<p>In 1978, 909 people lined up, drank poison, and died. More than 300 of them were children.</p><p>For decades, it was described as the largest mass suicide in modern history, and it remained the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until 9/11.</p><p>But was it really a mass suicide, or mass murder?</p><p>Jonestown was founded by Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple, a racially integrated American church that preached equality, socialism, and community care. By the time the world learned its name, 909 men, women, and children had consumed a cyanide-laced drink in a remote settlement in Guyana — while armed guards stood watch.</p><p>Some believed. Some resisted. Many were too young to choose. But all became part of what the world now shorthand calls “drinking the Kool-Aid.”</p><p>This is just the gist of The Jonestown Massacre.</p><p>.</p><p>We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the<a href="https://www.patreon.com/justthegist" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Just The Gist Patreon</a> or Apple Premium Subscriptions.</p><p>Watch Just The Gist episodes on<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@JustTheGistPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast</a></p><p>Follow Just The Gist on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/justthegistpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Instagram @JustTheGistPodcast</a> and<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@justthegistpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> TikTok @JustTheGistPodcast</a></p><p>Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterland</p><p>Want to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at [email protected]</p><p>Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer and Editor: James Joseph | Producer: Kate Leaver | Additional production support: Hayley Staveley | Acast Legends: Guy Scott-Wilson and Simon McDermott | Production Assistant: Pocket</p><p>Don't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!</p><p>Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.</p><p>.</p><p>Doco: <em>‘Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown’</em> (2025)</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYIUjavwqVo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYIUjavwqVo</a></p><p>Doco: <em>‘Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple’</em> (2006)</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S_d1eVv0E8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S_d1eVv0E8</a></p><p>TV Movie:<em> ‘Jonestown: Paradise Lost’</em> (2007)</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLh7W5r4zS8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLh7W5r4zS8</a></p><p>Book:<em> ‘Salvation and Suicide: An Interpretation of Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and Jonestown’ </em>(1982) by David Chidester</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/835279.Salvation_and_Suicide" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/835279.Salvation_and_Suicide</a></p><p>Book: <em>‘The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple’ </em>(2018) by Jeff Guinn</p><p><a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/The-Road-to-Jonestown/Jeff-Guinn/9781476763835" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/The-Road-to-Jonestown/Jeff-Guinn/9781476763835</a></p><p>Casefile Podcast:<em> ‘Jonestown’</em> (Three-Part Series)</p><p><a href="https://casefilepodcast.com/case-60-jonestown-part-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://casefilepodcast.com/case-60-jonestown-part-1/</a></p><p>Wikipedia: Jim Jones</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones</a></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>