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abstab's review against another edition
4.0
objective take into what went down at waco. presented a variety of perspectives and narratives
binchsensei's review
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Jeff Guinn’s writing is super detailed without being dry, carries the narrative quite well. Didn’t realize how little I knew about the Waco siege & its lasting reach until reading this!
kamrynkoble's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I had the ✨privilege✨ of visiting Mount Carmel on a trip to Waco (thanks for bringing me, Kristy—I know you’ll see this 😂). Did you know it’s still an active cult? You’re allowed to see their chapel(?) that’s filled with posters about Branch Davidian history (they call it a museum, but it’s posters). They also have a traffic cone in front of the place “where the women and children were gassed.” I hate that so many people died in such a terrible way, no matter who did or did not cause it (if you’re looking for a definitive answer, you won’t find one in this book—it’s a shame so much evidence was destroyed).
I struggle to find words to describe what it was like visiting. It’s difficult not to physically feel uncomfortable and spooked while there. But it re-sparked an interest in this after reading the current Branch Davidians’ take on the FBI standoff.
This book was thorough without being laborious, which is a difficult balance to strike with nonfiction like this. It was well-organized and IMO balanced and fair to both sides of this issue. I appreciate the post-stand off chapters and epilogue especially, which tie this tragic event to our present reality.
It won’t surprise me if this isn’t the only book I read about this, but it’s a solid first choice and I’m glad I picked it up!
I struggle to find words to describe what it was like visiting. It’s difficult not to physically feel uncomfortable and spooked while there. But it re-sparked an interest in this after reading the current Branch Davidians’ take on the FBI standoff.
This book was thorough without being laborious, which is a difficult balance to strike with nonfiction like this. It was well-organized and IMO balanced and fair to both sides of this issue. I appreciate the post-stand off chapters and epilogue especially, which tie this tragic event to our present reality.
It won’t surprise me if this isn’t the only book I read about this, but it’s a solid first choice and I’m glad I picked it up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Pedophilia