"Jonestown Survivor: An Insider's Look," Author Laura Johnston Kohl Interview

Our special guest tonight is Laura Johnston Kohl, Jonestown survivor and author of “Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look.”

Laura Johnston Kohl was in Georgetown when the mass murder/suicide of 918 people occurred in Jonestown. Laura has written the book to tell her perspective of this tragic event in history.

In Laura’s past, she was an activist in Washington D.C. and watched as many of her heroes were assassinated in the 60s. During her years at college in Connecticut, she actively worked to make a difference in the world. Laura protested peacefully to fight against the war in Viet Nam and was tear-gassed in the process. She married, divorced and made a trip to Woodstock, followed up by a period of working with the Black Panthers. Soon after, she moved to California to be with her sister.

During this time, she was introduced to Peoples Temple where she spent the following nine years in California and then moved to Guyana with the group. She was away from Jonestown on November 18, 1978, when 913 of her friends and family died.

Tonight, Laura will talk about her life in Jonestown and her book, “Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look”.

To read articles written by Laura Johnston Kohl and to learn more about Jonestown from members and outsiders, visit http://www.jonestown.sdsu.edu.  To read Laura’s blog and her bio, learn more about the book and to read an excerpt or purchase “Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look” visit her website at http://www.jonestownsurvivor.com.

Music "Something's Got a Hold on Me," by People's Temple Choir.