This book was fascinating and provided an interesting perspective to the story of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. The information and story provided doesn't take sides and leaves that to the reader/listener to decide for themselves. This book is relatively short so really only serves as a primer and those seeking for more in depth knowledge will have to seek out other books and documentaries to get a fuller picture.

I really enjoy true crime and cult related books, movies, tv shows, you name it. Cult behavior and the psychology of it is really fascinating to me, for which David Koresh and the Branch Davidians are a perfect case study. I was really excited to see there was a new nonfiction account of Waco being published featuring firsthand stories of those who were there on the ranch and the law enforcement officers that were part of the devastating 51 day standoff. I first learned about Waco (mid-90's baby here!) after watching the fictional dramatization of it on Netflix and the story has really emotionally stuck with me. I will now read/watch/listen to anything created about it.

This was a well researched, well written, well narrated version of what happened in Waco in 1993 from multiple perspectives. It is raw, gritty, emotional, graphic, and does the story so much justice on the 30th anniversary. For anyone interested in the nonfiction, non-dramatized version of these events, this book will be my first recommendation!

Thank you so much to Henry Holt, Tantor Audio, Kevin, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC of this title!

I admittedly only knew what I had seen on TV when the Waco standoff was happening, so this book had a lot of interesting new information to me - background on David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, insight on the law enforcement thinking from interviews, etc. However, I wish the book had much more about the "modern militias" as described in the title - there was some, much of it about Timothy McVeigh, but this was the angle I was really hoping would be explored in more depth. Still, a very interesting listen.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book gives a short introduction to the lead-up to Waco. It then gives very in-depth coverage of the events, both from what happened between the Branch Davidians and the FBI and what was happening with the media. The end works to link what happened with later militias and uprisings.
While the author's coverage of the Waco section was good, I felt like the rest of the book was lacking, especially with what they were trying to accomplish. There was not as much about the lead-up as there could have been. Also, the connection between Waco and modern militias was not that compelling. Yes, there was a passing connection, but it did not show Waco as the cause/birth of the modern militia. It seemed to prove that other standoffs had more of a connection.
If you are interested in what happened at Waco, this book does a good job of showing the standoff.

Waco Rising is a fascinating account of the man who became David Koresh leading the Waco Branch Davidians ultimately to their deaths during the 1993 siege by the FBI. Though I was very young when it happened, I've always been intrigued by how the events could have happened. Kevin Cook's writing is succinct and objective. Some parts were pretty upsetting, especially the repulsive expectation for young followers to submit to Koresh's every desire and bear his children because of "God's will." I appreciated the connections Cook makes to larger world events and the formation of militias in the United States. I listened to the audiobook which was well-narrated by Gary Tiedemann.

Thank you, Henry Holt and Tantor Audio for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Having lived in Texas at the time of this event, I was very interested in this book. Cook did some excellent research on the life of Vernon Howell and his transformation into the cult leader David Koresh. Listening to all the small and large ways that the siege came about, from the debacle at Ruby Ridge to the many miscommunications between and within the different agencies on site, made me cringe. All in all this book was fascinating and it was interesting how Cook tied this event into the many tendrils of what is happening even today. Gary Tiedemann's narration kept me engaged and I would like to hear more from him as well. Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was impressed but the neutral position of the author. In my opinion this book relayed facts not commonly know on events that occurred both inside the compound and actions taken by law enforcement. The way if was explored and explained, I have a better understanding of how this stand-off became a startup it block for several ongoing political issues.
I was pleased to have been able to enjoy this title through NewGalley and would recommend to fans of politics and history non fiction.

David Koresh was the leader of the Branch Davidian’s in Waco, Texas. On February 28, 1993 the ATF attempted to raided their compound. Their was a shootout and 4 agents and 6 branch Dravidian’s died. Thus started the seven week siege that end in over 90 peoples lives been taken.

I remember this and I have been to the compound. I have read other books about this incident but this is the first book, in my opinion, that really lays it out fairly. It doesn’t take sides, which is amazing when it comes to a topic like this. It points out what our government did wrong, which is so much! It points out what David did wrong. It even shows a connection with Timothy McVay that if I did know, I didn’t remember. I feel bad for the 84 who lost their lives that day, those who believed the FBI and ended up serving jail sentences. The agents who we’re following orders, and lost their lives, and/or have to deal with the trauma of what they have done. I have a problem with the fact that no one from the government was ever held responsible!

Please let me know what you think!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I was a kid when the disaster at Waco happened. I call it a “disaster”, because in my opinion, that’s what it was on every level. David Koresh was a narcissistic control freak who used his influence on people. That being said, those people were living a life of their own accord, and the American government murdered them. I think that is why I am so fascinated by this - no matter what was going on on their compound, the government murdered innocent people, including children. This book didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already watch/read about it. But it did remind me how vigilant we need to be so that history doesn’t repeat itself. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Macmillan audio for the ALC.

Waco Rising by Kevin Cook was an in-depth look into David Koresh and his occult. The oration of this book was engaging and impactful.

As someone who watched this event unfold on the TV in their living room, I had no idea of all the pieces in play. It is upsetting to me how it was handled and now after reading this I wonder if was avoidable.

I appreciate Mr. Cook's research and his showing the details as he sees it. A definite read.

I’m weirdly very interested in “Waco” and the Branch Dravidians. This is a well done and unbiased presentation of the events. The Davidians come off as sympathetically delusional and the government (ATF/FBI) as grossly incompetent if not ignorantly pernicious.

The unique contribution of this book on the events, are the final few chapters discussing the effect the disaster had on the US political Colin are in general and the growth of right-wing armed militias specifically.

A worthy account of the events for someone who is new to it and those are are not will gain from it as well.

Audiobook is well done.

I really enjoyed this book! I went into it not expecting it to be a book I just couldn't put down, after all I already knew a lot about Waco. However I found the writing captivating, it was well balanced and yes, it also gave new information, at least to me. Without giving much away, the ending even tied it into current events...which might have been the most scary part of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook ARC!

Waco Rising is a very balanced and interesting look at the Waco tragedy. I enjoyed the background info on Koresh, as well as the concise details about the standoff and the tragic fire that ended it. But most interesting to me was the info about the after-effects of Waco - the clear and traceable lines from the Branch Davidians to Alex Jones to the Michigan Militia, from David Koresh to Timothy McVeigh to Donald Trump and January 6th. Both extremely interesting and scary!

I received an audio ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn into to book despite knowing quite a bit about Waco already. The end of the book about modern militias was scary. I didn't know much about that other than what I've seen on national media. And I didn't realize they were so prevalent. The narrator is one I've heard before in some non-fiction audiobooks and he did a great job as always. Overall a great book, though I always have trouble rating non-fiction.

Waco Rising
David Koresh, The FBI, and the Birth of America’s Modern Militias
Kevin Cook
The setting is Waco, TX. The year is 1993. David Koresh was the leader of the Branch Davidians. I see him as a pedophile and a cult leader. I find it amazing how he could quote scripture, preach to his people and captivate them. Little girls under 12 years of age were given to him by their parents, to become his brides and bear his children. Some of the girls were toddlers. David Koresh was charismatic and evil; he called himself “the New Christ”.
The government handled the situation badly. They had many opportunities to arrest David Koresh away from the compound. Instead, they attacked the compound where the Davidians lived. The government expected Koresh and his followers to surrender but the heavily armed group fought back. Eighty-two civilians, including twenty-five children and four agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms died in the fifty-one-day siege.
There were NO GOOD-GUYS in this situation.
Author Kevin Cook sorts out the fact from fiction. Cook offers a behind the scenes look at the Davidians and a look at Koresh’s childhood and background. He offers insight into the Clinton administration’s approval of the assault. He shares a definitive account of the firefight that left so many dead. Among his sources are Branch Davidians, the FBI’s lead negotiator and never reported material. The author offers insight into how Ruby Ridge brought distrust of the US government and Timothy McVeigh’s association with Waco. This book reads like a made for TV docudrama.
My criticism of this book is where the author attempts to draw a comparison between Waco and January 6. There is no comparison between the two; the rioters from January 6 were not a cult nor a were they militia.

I wanted to placed this #audiobook on the DNF list but the lunacy of what I was hearing was like watching a train wreck...it was horrific but I just could not turn away. Folks that make up these sort of cults sadden me and are baffling AF! Throughout history, mass atrocities all started with a cult led by one charismatic, deranged, malignant narcissist with a host of other co-existing co-mobilities contributing a severe mentally ill person. What confuses me is how so many other folks find each other and follow that one lunatic. In any event, this was a captivating read. There were some details that I don't recall coming to light during this tragedy and this investigative reporting left no stone unturned. To hear quotes from those who survived in the where are they now prologue was extremely interesting. The narrator did his thing seamlessly. This was part of the reason why I could not turn the audio off. This #MustRead will be officially released on January 31, 2023. This was a tragic time in history, brace yourself for the details.~ #WacoRising #NetGalley #Cults #JimJones #HarvardLaw #Trauma #7Seals #FBI #Texas #CultVision.

What I liked about Waco Rising is that it’s a factual layout of who the Branch Davidian Cult were, their life and compound before the ATF raid, during the ATF raid, the aftermath and how the Waco disaster created conspiracy theories that we are still dealing with today. I enjoyed the background information on David Koresh; while I had background information, I didn’t know about his name change. I also didn’t know about the early days of Alex Jones.

Overall I really liked this and would recommend it to any nonfiction fan!

Thank you NetGalley for the access to this audio ARC!

I have been interested in the story of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians since the horrific events that took place in 1993 which claimed almost 100 lives.

I remember that back in 1993, the media made it seem like David Koresh was a despotic cult leader and that all those who followed him were brainwashed victims.

The general public was told to believe that the government had no choice but to step in and try to "save" all those inside. The fact that it took place only a few years after the mass suicide of the followers of Jim Jones and his People’s Temple, had both the government and the general public on edge. No one wanted a repeat of that tragedy.

However, the Branch Davidians were nothing like the People’s Temple members. David Koresh was not holding anyone against their will.

It is time that the record be set straight and WACO RISING does exactly that.

Anyone who is interested in cults, and/or in the government’s response to such groups, needs to read this book.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of the audiobook version of "Waco Rising" from NetGalley and Macmillan Audiobooks in exchange for a truthful review.

If you think you know the story of Waco, I urge you to read (or listen to the audiobook of) WACO RISING. Since it has been 30 years since the event, the governmental files have finally been released and the multitude of redacted paperwork has finally been made available. At the very least, you will find out some of the things the government has been hiding for decades - such as the fact that Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City Bomber) was a spectator at the Waco standoff.

I am rating this book as 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

I was just a small child in Texas at the time of the raid in Waco. I vaguely remember watching this all unfold on the news, but didn't know what was going on to cause this. I enjoyed listening to this book and getting the answer questions that I have had for a long time. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Waco Rising by Kevin Cook.

Being the cult fanatic that I am, you would THINK that I would know every detail there is to know about the disaster in Waco in the 90's. But I actually knew very little, so this book was just the ticket.

Kevin Cook takes us step by step starting with the life of who we knew to be David Koresh, and everything that led up to the lives of dozens of people dying senselessly after an almost two month siege with the police. And not only does it go into great detail about the actual events, but just how it has continued to affect our country to this day in our society and government. It is written very well with a ton of research and direct quotes. I learned a ton.