A Sympathetic History of Jonestown: The Moore Family Involvement in Peoples Temple (Studies in Religion and Society Vol 14) by Rebecca Moore

A Sympathetic History of Jonestown: The Moore Family Involvement in Peoples Temple (Studies in Religion and Society Vol 14) Reviews

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  Jennifer

  Rebecca Moore’s take on the Jonestown tragedy is exactly what the title suggests, sympathetic. It is volume fourteen in the Studies in American Religion series. Moore has basically written a memoir of her family’s involvement in People’s Temple. Moore has deep connections to Peoples Temple; her sisters, Carolyn and Annie Moore both committed suicide in Jonestown on November 18, 1978, Carolyn by poison, Annie with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her nephew, Carolyn’s son, Kimo also died that day presumably at his mother’s hand. Larry Layton, Rebecca’s former brother-in-law, was tried and convicted for the murder of Leo Ryan. This undoubtedly makes her a biased source on the subject. Moore’s attempt to tell Peoples Temple’s story comes off as a determined attempt to justify the actions of her sisters. When discussing the aftermath of the Jonestown tragedy, Moore tends to take the path of the conspiracy theorists. It is evident that she feels that some of Jones paranoia was founded in reality. Moore believes that there was in fact a conspiracy by the U.S. government to destroy the Peoples Temple. This theory is also shared by her family. This book contains several photographs placed throughout the book and an index at the end.