Random House N.Y. Seductive Poison

Praise for Deborah Layton's Seductive Poison "A suspenseful tale of escape that reads like a satisfying thriller, Layton's account is the most important personal testimony to emerge from the Jonestown tragedy." — Chicago Tribune "A fascinating account of a debacle that continues to resonate." — Entertainment Weekly "Shattering." — The Boston Globe "An emotionally articulate and gripping account." — The Nation "Why do apparently normal people surrender in body and soul to a charismatic egomaniac? Deborah Layton knows. This haunting book, written with candor and passion reads like a thriller. I could not put it down." —Isabel Allende "An absolutely riveting story, told as memoir but with the pulse-pounding suspense of a murder mystery. I read Layton's account non-stop through the night, unable to let go, struck by the realization that this is not simply an account of a bygone tragedy. It has great relevance to many of the terrible events we see unfolding today, for this is a story about those who seek a better world and are then inextricably caught in a plan to end it. This is a universal tale about ideology gone awry." —Amy Tan “Deborah Layton is the unsung hero of Jonestown and her gripping and brave story kept me glued to the page. An essential read for those seeking to understand what went wrong in Peoples Temple/ Jonestown.” —Julia Scheeres, New York Times bestselling author of J esus Land: A Memoir and A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown "Deborah Layton’s account of the notorious Jonestown disaster explains the timeless allure and peril of charismatic cult figures." —Adrienne Mayor, author of The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy "Seductive Poison is beautiful writing, deep psychological insight, and heart-pounding narrative, but above all it is antidote to the political poison of our time." —John C. Wathey, author of The Illusion of God’s Presence: The Biological Origins of Spiritual Longing "Fiercely relevant. . . . Layton's compelling first hand account shows how ordinary people became trapped in a web of lies and conspiracy theories, clinging on to the promise of salvation as they marched towards their doom." — Mick West, author of Escaping The Rabbit Hole "Deborah Layton's fierce commitment in bearing witness to the atrocities in Jonestown of 1978 serves as an urgent reminder to all of us. We cannot afford to ignore these lessons about the underlying causes as well as the devastating consequences of blind devotion, manipulation, and dehumanization. Remembrance combined with unflinching vigilance are not only necessary, they are our only hope for a transformed future." —Elizabeth Rosner, author of Survivor Cafe: The Legacy of Trauma and the Labyrinth of Memory "We are living in an age where it's nearly impossible to discern between reality and fiction. I had a similar feeling during the filming of Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, and then... ...