Rating: 
Summary: Haunting
Review: I read this book because my teenager is studying cults and I wanted to see if it was appropriate reading material. Once I started I could not put it down. My son has started reading it. I can't shake the feelings of frustration I felt while Debbie was trying to escape and the dismay that her brother Larry is still in Jail. This book is a honest account of Debbies life as a cult member. She shares how her thoughts and feelings were slowly manipulated and the final terror and horror of life in Jonestown. I had always thought that the people in Jonestown who drank the purple koolaid were all drugged up hippies. I had know idea that they joined with such good intentions and that drugs were not even part of their life. That they were people from all walks of life. Just like you and me. Seductive Poison is the best book on cults I have read so far. I am from Canada and it shocks me that Larry Layton is still being held in prison. It is perpetuating Jim Jones teachings of the big bad government who is out to get you. Enough is Enough, Larry has already paid a hefty price for his misguided, youthful loyalties to Jim Jones. Thank you to Debbie Layton for her courage to speak out and tell her story.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful on a tough Project!
Review: I finshed the book!And never realized when I picked this topic how many people outside the temple were affect by what happened.When I finished I was profoundly happy that I have freedom of choice... I never really thought about that before but I can choose to do or not do ANYTHING but after finishing this book I realized how easy it is to let someone with an "idea" control you where you are so caught up that you don't realize that little by little your freedoms are being pulled from under you. You may roll your eyes at the this comparison but the People's Temple some what reminded me of a High School Clique where as there is one person in the lead and you would do anything to please the person and you lose your individuality. Well any way your book has really helped learn about the Temple not just figures or known facts.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating tale of survival on many levels
Review: This is not just a story of survival, but of the will to live and go on. It is also a story of secrets that should have been shared by mother with daughter. Had they been, one asks would this story have been different. I recommend this memoir on many levels: An adventure tale, a mother-daughter story, a man's intense suspense-thriller and a great historical document that once again proves the adage: Truth is stranger than fiction.
Rating:
Summary: A Quiet Storm
Review: I cannot begin to explain how powerful and breath taking this book is. This book was assigned to me for my Sociology class, which is an intense study on manipulation. Once I began reading this book, I realized this assignment would be much than school work. It was as though it was a "Best Seller" I had just purchased. I read the book in one day, into the wee hours of the morning, because it captured my soul. I could not believe how everything just seemed to flow. Deborah had such a difficult adolescence period, then reading on you could see how easy it was for her to become so involved with Peoples Temple. She wrote the book so that each thread unraveled in sequence. I know in the end it seemed as though this would all end for Deborah, but here I am writing a review; however, I have never been so emotionally swept up by a book (a true story at that). I cried for her, the victims, Mama, her brother...what an experience. She must have healed some since then, but she can only imagine how many people she has healed. Her book, her life, her experience is so amazing, I am so thankful she lived to share it with society. I commend her on her bravery, her strength, and her honesty to share her past with her daughter. My mother and I are extremely close, secrets and all, and I have always valued our relationship to the extreme possibility. Deborah has made a wise decision by being honest with her daughter in sharing her tragedy, she will only be honored to have that connection they will possess. Like my mother and I, it will end up being the best friendship she will ever know. "We never know who we are Till we are called to rise; And, then if we are true to plan Our statues touch the skies." --Emily Dickinson Deborah's statue has definately reached the skies!
Rating:
Summary: MASTERFUL and CAPTIVATING--not enough stars to add!
Review: The dialogue is superb! Getting into the head of Jim Jones was both frightening and satisfying. The author deserves a metal for bravery under extremely dangerous conditions. I thank Layton for her insight, honesty and amazing courage to write about this all-too-often dismissed, poorly diagnosed and miserably misunderstood historical event.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding Life in a Cult
Review: Anyone who has said, "I don't understand how people can be fooled and join cults" should read Deborah Layton's book. It explains how a person's thoughts can be shaped and changed by one charismatic leader. The book reveals the inner workings and decision making of the group and shows how he was able to manipulate his followers with his belief that "The end justifies the means". By the time I finished the book, I not only knew more about life in The People's Temple, but had empathy for the followers. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Aprapo to the Bin Ladin Group
Review: THIS BOOK SHOULD BE READ BY THE CIA AND FBI to understand the mind of a follower. Layton realized the dangerous way in which her group was heading and escaped only to be NOT BELIEVED by our US government. A powerful story of misplaced trust and it shows the mind frame of those who are involved with Bin Ladin now. THIS IS A MUST READ for all of us!!!! The authors' courage to tell her story honestly is to be commended.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful, in a different way
Review: It was a treat to read this. I lost track of time, space and reality when I entered this other world of devotion. Layton tells a universal story of innocence gone awry. This is one book I will never forget. Very powerful, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Very much a wonderful book
Review: I do not speak english so well but I like this book very much. Full of emotion. I feel like I always know all the members of the People's Temple and I was sad at the end when i know that everybody died ... even if I know it from the beginning.
I heard of this writer in my magazine Elle.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Amazing story. Deeply affecting. Much better and more educational than Stolen Lives.
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