919 Americans died on November 18, 1978—not because of war or natural disaster, but because one man decided it was necessary. That man was Jim Jones.
The details of this tragic event are recounted in Jonestown: A Novel by Waynesboro Public Library’s Assistant Director, Ryan Roy. It is his first published novel, and he will be speaking about it at the library on June 12 at 7:00 p.m.
“Almost everyone is aware of the mass suicides,” says Roy of the infamous final days of the Peoples Temple cult. “But few people know about all the murders that took place there, and even fewer understand the horror of what it was like to live in Jonestown.”
Jonestown is a historical thriller about a young father determined to free his son from the clutches of the deranged reverend, Jim Jones. Meticulously researched and vividly detailed, the novel allows readers to glimpse the sadistic governance of the Peoples Temple, and it carries them along the treacherous path of the American congressional delegation whose inspection of Jonestown in November of 1978 led to the macabre, shocking climax.
The book is available in both paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon, where it has been given outstanding reviews. It is also available for the Nook through Barnes and Noble.
Roy is also the writer and director of two short films, Grasshopper! and Murderabilia, which have won multiple awards at film festivals throughout the country. His next movie project is a feature length film, The Livingston Gardener, which is already in production. In this movie, an investigative reporter finds himself at the mercy of a convicted killer during a live, televised prison interview.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” says Roy, “to be able to share my work with a wider audience. The reception I’ve received has been phenomenal, so I intend to keep working, keep writing, and keep telling stories.”
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