Beautiful Revolutionary

April 1, 2019
In 1968, the Vietnam War in full swing, Evelyn moves with her conscientious-objector husband to Evergreen, California, where he can fulfill his wartime obligation by working in a mental hospital. Looking for a cause to devote her energies to, Evelyn discovers the People's Temple and the Reverend Jim Jones. Unable to resist the pull of Jones' gravity, Evelyn is increasingly drawn into Temple life and, inevitably, the dark future that awaits its members. Inspired by the story of Carolyn Layton, Jones' real-life, right-hand woman, Woollett's latest (The Love of a Bad Man, 2016) presents Jonestown through the eyes of a smart, worldly, socially conscious young woman pulled in by Jim Jones' extreme narcissism. This is a wonderfully written, compelling story, with well-defined characters that each contribute to the community that was Jonestown. And despite the well-known end to her tale, Woollett maintains the tension and uncertainty that must have defined the group's last days. Wollett turns a dark chapter in U.S. history into a deeply human, satisfying read for fans of Emma Cline's The Girls (2016).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)