DEBORAH LAYTON was born in Tooele, Utah, in 1953. She grew up in Berkeley, California, and attended high school in Yorkshire, England. After her escape from Jonestown, Guyana, in May 1978, she worked on the trading floor of an investment banking firm in San Francisco. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"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 Jesus 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 again when I first read Deborah's book, Seductive Poison.
Deborah's storytelling grips you from the beginning all the way
through to the end. . . . You'll be enthralled, appalled, and
intrigued. You won't want to put it down until you
finish. This book should be republished every few years for
more generations to know about Jonestown, and the People's Temple."
--Stanley Nelson, MacArthur genius, director, flmmaker, emmy
award winner for Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples
Temple, PBS The American Experience
"In this time of demagoguery, greed, fear mongering and race
baiting, we are watching the fabric of our lives being shredded by
individuals we have elected to represent us. . . . How strange
that, Seductive Poison, by Deborah Layton should have such
relevance today. . . . Layton writes with painful honesty. . . .
Seductive Poison reminds us of the dangers of foregoing the right
to question and challenge those we elect to lead, and how we should
never give our right to make decisions to others; that we must
always stay alert and involved with the direction and governance of
our society. . . . These are lessons that are particularly relevant
today." Guy Johnson--poet and author of Standing at the Scratch
Line and Echoes of a Distant Summer
In 1978, following orders from their leader, over 900 followers of the Rev. Jim Jones committed suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. They were convinced that their Guyanese enclave, the "People's Temple," was about to be invaded. The public was shocked, unable to understand how this horrible event could have occurred. Layton, one of the tragedy's few survivors, was a high-level member of the People's Temple. Her mother, a Holocaust survivor, and her brother Larry were close confidants of Jim Jones, having joined his group in the early 1970s. Jones led his disciples to Guyana from California to develop a Socialist paradise. But Jones's paranoia soon turned Jonestown into a community of terror and repression. Recognizing the danger, Layton managed to escape and alert the U.S. authorities, whose investigation led to the ultimate tragedy. Vividly written and powerfully told, this book shows convincingly how a group of people, seduced by promises of an "Eden" on earth, will blindly follow a charismatic leader. Highly recommended for all collections.‘Sandra K. Lindheimer, Middlesex Law Lib., Cambridge, MA
"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 Jesus 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 again when I first read Deborah's book, Seductive
Poison. Deborah's storytelling grips you from the beginning all
the way through to the end. . . . You'll be enthralled, appalled,
and intrigued. You won't want to put it down until you finish. This
book should be republished every few years for more generations to
know about Jonestown, and the People's Temple." --Stanley Nelson,
MacArthur genius, director, flmmaker, emmy award winner for
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, PBS The
American Experience
"In this time of demagoguery, greed, fear mongering and race
baiting, we are watching the fabric of our lives being shredded by
individuals we have elected to represent us. . . . How strange
that, Seductive Poison, by Deborah Layton should have such
relevance today. . . . Layton writes with painful honesty. . . .
Seductive Poison reminds us of the dangers of foregoing the
right to question and challenge those we elect to lead, and how we
should never give our right to make decisions to others; that we
must always stay alert and involved with the direction and
governance of our society. . . . These are lessons that are
particularly relevant today." Guy Johnson--poet and author of
Standing at the Scratch Line and Echoes of a Distant
Summer
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