Awake in a Nightmare: Jonestown, the Only Eyewitness Account

by Ethan Feinsod

This book is based on the only eyewitness account. never previously published, of one of the most dramatic and horrifying events of our times. On November 18 1978 914 men, women, and children -- all but a few of them American citizens -- died in a remote south American jungle settlement called Jonestown. Most died by their own hands, in the larges mass suicide in history.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Cults, Memoir

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read, enlightening and a little heartbreaking. Should be required for all those who want to understand Jonestown from the point of view of Peoples Temple members.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read this to learn more about Odell Rhodes and Stanley Clayton, and that was indeed the best of it. I'm so glad that I read this book . So many of the people who joined Jones' Peoples Temple were seeking for a better way of life for themselves and their families. Tragically, what they got was the sick machinations of a perverted mad man, suffering, loss and agonizing death.

[Lou Moss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book and rather informational, but absolutely riddled with typos. A good chunk of it was about Odell Rhodes which was a very interesting inclusion but not what someone strictly interested in Jonestown would truly be looking for.

[Chanel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word Jonestown means several things to various people..

I truly believe that if they had a different leadership team, this idea could have been successful. Both Jonestown survivors Odell Rhodes and Stanley Clayton were extremely courageous to tell their stories in this book of hope, love, some social programs success, horror, death, grief and some redemption.

I've read several books and watched several documentaries about this tragedy. It's a tragic tale of believing in someone that did not deserve that type of trust. More than 900 + individuals (300 children under the age of 18) lives were lost because of misplaced hopes and dreams.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book Ethan Feinsod explores the life of Odell Rhodes, one of the few people who were able to walk away from Jonestown on November 18, 1978. Odell came from a broken home, went through a divorce, was addicted to heroin and had a list of petty crimes to his name prior to joining Peoples Temple. He maintains that the Peoples Temple before the tragedy was the best thing that ever happened to him. This look at Jonestown all results in a skewed, but interesting vantage point. A very small notes section follows at the end of this book.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book bounced around a bit between the overall story of Jim Jones & People's Temple and the specific life experiences of Odell Rhodes. I actually preferred the sections about Rhodes since most of the other information was not new to me. Not the most all-encompassing account of Jonestown, but a nice companion to some of the other books I've read on the subject.

[Esme · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Jonestown scholars, read this book for Odell Rhodes first hand account and not the faulty history and rampant errors and typos that the author makes. This book is 222 pages and has 12 total notes --half of which refer back to Jeannie Mills' book "Six Years with God." In stark contrast, "Raven" by Tim Reiterman is 580 pages and has 30 PAGES of notes and sources, as well as an index.

There are some errors that are pretty glaring, like identifying Jim Jones Jr. in a scene on the last night in Jonestown rather than his brother Johnny. (And he probably just got the name wrong because he plays rather fast and loose with names and the spelling of names. It was Hyacinth Thrash not Thrush. He spelled Jackie Speier's name wrong at one point too. Bogue becomes Brogue.)

Page 186..."The Jonestown gunmen clamly climbed back aboard the tractor..." Clamly?
That one made me laugh. I'd estimate there is probably at least one error per chapter

He identifies Judy IJames (page 195) as giving instructions to the crowd at the end to line up. This was actually Maria Katsaris who made the announcement, but in this book does it really matter? Because he hasn't told you who Judy Ijames is, or her family's history with the Temple, and all you know about Maria Kataris is that she was one of John Victor Stoen's guardians (who he irritatingly insists on calling John-John throughout the whole book.) and one of Jones's mistresses. (Though you get none of the backstory that she died at the age of 24, and other accounts seem to indicate that Jones groomed and manipulated her as a teenager.)

I was glad to see that he does write about the drugging and repeated rapes of Chanda Oliver, the drugging witnessed by Odell Rhodes. Although it isn't stated quite as bluntly: "getting off on you every night" are the words that Rhodes uses to describe it. (page 147.)

I understand better than most that when you start to write about Jonestown, you very quickly find yourself drowning in information. This is certainly not a comprehensive book, and that is forgivable, but not his wholly unsupported conclusions like Jim Jones was schizophrenic, that he drops and moves on with absolutely no supporting sources what so ever. Beyond this he doesn't delve into Jones and his pathological need for control or where his pathology may have originated. He doesn't talk about his drug use. He throws out that Jones has a photographic memory. Knowing everything I do about his tricks, having people go through your trash, walking around during services eavesdropping, I need more evidence to believe it wasn't just another trick.

I think he also painted Jones parents in unexamined, black and white tones. He seems to have bought into Lynetta Jones's fabrications or exaggerations of her own life, and the lies that Jones told about his father. (That he was a member of the KKK.) I have seen James Thurman Jones's grave with my very own eyes, pray tell why would a bitter racist have etched on his gravestone "everyone in the world is my friend?" Or better yet, why would his wife or son have that inscribed on his behalf if they were so socially progressive and he was so terrible?

I could keep picking this apart, but enough already. Four stars are for Odell Rhodes, I wanted to read another Jonestown account by a person of color. I've read Hyancith Thrash and Eugene Smith's memoirs as well. I've seen Odell Rhodes interviewed in several of the documentaries, but this helped me really visualize the series of events that led to his escape from Jonestown on November 18. 1978.

[Jes Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really interesting read, especially if you've read or seen other material on Jonestown and The People's Temple. However, it is brimming over with typos so that was a little hard to get past.

[Alexander Pyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Human and unsettling, Feinsod captures the humanity of Jim Jones while still attempting to make sense of why hundreds of people could be led to their deaths. Told in heartbreaking narratives and thoroughly researched, the only eyewitness account lives up to its promise.

[Sherry Hershberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

9 stars

[Super Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up to get more information about Odell Rhodes, one of the few Black people’s temples members to emerge in the months and decade after the mass murder -suicide tragedy in Guyana. As I delve deeply into the peoples temples books, thus far, this is the most thorough and well researched book about not only the flashpoint events, but the life of Odell Rhodes. For those who saw his excellent interview the day after the tragedy, he also gave an interview to the Leonard Nimoy hosted, InSearch Of , which is available online. Feingold does an excellent job of weaving in between the linear timeline and the tragic event. This is essential Jonestown scholar research.

[Carinna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't drink the Kool-Aid!