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A review by bookedwithcourtney
Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephan Talty
5.0
Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Stephen Talty for an eARC in exchange for a review. This was a fantastic read!
Most of us have heard of the Waco siege that took place in the early 90s. We are aware of the fire, the lives lost, and the U.S. Government’s mostly botched attempt at peacefully disbanding the Branch Davidians. But how well do we know the man behind it? Who was David Koresh (birth name Vernon Howell), and what caused him to exert such power over seemingly everyday, intelligent people?
Thankfully, [a:Stephan Talty|39755|Stephan Talty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1366645486p2/39755.jpg] allows us to get to know David Koresh — the man behind the madness. Koresh is by far the most comprehensive work of literature about how a mostly quiet religious sect, born out of the Seventh Day Adventist church, rose to flames (literally) under the intense mind control of David Koresh. Readers are also taken through the ATF and FBI’s negation processes, as well as the U.S. Government’s decision-making procedures surrounding this hostage situation.
The book is organized chronologically, and thankfully, it does not jump between past and present. It begins with Vernon Howell’s mother and the birth of her son, and it ends with the traumatic after-effects of the Waco siege on FBI and ATF agents and negotiators. It was easy to follow thanks to Talty’s choice of organizational pattern.
The book also includes a variety of letters, notes, sermons, and transcripts. It’s clear that Talty spend a ton of time researching and fact-checking to complete a book this informative and comprehensive.
I recommend this book for anyone looking to fully understand how the Waco siege unfolded, who the man was behind it, and how it planted a seed for a pattern of conspiratorial thinking in American culture that still grows today. As Stephen Talty put it, “[American soil]…has for centuries been crisscrossed by men and women who believe that violence cleanses the land for something infinitely more wonderful.”
Most of us have heard of the Waco siege that took place in the early 90s. We are aware of the fire, the lives lost, and the U.S. Government’s mostly botched attempt at peacefully disbanding the Branch Davidians. But how well do we know the man behind it? Who was David Koresh (birth name Vernon Howell), and what caused him to exert such power over seemingly everyday, intelligent people?
Thankfully, [a:Stephan Talty|39755|Stephan Talty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1366645486p2/39755.jpg] allows us to get to know David Koresh — the man behind the madness. Koresh is by far the most comprehensive work of literature about how a mostly quiet religious sect, born out of the Seventh Day Adventist church, rose to flames (literally) under the intense mind control of David Koresh. Readers are also taken through the ATF and FBI’s negation processes, as well as the U.S. Government’s decision-making procedures surrounding this hostage situation.
The book is organized chronologically, and thankfully, it does not jump between past and present. It begins with Vernon Howell’s mother and the birth of her son, and it ends with the traumatic after-effects of the Waco siege on FBI and ATF agents and negotiators. It was easy to follow thanks to Talty’s choice of organizational pattern.
The book also includes a variety of letters, notes, sermons, and transcripts. It’s clear that Talty spend a ton of time researching and fact-checking to complete a book this informative and comprehensive.
I recommend this book for anyone looking to fully understand how the Waco siege unfolded, who the man was behind it, and how it planted a seed for a pattern of conspiratorial thinking in American culture that still grows today. As Stephen Talty put it, “[American soil]…has for centuries been crisscrossed by men and women who believe that violence cleanses the land for something infinitely more wonderful.”