This is not a quick/cash in book by some wanna-be, we are talking about a well-crafted piece. Furthermore, aside of being extremely well written and researched, the work shed some light into the psychology of cults. I believe that Raven can help us understand and eliminate many "Jim Joneses" that plague our world culture.

Well done Reiterman/Jacobs hey what's up! Mr. Publisher, this book cannot be out of print.

Well written, unbiased account of the Jonestown Massacre by someone who was there when it happened, and knows how to write. I was wide awake for the last 300pp sacrificing sleep just to get to the end of it. It helps explain how and why 912 innocent people died at the instruction of their leader, Jim Jones.

The story of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple was the basis for my Master's Thesis. Reiterman's text was indispensible in that pursuit. As a prior reviewer states, it is an indispensible warning which should be read and understood by all people. But more importantly, this story has a very current importance in that Charles Garry, one of the lawyers for Jim Jones, was a partner with Robert Treuhaft. Treuhaft and his wife, Jessica Mitford, are avowed communists. Treuhaft has spent his entire career advancing the agenda of the Soviet Communist Party and the KGB according to historian, Stephen Schwartz.

What then makes this a current story of importance is that Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted a summer internship in Treuhaft's Berkeley,CA law firm during the summer of 1971. Even though she knew quite well that his firm was a leftist firm, it held no problems for her.

Additionally, since 80% of the people who died in Guyana on November 18, 1978 were Black, it adds credibility that liberals will allow minorities to die if it can show them as some sort of minority victim.

The story of Peoples Temple is a precursor to the story of Hillary Rodham Clinton's political thrust and as such, should be considered for reading. I agree, it's a shame it's out of print.

Reiterman takes the reader through the history of Jones's cult with an eye for detail and the precision of a seasoned writer. He shows how Jones was sexually perverted, committed to the destruction of the family, and willing to kill people for a cause which had gone sour long before the move to Jonestown. I highly recommend this book for reading.

I first read Raven in 1988 as one of the resources for my Master's Thesis in Speech Communication. I was focusing on the rhetoric of survivors in an unspeakable event.

This year, after reading Barbara Olson's Hell to Pay, I needed to reference Raven again because of a connection. So many times since I finished my thesis I had needed to reference it and gaining access was alway problematic. I therefore asked Amazon to find a copy and they were able to accommodate me.

The one thing about Raven and the story of Jim Jones is that, once you have been so deeply involved in the story, it is impossible to let it go. Events continue to occur which force you back to the original. Events such as the Waco incident. Raven is an excellent resource for people trying to understand how one man can hold sway over so many people and lead them to such an unbelievable disaster.

Watching as Jones molds and manipulates his congregants is a fascinating experience. Seeing people so willing to forsake home and family for a little security is a startling realization. But it explains a great deal about how easily people will give over their lives to such a leader in order not to have to manage their own affairs.

Reiterman and Jacobs give us a wonderful essay on the inner workings and the secrets which allowed Peoples Temple to flourish. The detail of their investigations into the cleverness and deceit of Jones is extraordinary. This book is, in my estimation the primary read for anyone trying to understand the times and events which allowed Peoples Temple to become a lure for so many people.

A warning is in order. Once you read Raven, you will never be able to let go of the story. But if you learn one thing from it, it should be that there are deceivers in the world who, if allowed, will take your home, your money and your life.