As kids, my brother David and I longed for acceptance. We were desperate to belong. We would have been thrilled to see the pews of Jones's church in San Francisco, with blacks and whites sitting side by side. And Jim… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
I think the folks who joined Jim Jones's church did so because they truly believed in his stated ideals of racial equality and social justice. That's why he was able to convince one thousand of them to immigrate to the… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
My parents subscribed to both Time and Newsweek and in 1978, I remember the covers of both that December were of the bodies in… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
I didn't fit into the Christian college my parents sent me to. I felt tarnished by tragedy, between my brother's death and Escuela Caribe,… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
Escuela Caribe preyed upon parents' fears of secular culture to recruit students. Parents could send their kids to a place where they'd be sheltered… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
Jonestown was supposed to be a great socialist experiment, a place where all the evil "isms" would be eradicated: racism, sexism, elitism. This appealed… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
Jim Jones used highly-edited videos and photos of Jonestown, showing what a supposed Eden it was. People were interviewed smiling and working in the… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
I only wish my brother David had survived to experience Berkeley as well. No one would flinch here if we were to walk down… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
“Seems we can never just be brother and sister like in other families. Our whole lives, people have felt an urge to make up… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
That's why I think it's important to revisit the story of Jonestown. I hope readers come away with a greater compassion for Jim Jones's… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
In my view, the problem with many conservative Christian parents is that they won't allow their children to have a different worldview from their… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
I was working on a satirical novel about a charismatic preacher who takes over a small Indiana town. Then I remembered Jim Jones was… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
Jim Jones wanted his people to believe the establishment was trying to kill him because whites were threatened by his message of racial equality.… — Julia Scheeres Copy Share Image
