A review by murrderdith
Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage by Jeff Guinn

3.0

There are no heroes here. The federal agencies (ATF/FBI) absolutely bungled the initial raid and the ensuing stand-off. David Koresh convinced a bunch of seemingly well-meaning folks he was the messiah all while fucking underage girls and stockpiling illegally converted automatic weapons.

You can trace a direct line from the siege to Oklahoma City, the rise of Alex Jones, etc.

Guinn’s account of the stand-off is exhaustive but I wish more of the book looked at the legacy of the raid for American politics and the far-right fringe.