Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor’s Story in the Peoples Temple is a first-hand account of Deborah Layton, the author and survivor. The story begins before she is even introduced into the Temple and progresses until after she escapes the grip of the encampment. Layton not only loses and finds herself throughout the story, but also experiences and witnesses what it means to be a part of something that she and other followers would truly die for, forcefully and willingly. Although the Jonestown mass suicide was years ago, the story of the incidents that surround the Peoples Temple remain much alive. Layton starts the novel in her early and rebellious teenage years when she was sent to a boarding school in England. Layton frequently returns home for holiday breaks, but when she comes back on one such occasion her whole life changes in ways she never would have imagined. When Layton joined her brother’s “church,” she was automatically wooed by Jim Jones, the cult leader, and his followers. Jones and other members pelted Layton with letters and compliments that said things such as, “You are much stronger than you have been led to believe” and “You are an important link in our organization” (Layton 46). As the story progresses, so does Jones’s power-hungry ego and paranoia. Layton was constantly lied to in order to protect the “Cause” from non-believers and the government. She begins to realize that Jones is not who he says he is. She becomes so desperate to get away from his “aura” that she patiently and cunningly crafts her escape from Jones, the “Promised Land” and the Temple. This is a truly unforgettable story of Deborah Layton being seduced by one of the most dangerous cults in history and finding her way back to sanity. This event is no “cookie cutter mold” and will leave a devastating mark on the lives of people across the country.
Although the Jonestown mass suicide was years ago, the story of the incidents that surround the Peoples Temple remain much alive. Layton starts the novel in her early and rebellious teenage years when she was sent to a boarding school in England. Layton frequently returns home for holiday breaks, but when she comes back on one such occasion her whole life changes in ways she never would have imagined. When Layton joined her brother’s “church,” she was automatically wooed by Jim Jones, the cult leader, and his followers. Jones and other members pelted Layton with letters and compliments that said things such as, “You are much stronger than you have been led to believe” and “You are an important link in our organization” (Layton 46). As the story progresses, so does Jones’s power-hungry ego and paranoia. Layton was constantly lied to in order to protect the “Cause” from non-believers and the government. She begins to realize that Jones is not who he says he is. She becomes so desperate to get away from his “aura” that she patiently and cunningly crafts her escape from Jones, the “Promised Land” and the Temple.
This is a truly unforgettable story of Deborah Layton being seduced by one of the most dangerous cults in history and finding her way back to sanity. This event is no “cookie cutter mold” and will leave a devastating mark on the lives of people across the country.