On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones, in Jonestown, Guyana, killed 907 people by cyanide and 5 other innocents, including a US congressman, by gunfire. Among those poisoned was a 6-year-old child, John Victor Stoen, the son of the author. This book traces Jim Jones's "development" from utopian to devil. It is Tim Stoen's firsthand account of his experiences as Jones's attorney, enemy, and postmortem target.
5.0 out of 5 starsStoen's Book Exposes America's Most Notorious Mass Murderer, Jim Jones, Stoen's Client and Master Manipulator.
By Don Claybrook on January 5, 2016Verified Purchase
Tim Stoen's book on Jim Jones and Jonestown comes straight from the mouth of the man who was Jones' attorney during several of the early years of Peoples' Temple. Stoen's wealth of knowledge on a myriad of subjects boggles the mind. He takes that acquired knowledge and blends together perhaps 20 other disciplines into a beautiful tapestry that reveals the ultimate truth of Jim Jones and the settlement he named after himself in Guyana, South America.
We finally get to the ultimate truth of what really happened as Jones' journey progressed from a benevolent and charitable "giver" to an evil and despotic dictator and finally to a mass murderer. The book answers so many heretofore unanswered questions but raises others that did not seem to exist until Stoen wrote his account of one of the United States' biggest tragedies. The book is thoroughly vetted and cross-checked in a most scholarly manner. Get it. You won't regret it.
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Cost of Evil
By BillMcG on January 31, 2016
Truth indeed is stranger, and in this case, scarier, than fiction. The author, Jim Jones’ attorney, has a broader and deeper view of the whole People’s Temple, Jim Jones, Jonestown phenomena than probably anyone else. Stoen presents that view in a way that is incredibly well documented and that pulls no punches regarding his own personal failures and blind spots. If Jones and his story was fiction, this would be another exciting page turner of a story. In fact, however, it is far more because it is all disturbingly real. Malignant narcissism is at the core of human evil and somehow it developed or emerged in the case of Jim Jones – perhaps another inevitable result of absolute power corrupting absolutely. Author Stoen has given us honest and genuine insight into the reality of such evil, the risks of not confronting it soon enough and the hope of recovery for those who have somehow survived.
5.0 out of 5 starsClearly a remarkable story of the human spirit
By Vickie Smith on January 13, 2016Verified Purchase
Tim 's personal account about his experiences with Jim Jones is a masterfully told story that clarifies so much about those dark days. His tale delves into the psychological personalities of Jones and himself as well. It is told with pure honesty, total humility, and a courageous spirit. This is a story that Tim had to tell and one that we each need to read. It is extraordinarily human.
