The Ghosts of November: Memoirs of an Outsider Who Witnessed the Carnage at Jonestown, Guyana

by Jeffrey Brailey

This work represents the first book to be written by a participant in the clean-up operation of Jonestown. It is nonfiction horror written in its most descriptive form. The further you get into this book, the more horrified you will become. And, when you realize that the events you are reading about actually occurred, and could happen again, your concept of reality will take on a dark and sinister nature the normal person cannot comprehend.

Jeffrey Brailey, the author, is extremely concerned about the proliferation of dangerous doomsday cults as we enter another millennium.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

294 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[manatee · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this is a fascinating, well researched book, it does need more editing. I liked the gallows humor and the glimpse of life in a village in Guyana was really captivating. I also thought that the transcripts of Jim Jones' rants and the excerpts from other accounts added context to this story.
Brailey does have a strong, distinctive voice and his perspective as part of the clean up crew is unique.
Because of this, I do think that this should be required reading for anyone interested in getting a full historical picture of the Jonestown suicides. Speaking of pictures, this book would have been enhanced by photos and maps of Guyana.

If this book had a really good,skilled co-editor and co-writer I think it would be amazing.

I can't see how that would happen now as Mr. Brailey passed away.

I knew him because he was a patron at my library.

[H. Woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. The main drawback of this book is the unbalanced weight the author gives descriptions of military vehicles, helicopters, military history. It’s all a bit much for those of us interested in what happened at Jonestown after the massacre. But, he’s one of the few people who is willing to and able to tell the story. I appreciate the author’s clear eyed observation of the Jonestown aftermath, but he needs an editor.

[Harachy Harachy · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice game

[Super Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Countless mistakes and while well intentioned and respectful in tone, this book has no identity. If the intention was to talk about the aftermath, the repatriation of the deceased, why that was botched and what transpired and then what became with the survivors very little of that is in this book. We are told that the massacre didn’t end on 18 November 1978, which is true but then we’re not really given much of what happened afterwards.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written by Jeffrey Brailey (a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant) who was a member of the Joint Humanitarian Task Force that arrived in Jonestown on November 20, 1978. The task force was in charge of “the clean-up” at Jonestown. Brailey offers a graphic description of what happened to the remains of the dead at Jonestown and how it affected the participants in the clean-up. He also relates how the excavations of the remains were mismanaged by four federal agencies and what exactly is the job of a military mortuary specialist. This book offers a different look at the Jonestown tragedy, and is very insightful resource for anyone looking for information on the aftermath of Jonestown. The only draw back to this book is the author’s problematic writing style. His tangled verbiage makes for a difficult and sometimes confusing read.

[Jeff Brailey]

I wrote this book. Hopefully a revision will come out next year.

http://novemberghosts.blogspot.com