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

This year, after reading Barbara Olson's Hell to Pay, I needed to reference Raven again because of a connection. So many times since I finished my thesis I had needed to reference it and gaining access was alway problematic. I therefore asked Amazon to find a copy and they were able to accommodate me.

The one thing about Raven and the story of Jim Jones is that, once you have been so deeply involved in the story, it is impossible to let it go. Events continue to occur which force you back to the original. Events such as the Waco incident. Raven is an excellent resource for people trying to understand how one man can hold sway over so many people and lead them to such an unbelievable disaster.

Watching as Jones molds and manipulates his congregants is a fascinating experience. Seeing people so willing to forsake home and family for a little security is a startling realization. But it explains a great deal about how easily people will give over their lives to such a leader in order not to have to manage their own affairs.

Reiterman and Jacobs give us a wonderful essay on the inner workings and the secrets which allowed Peoples Temple to flourish. The detail of their investigations into the cleverness and deceit of Jones is extraordinary. This book is, in my estimation the primary read for anyone trying to understand the times and events which allowed Peoples Temple to become a lure for so many people.

A warning is in order. Once you read Raven, you will never be able to let go of the story. But if you learn one thing from it, it should be that there are deceivers in the world who, if allowed, will take your home, your money and your life.


Exceptional Read   December 8, 2005
Christine Gleason (Florida)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

"Raven" is, without a doubt, the seminal work on Jim Jones and Jonestown. Written by Tim Reiterman, who was injured during the massacre that killed Sen Ryan, this book is researched, factual, and fair. Anyone wanting to understand the workings of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple need only to pick up a copy of this book.

One warning. It is approximately 600 pages, and impossible to put down once you pick it up. So make sure to clear your calendar for a few days before starting it. Once read, this book will remain with you for a lifetime.

Bravo, Mr Rieterman.


Well told story of a sick, paranoid, and delusional man   November 7, 2007
J. Wilson (Warrenton, VA United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I don't have the words to express all that I'd like to about this work, but can hopefully convey what a superb job Reiterman did in his research and writing. It goes in depth on who Jim Jones was and how he was able to target, manipulate and swindle so many people. I was caught up in the story immediately and it just kept getting better, even though I knew the outcome. How sad that he was able to isolate and imprison his followers out of the reach of the law and rational people who might have eventually saved those poor souls who wanted to leave his "church". This tragic story is extremely well told. I highly, highly recommend this book.


Riveting Reafing   April 12, 2006
Dogmother (Baltimore, MD USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I read this hoping to understand how he inspired such misguided loyalty in his followers. It shed a great deal of light on this. It is a sad tale. Well told and hard to put down


A brilliant work - NEEDS to be reissued!!!   October 15, 2007
Allison L. Rich (Rhode Island, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a brilliant book that was only seemingly issued once in hardcover in 1982. I hope that next year - being the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown massacre - it will be reissued. More people need to read this book. I agree with all of the other reviewers - once you pick it up, it's exceedingly difficult to put down. It's a well balanced portrait and as of now, there is no other as complete, factual work on the subject. Some one must reissue this work.