The Beauty & Tragedy of Peoples Temple & Jonestown (In Person Option)
Lecture (1 session) | This program is completed
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is proud to introduce a new class this fall titled “The Beauty and Tragedy of Jonestown.” This course, taught by Preston Jones intends to dive deep into the dark events that took place in November 1978 when more than 900 Americans died at Jonestown, Guyana, in the largest murder-suicide in modern history. What attracted people to Peoples Temple, whose members established the commune in Guayana? Why did the 900 go along with the call to end their lives and the lives of their children? Why, despite this horror, do some survivors continue to say that there was something beautiful about Peoples Temple and Jonestown?
- Preston Jones, a professor at John Brown University, is a research collaborator with the Jonestown Institute, based at San Diego State University. He has interviewed numerous people with ties to Peoples Temple & Jonestown, including survivors of the tragedy in Guyana.
Preston Jones
Preston Jones taught full-time at John Brown University from 2003- 2020 and part-time since then. He is now the lead researcher and writer for the Simmons History Project (Simmons Foods, Inc.)