happened, and it includes interviews with survivors. This is chilling stuff, and not for the faint of heart—which is why you must give it to your favorite true crime buff.

Intriguing, engaging, and very human.

Fondakowski has succeeded in creating an empathetic portrait of a group of people who lived through and were changed by a remarkable historical experience.

A testimony of Fondakowski’s own personal journey of discovery and empathy.