Waco is a comprehensive, no-holds-barred account of the siege at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas in 1993. Investigative journalist Jeff Guinn does an excellent job in covering all the bases, blending numerous written sources along with interviews with many of the participants on all sides of this complex and ultimately tragic event. Guinn doesn’t pull any punches here, and lets the reader decide for themselves who’s to blame for the disastrous attempt to arrest David Koresh, and the many events and reasons that preceded the siege. The reader doesn’t get bogged down with an overload of religious doctrine, yet the book manages to convey the Davidian’s beliefs in a straightforward manner. Obviously well researched, this balanced reporting of events is a must read on this subject. I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Waco!

Wow wow wow! This book was a triumph of research and storytelling. I grew up as a 90s kid, hearing only whisperings of what happened when I was 3 years old. This book presents historical context in such an interesting and easily accessible way. There are no 'good' or 'bad' people, only choices made.

Born just a few months before the Waco tragedy, I had heard bits and pieces about what happened growing up. It wasn't until my social psychology course at university that I began to truly conceptualize the gravity of what took place during that 51-day standoff between the Branch Davidians and US Government. But, even then, it was from the standpoint of glorifying law enforcement and demonizing the cult.

I've read several of Jeff Guinn's true crime novels, and what I love most about his writing style is the historian-like approach he uses. He is objective, pointing out the flaws on both sides without injecting the seething opinions we so often hear when discussing these topics. I don't need to be told for the 746284 time that David Koresh is a bad guy. I want to understand how he became the person who could carry out the acts of his final days. THAT is what you get from Jeff Guinn: how we got from Point A to Point B.

Another thing that I appreciated about Jeff Guinn's storytelling is how, for the first time, someone was honest about the fact that law enforcement failed at preparing for and preventing what happened. All I had ever heard was how the government did everything in their power to try and save the Branch Davidian followers, that they are the heros through and through. False. From the very first chapter, Jeff Guinn was clear that they made life-and-death mistakes along the way — that they had the opportunity to do better and didn't take it.

I get why true-crime authors like Ann Rule and Gregg Olsen are popular, I really do. I've read their books and enjoyed them, too. But Jeff Guinn is my favorite and an auto-buy author for life. Whether you want to check out this book as soon as it is released or you are waiting for Non-Fiction November, I highly encourage you to read at least one of his books (my favorites are this one, Waco, and Road to Jonestown!).

And if you thought, "Man, Rachael really liked the e-book ARC, I bet she pre-ordered a physical copy, too." YOU WOULD BY RIGHT!!!

This book is a meticulously researched account of the disastrous standoff between the government and Koresh in 1993. At the time of the event, I was in graduate school and did not follow the siege as it played out on TV. This made the story something that had many unknowns for me, and therefore read like a pager turner novel. The sheer tragedy of the event is overwhelming and painful to read at times, particularly when it comes to the death of children and pregnant women. It was interesting to read how the author tied the events at Waco the the militia movement, and how it remains so relevant in today's politics. Even for those who are well informed on what happened at Waco, I think this particular account still has much to offer. A high recommended read about a dark moment in U.S. history that continues to cast a shadow today.

Thirty years ago, there was a man named Vernon Wayne Howell who became the leader of a cult and changed his name to David Koresh. The United States government, appropriately freaked out by said cult, decided to do something about it and made one of the most spectacular blunders in the history of America (and that, my friends, is saying something). There are those out there who will tell you that this is merely another tragic instance of government overreach leading to the death and imprisonment of innocent people. This is not quite the truth of things.

Initially, the Branch Davidians were a group of religious fanatics who believed that their leader was a prophet and received messages from God. This was fine for a while, but then their leader died…so his wife began receiving messages from God and became a prophet. When she began getting older, she needed a new prophet, so she found Howell. Now, Howell was quite the biblical scholar and so, when he began receiving messages from God, he was able to easily back up his claims with biblical prophecy. It’s still unclear whether Howell believed what he was preaching to his followers or if he was simply a con artist. My feeling is that he was mentally unstable to begin with, though we will never know for sure. Howell believed that he was the Lamb of God and that he would be the one to open the seven seals prophesied in the Book of Revelation. He changed his name to David Koresh and never looked back. This was all fine until he started raping children and stockpiling grenades and automatic weapons.

Which leads us to the massive blunder by the FBI and the ATF in February 1993. The problem was not the decision to intervene in the criminal activities of Koresh and the Branch Davidians. The problem was that the government didn’t bother to find out anything about their targets. The Davidians believed that they would all die after being attacked by Babylon (the U.S. Government) and then be resurrected during the apocalypse following Koresh opening the seven seals. So, by conducting a raid at the Davidian’s compound outside of Waco, they played right into Koresh’s prophecy. Of course, the blundering was far worse and more complicated than that, but that is the tipping point for everything. No intelligence.
In the newest of many books written about this topic, Jeff Guinn has put together a fairly comprehensive study of what actually happened at Waco, how it happened and why. Waco:
David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage is a good book and a fascinating read if you’re interested in this type of thing. Guinn goes through the history of the Branch Davidians and gives a clear understanding (as much as one can) of how Koresh gathered his followers and the events leading up to and after the ATF raid on the compound. Guinn is a fine writer and keeps things interesting throughout the book and it’s clear that he did exhaustive research, including interviewing participants in the tragedy.

The one complaint I have about the book is the “Legacy of Rage” part in the title. Guinn attempts, near the end of the book, to link Waco to the rise in right wing militants in the United States all the way up through the January 6 insurrection. Now, I’m not saying that Waco didn’t play a part in that, but Guinn doesn’t flesh this idea out enough to include it in the book (much less be a part of the title). Only a few pages are dedicated to this and, while an interesting thought, it appears to be more of an afterthought tacked on to try to differentiate the book from previous bios about the Waco disaster. It doesn’t work and it’s clear that Guinn either didn’t have enough information to fully form his point or he just didn’t care about it enough. Either way, Waco is a great book that I enjoyed greatly. I’ve had Guinn’s book about Jonestown on my TBR list for years and I think it’s time I moved it up in the queue. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

This is a pretty thorough investigation into the people we knew as the Branch Davidians and their possible roots. I had a hard time getting started but soon became fascinated in some of the details of religion that I have never had any experience with. I wish the last chapter had been a bit longer and a bit more detailed. While the early history was very much based on second and third hand accounts and a lot of assumptions about the origins of the group and the rise of David Korean, I think there is much more solid evidence of the after effects of the raid. This book would have gone up the last half a star to 4 if it had been slightly less dense in the conjecture and more filled out in the facts.

Another intriguing book by Jeff Guinn. Well researched and gives plenty of backstory to the history of the Davidians. The points of view from the members and law enforcement is well balanced. Great book for your if you're a history buff or fascinated by cults.

I loved this book, but to be fair, I love everything I have read by this author. He is so good at taking big picture, "famous" and often salacious true crime material and presenting it in a way that includes new information and fresh perspectives, and humanizes the victims and the perpetrator without pulling punches or absolving leaders who abuse their power over others.
In "Waco," Guinn tackles the 1993 Branch Davidian Waco Siege. He spans the religion's history before Koresh's involvement, includes some insight on where remaining Davidians stand today and tracks Koresh's personal journey within it. This helps readers understand the movement beyond and behind Koresh's celebrity, and gives depth to a subject matter that can often be oversimplified for the sake of drama. He gives equal focus to the victims, with each person presented as a full individual. He also traces the domino effect of the event, from directly inspiring a domestic terrorist, to galvanizing like minded individuals and giving talking points to those who could - and did - exploit the situation for personal gain.
Guinn also includes detailed information on the actions of law enforcement and media. It is heartbreaking to see how things might have been different if just a few of those moving parts had moved in a different direction. We already know that there were no real victors in this siege, but Guinn's empathy helps us make a little more sense of it.

Thanks, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this title.

Jeff Guinn is a phenomenal documenter of cults and the outcomes of their action - [book:Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson|16130503] and [book:The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple|40726412] are both essential reading for understanding cult leaders like Charles Manson and Jim Jones, but also the world around in a way that explains why these were magnetic personalities in the first place.

_Waco_ is another good entry in this series, if perhaps a little less strong than those previous titles. There's great background on how the Branch Dividians form, and David Koresh rises to leadership, and there's some great explanation of how both sides of the stand-off were in the wrong and ultimately caused the disaster that happened.

A thing I really loved here was the sense of Guinn as cameraman - you can feel his writing zooming in on details he wants you to notice, but also zooming out from the main story to take a brief break to talk about something culturally relevant to help give the next part of the main story more weight. I would have loved more detail that went within the stand-off between the FBI and Koresh - it could be that there just aren't sources, but this book felt "faster" than other books of Guinn's when it comes to the actual moment everything in the book is leading up to, and part of what I love about his writing is the time it feels like you spend hanging in specific moments around the tragedies at the heart of all of these stories. This still felt like a full picture, just on 1.5x speed.

A brilliant, well balanced, heartbreaking look into the disaster that unfolded at Waco. True to form, Jeff Guinn does a masterful job at laying out the history leading up to the tragedy, as well as exploring the psychology of those involved. I was particularly interested in the interviews from people who were there. Especially an ATF agent who I felt was mostly honest in his recollections given how faulty human memory can be at the best of times.
The horror that happened that day hasn't been lessened by the passage of time. Which holds true for the other tragedies Mr. Guinn has studied and covered in his previous works. I appreciate the care he takes in honoring and humanizing the victims while also doing his best to uncover the numerous factors that lead up to this kind of mass killing. I highly recommend it to those interested in the topic and want to step outside some of the more emotionally charged and biased tellings. While still a difficult read in an emotional sense. It's also compelling and thought provoking. I'm thankful to Netgalley for the ability to preview it.

Jeff Guinn brings his signatures storytelling skills to bear on the disastrous conflict between the U.S. government and the Branch Davidians, just in time for the 30th anniversary.

This is one of the best accounts of the initial raid, the standoff and then the final conflagration. It's clear-eyed and well-researched.

Guinn's previous book about Jonestown was written with great compassion for the followers of Jim Jones, and he takes care here to capture the humanity of those involved, both Branch Davidians and government officials. He delves into the religious beliefs of David Koresh and his followers, trying to explain their otherwise inexplicable choices.

There are no conspiracy theories here, no arm-chair psychoanalyzing of Koresh. Guinn follows the facts and renders a balanced view of this tragic event.

* I received an advance copy from NetGalley for reivew.

If you know nothing about the events in Waco 1993 this book is a great starting place. It lays out not only what happened but how something like that could happen. Really well researched and detailed. It doesn't really get into "the legacy of rage" that is promised in the subtitle, which was disappointing. Overall very good and what you'd expect from Jeff Guinn.

I really enjoyed Waco and learning more about the history that led up to the tragic events there. There was so much detail, sometimes it was tedious to read. Overall very interesting though.

This is a very well written book on the tragic events surrounding the Branch Davidians siege in Waco that ended in a firestorm on April 19, 1993. I was living in Texas during the siege but in the DFW area. I remember it dominated the news starting with the first assault on February 28. Back then we subscribed to the Dallas Morning News and as this was before streaming took off relied on regular broadcast TV for news.

I thought I knew most of the story. After reading Jeff Quinn's book "Waco" I now know I knew little beyond the headlines. Which of course you realize is a dangerous thing. Today's news media, much like in 1993, only has time to offer bites of a story, particularly one with as many layers as Waco. We need to be more diligent about our news consumption, and recognizing it is our personal responsibility to delve more in to the stories we are interested in.

What I particularly liked about Quinn's book is that he takes the time to guide the reader to the origins of the Davidians (long before David Koresh) and it was fascinating to learn that another "Koreshean" existed over 100 years ago. I'll spare the details to avoid any spoilers.

With that history Quinn also backgrounds the other principal players in the story--David Koresh, the Waco Sherriff, leaders at the ATF and FBI at the time of the siege and others. I felt he did a very good job balancing both sides of the story.

Waco took place months after Ruby Ridge (which is also briefly discussed in Waco). The siege was a tragedy however you want to look at it, with nearly 100 losing their lives on both sides (although the losses of the Davidians were far worse, especially when considering the number of women and children that died in the assault.

Waco of course was one of the catalysts for Tim McVeigh to plan and blow up the Morrow building in Oklahoma City months later, If Waco had not happened would the terrorism in OKC still happen? If Ruby Ridge had not happened, would Waco had happened? Who knows. Any way you look at it is tragic.

The US government was at fault for many failures with the Waco siege. Koresh and his followers only aggravated the situation. It could have been resolved peacefully. But it wasn't, and it is a big stain on US history.

Quinn's work is haunting and disturbing to read on several fronts. It made me sad, angry, and a whole range of feelings. It is a good book and highly recommended.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book on a dark time in America that's shadow still covers us 30 years later.

What I remember most, besides the music, about the 1990's was the anger. Anger at the system, anger at people. Books were angry, music was angry, movies too. Anger is not new in America, but this seemed broader and bigger, like things were going to happen, and no one seemed to be in control. Nor care. Sort of like today, but people back them didn't seem to want it, where now people want to break everything but have no clue what to do after. Rudy Ridge, the first World Trade Center Bombing, the Los Angeles riots, Contact with America, Michigan Militias, militias in general. Maybe it was Millennium fever, or fervor. The news seemed to be about something blowing- up or burning down. That's what I remember about Waco. And the Oklahoma City Bombing which followed two years later. Over 80 people died, and even more had their lives destroyed, but no one not the authorities, nor the suspects seem to have a clear idea why. Jeff Guinn, former journalist and bestselling author in Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage tries to explain what happened that day, the motivations of both sides, and where we find ourselves today.

The book begins with a caravan of vehicles, cattle trucks, cars, SUVs, and the press, all on their way to make a big arrest of a person the federal authorities was calling a major threat and child endangerer, but who the locals thought of as that weird guy without indoor plumbing. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, better known as ATF were serving an arrest warrant for illegal weapons, part of their purview and child abuse and endangerment, something that was not. The Branch Davidian compound that they were raiding, was a group who started as Seven Day Adventists, but had shifted their faith in many different ways. The group had a long, strange history in Waco, with lots of odd people, numerous lawsuits over succession issues, but also was gaining new members with their new leader Vernon Wayne Howell, better known as David Koresh. Koresh came from a poor, abused childhood, but had a gift for learning the Bible, being charismatic, and a strong attraction to young girls as young as twelve, as well as some other interesting ideas about marriage. And on a February day in 1993 these two sides would meet, leaving many people dead, and America, sadly changed.

The book is a very good overview of what lead up to Waco, with a good history on the ATF, Ruby Ridge and their need for a win to look good to Congress, which was part of the reason for the raid. The Branch Davidians troubled history is also well covered with a good biography of Koresh, the people involved and the innocents who seemed to have been swept in his wake. This is not a happy story at all. There are no heroes, just people caught up in a situation that leaders on both sides were either to arrogant to think could go bad, or so caught up in megalomania could not see where things were going. Guinn is very good at capturing the human cost, without being exploitive. If a tale has two stories, but no real answer, Guinn will give both and let the reader decide. There are so many ways this could have ended differently, but macho attitudes, religion and plain old human stubbornness got in the way.

I've enjoyed Jeff Guinn's look at America and the unique people and problems this country creates, and the violence that arises from it. This is almost an origin story for a lot of what we are dealing with now; Alex Jones, fake news, hating the press, religion, what about the children arguments. The book looks at a lot of questions, why the compound burned, why didn't just arrest Koresh outside his stronghold, but as with a lot of history there are no real answers. People will continue to use Waco and the death of so many innocent children to think and feel what they want, and act on these ideas. And that is the saddest legacy of all.

3.5 stars

Waco is good but not great. The point of view seems balanced, and the book seems exhaustively researched. It is very detailed and at times repetitive. I did not find it riveting, and parts of it were boring, especially the earliest history (going back almost 200 years). On the other hand, mention of January 6, 2021 seems very last minute.

I have not read other books by Jeff Guinn, so I can’t say how this book compares. I am glad I read it. I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

Well once again Jeff Guinn takes you behind the scenes of a horrific American moment. He puts so much detail into each piece that you feel that you are standing in those trailers with them. While that is a great thing, it does get repetitive at times which makes it a slower read for sure. However, if you’re interested in what went down in Waco, I highly recommend this book!

I was a kid when I first heard and seen the news about Waco. Also this was my first time reading a book from the author Jeff Guinn. I love that right from the beginning he pack so much detail about everything from what going on up to the moment they open the van doors. In the middle the stories from other lives kinda get lost in translation but I like reading about other people that went through it on both side of the event. Will definitely be add this author to my list of more to read.

Actual rating is 3.5/5 stars.

This is the fourth book I have read of Jeff Guinn's, and it really is a nice addition to his work on true crime-related topics. I have also read his books on Jim Jones and Jonestown, Charles Manson, and Bonnie and Clyde. Perhaps because I have read those books, I bumped my star rating down for this one, but this should not signal to other potential readers that this is not a read worth your time.

As with Guinn's other true crime books, I enjoyed how much detail he provides. He really does a deep dive on every aspect of a subject--in this one, the Branch Davidians and the standoff at Waco, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 80 men, women, and children, both belonging to David Koresh's worshippers and belonging to law enforcement. He begins with the setup for the planned ATF raid at Mount Carmel, then backtracks to describe David Koresh (born Vernon Howell)'s upbringing, the history and religious beliefs of the Branch Davidians, the circumstances surrounding the ATF leading up to the raid, the planning, the shootout, and all that ensued during the months-long siege. Because of this level of detail, there are moments that feel slow, and repetitive (including the description of the religious beliefs, Koresh's preachings, the planning of the raid, and the negotations back and forth (and back and forth) between the FBI and the Branch Davidians).

Nevertheless, this book is intriguing and as usual for Guinn, well-researched and organized. The most interesting aspect was at the very end, with Guinn's analysis of the impact of the government's (many) mistakes at Waco. How the deaths of these believers may have influenced and inspired McVeigh, how dozens of modern, anti-government, right-wing militia groups began popping up in the immediate aftermath, and how Waco continues to be an inspiration for some of the more insidious grifters operating in America today.

I enjoyed Guinn's previous book about Jonestown, and having never read a book about Waco (they all seemed to be screeds against one side or the other), this book is an evenhanded account of the disaster that riveted the nation.