All Accolades & Coverage
"Visceral, gripping, and provocative, this roman à clef about the People's Temple cult and their mass
suicide at Jonestown, Guyana provides an insightful and character-driven approach to this morbidly
fascinating historical event. The writer adds a new flavor to it as well, with the inclusion of a sordid
CIA conspiracy theory. And while the players here are mostly based in reality (our hero Michael
Prokes was a real-life journalist who followed Jim Jones to Guyana), the fictionalization of other
elements allows the writer to take some necessary artistic liberties -- and fold in some timely themes
about race and class that really enhance the narrative. The writer also presents some incredibly
complex and compelling characters here. Our protagonist, Michael, stands in as the audience's point
of view entrée to the world of the Temple of Paradise, but he has his own flaws, fears, contradictions,
and character that helps drive the story. And of course, John Sellers is a fascinating and enigmatic
figure, whose charisma is slowly stripped away to reveal the man underneath. The writer also
showcases a pretty brilliant cinematic eye and vision for this story, taking advantage of the locations
to their fullest extent, and carefully and artfully building arresting visual moments within the scenes." -Black List reader evaluation.
