Reddit reviews Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People

I read [Raven: The Untold Story of Jim Jones and his People.] (https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Untold-Story-Jones-People/dp/1585426784) It was written by a reporter who was present for the shooting of the congressman in Jonestown, Guyana.

I like historical nonfiction a lot. I've got one about Jim Jones that I found at the used book store that I've been putting off reading for a while because I know I'll disappear until I've finished it.

Here's the website with all of the books they read for research.

I would say read Raven which was written about 4 years after Jonestown if you want something that was more "in the moment"

Currently Vince Gilligan has the rights to produce a miniseries based on the book Raven for HBO. No word on when the series is going to actually happen but it should be great if it does. I read the book earlier this year and it is absolutely fascinating.

Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People

Long, detailed book that writes about the beginning of the church, their time in San Francisco, and how people started moving down to Guyana. You really get a better sense and scope of what happened. It's not just about the tragic end, but about the people who were there. They author who wrote this was injured on the airstrip. The book is disturbing though.

I've had to read quite a few books about religious cults in particular as part of a study a while back. Some that were helpful to me (obviously I don't know what your study is supposed to be) then:

Under the banner of heaven by Jon Krakauer

Raven: the untold story of Reverend Jim Jones and his people by Tim Reiterman

Jesus Freaks: A true story of murder and madness on the evangelical edge by Don Lattin