And Then They Were Gone

Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown

Of the 918 Americans who died in the shocking murder-suicides of November 18, 1978 in the tiny South American country of Guyana, a third were under age 18, and more than half were in their 20s or younger.

The powerful stories told in And Then They Were Gone: Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown begin in San Francisco at the small school where Reverend Jim Jones enrolled the teens of his Peoples Temple church in 1976. Within a year, most of these kids had joined Jones and his other congregants in what Jones promised was a tropical paradise based on egalitarian values, but which turned out to be a deadly prison camp. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late 1970s, And Then They Were Gone draws from interviews, books, and articles—many of the stories told here for the first time.

The authors were teachers at Opportunity High, the alternative school where Jones enrolled the Temple teens. Bebelaar and Cabral were named San Francisco Library Laureates, 2019, and the book has won seven other honors and awards, including three first prizes, from Northern Callfornia publishers and authors (General Nonfiction) and Royal Dragonfly Book awards (Historical Nonfiction and Other Nonfiction). The book has also won awards in the fields of sociology and young adult fiction.

©2018 Judith A Bebelaar (P)2023 Judith A Bebelaar

Incredibly moving and compelling

I thought I knew the whole story of Jonestown, but this book proved I didn’t. My heart breaks for these kids who only wanted a better life than what they had. Their poems will remain with me. Venus DeMilo’s narration was clear and concise. More importantly, you can feel her heart as she tells the stories of the innocent youth (and others) who only wanted a better life. I hope to listen to more stories narrated by her.

Excellent story and vocal performance

I really enjoyed this audio book. The story was gripping and the narration was excellent: well paced and very engaging. I didn’t know too much about Jonestown, other than one documentary I watched with my husband, but Venus DeMilo Thomas’s somber and passionate telling of this chilling tale brought a level of energy to the story that kept me coming back for more. I learned so much more detail about what happened there. Would love to hear more from this performer.

Insightful perspective on a haunting story

I had only been aware of the Jonestown Massacre in broad strokes as it happened before my time. This book really fleshes out the lives of some of the teenagers who died there, including their time in school in California. The narrator does such a masterful job in her performance weaving between the optimistic perspective of the youths before they left for Jonestown and the gravitas of the event itself. Sometimes within a minute she leaps between multiple distinctive characters, everything from just nice teenage kids to the anger and controlling nature of Jim Jones. Her performance kept things palatable and easier to digest than I thought would be possible given the grim fate of most of the individuals in the book. I am not sure I would have been able to get as far had her performance not been so layered. The sweet energy she showcases in some of the characters really helps balance the heaviness. Five stars for the interesting and publicly underserved point of view of a widely heard of situation, and five (or more) stars for the narrator’s skill and warmth.

Narration gets annoying in second half

In the second half, she starts saying "asterisk indicates Opportunity student" AGAIN AND AGAIN and it WILL drive you crazy. DON'T BUY THIS