Seductive Poison

Seductive Poison
Author(s)	Deborah Layton
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject(s)	Destructive cults, mass suicide
Genre(s)	nonfiction
Publisher	Anchor
Publication date	November 9, 1999
Media type	Paperback, (second edition)
Pages	368
ISBN	0385489846
OCLC Number	43461666

Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples Temple is a first-hand account of the incidents surrounding Peoples Temple, written by survivor Deborah Layton. The first edition of the book was published by Doubleday in hardcover on November 3, 1998, and the second edition was published in paperback on November 9, 1999.

Deborah Layton was a high-level member of the Peoples Temple for seven years. While in Jonestown, she was married to George Phillip Blakey ^[1]. When she returned to the United States, Layton submitted an affidavit about the compound in Guyana, which helped convince United States Congressman Leo Ryan to make his journey there.^[2] Layton is also the sister of Lawrence John (Larry) Layton, who was the only one ever prosecuted for the murders of the congressional team by Temple members.^[3] Larry Layton was released on parole in 2002, largely due to the testimony of Vernon Gosney, one of the few survivors of the massacre.^[4] She is the daughter of the late Laurence Laird Layton.^[5]

University text

Dr. Philip Zimbardo stated of the book: "Her privileged status as a trusted inner circle member - responsible for depositing millions of dollars in foreign banks - gives her story an untold perspective on this charismatic leader and the transformations of human nature that took place among so many followers under his domination. Layton's is a remarkable narrative that reads like a novel, but sadly is all too true."^[6]

The book is also a part of the curriculum at Gonzaga University's Doctorate Program for Leadership^[7].

Media coverage

The Chicago Tribune featured the book in a cover story which stated: "Layton's account is clearly the most important personal testimony to emerge from the Jonestown tragedy."^[8]

The San Francisco Chronicle featured the book in a front page article^[9] which stated: "[The book] paints a convincing picture of what it was like to spend seven years in the notorious cult, only to escape a few months before the tragedy that gave Jonestown its infamous place in history as the site of the largest mass suicide in modern times."^[10] The book was later a part of the tenth annual San Francisco Bay Area Book Festival.^[11]

Fox Television's Documentary Series won an Emmy Award for a program in which Layton was featured discussing the book. The book was also featured on Dateline NBC, The Leeza Show, CNN, and the Arts and Entertainment Network.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Jim Jones
• Jonestown
• Peoples Temple
• Peoples Temple in San Francisco
• Timothy Stoen
• Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
• Mass Suicide
• Cult suicide
• Cult
• Destructive cult

References

1. ^ The Black Hole of Guyana George Phillip Blakey's role mentioned in The Black Hole of Guyana by John Judge
2. ^ AFFIDAVIT OF DEBORAH LAYTON BLAKEY, RE THE THREAT AND POSSIBILITY OF MASS SUICIDE BY MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLES TEMPLE
3. ^ Indiana Jones's Temple of Doom, Bettina Drew, February 1, 1999., The Nation.
4. ^ “Larry Layton and Peoples Temple: Twenty-Five Years Later” by Frank Bell, “Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple,” sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University
5. ^ "Laurence Laird Layton's obitiuary"
6. ^ Review, Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Stanford University.
7. ^ Psych 187, Course Guests, Deborah Layton, bio, Stanford University.
8. ^ Chicago Tribune, Book Review, Cover-Story, November 22, 1998.
9. ^ "20 Years Later, Jonestown Survivor Confronts Horrors"
10. ^ 20 Years Later, Jonestown Survivor Confronts Horrors, San Francisco Chronicle, November 2, 1998
11. ^ Tilting Toward the Golden Gate: Great minds gather for the S.F. Bay Area Book Festival, David Kipen, Book Editor, October 10, 1999, San Francisco Chronicle

External links

• 20 Years Later, Jonestown Survivor Confronts Horrors, San Francisco Chronicle, November 2, 1998
• NPR All Things Considered, November 17, 1998 · Noah Adams interviews Deborah Layton