The Guyana Massacre

By Charles A. Krause

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425042340
• ISBN13: 9780425042342
• Release Date: December 1978
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A reluctant eyewitness and journalist writes about his experience!

Charles Krausse never had the desire to really investigate the People's Temple, Rev. Jim Jones, or Jonestown. He was assigned to it last minute. In this book which was published shortly after the massacre possibly because of the public's thirst and hunger for details about this unknown group or whatever. Krausse too had no interest and slowly became enthralled with what would be the story of his career if he lived to tell about it. He writes clearly and details about many things including his contacts with Sherwin Harris, former husband of Linda Sharon Amos who with her children were heavily involved with Rev. Jim Jones. In fact, she was his right hand woman and obeyed JOnes' every command and demand for years. Sharon as she was known would be one of the most devoted and fanatical members of the cult. She ran the headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana. Her ex-husband Sherwin had divorced her almost 20 years ago but wanted to reunite with their daughter, Liane. Sharon followed Jones' final command and murdered her children with a knife before killing herself. The other members located in Georgetown's Lamaha Gardens including Jones' sons were lucky not have committed the crimes or commit suicide like Sharon committed but then she was a true believer in Jones and would have followed him to the end. He also writes and tries to fathom the hold by Jim Jones over Grace and Tim Stoen since their son, John Victor, was in Jonestown. Grace and Tim had custody on paper but Jones held their son hostage and threatened to commit mass suicide if John Victor was taken away. Krausse's view is refreshing because he is completely honest and candid about his short time and the trauma at Port Kaituma airstrip where five victims were killed including Congressman Leo Ryan, reporters-Don Harris, photographer-Greg Robinson, and cameraman Robert Brown, and a defector-Patricia Chaffin Parks. Krausse's account is useful and the pictures depict the gruesome horror of JOnestown afterwards. He visits Jonestown following the massacre and describes the eerieness that accompanies him as well as the stench of death.