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Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco
The first comprehensive account of David Koresh's life, his road to Waco, and the rise of government mistrust in America, from a master of narrative nonfiction
No other event in the last fifty years is shrouded in myth like the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Today, we remember this moment for the 76 people, including 20 children, who died in the fire; for its inspiration of the Oklahoma City bombing; and for the wave of anti-government militarism that followed. What we understand far less is what motivated the Davidians' enigmatic leader, David Koresh.
Drawing on first-time, exclusive interviews with Koresh's family and survivors of the siege, bestselling author Stephan Talty paints a psychological portrait of this infamous icon of the 1990s. Born Vernon Howell into the hyper-masculine world of central Texas in the 1960s, Koresh experienced a childhood riven with abuse and isolation. He found a new version of himself in the halls of his local church, and love in the fundamentalist sect of the Branch Davidians. Later, with a new name and professed prophetic powers, Koresh ushered in a new era for the Davidians that prized his own sexual conquest as much as his followers' faith. As one survivor has said, "What better way for a worthless child to feel worth than to become God?"
In his signature immersive storytelling, Talty reveals how Koresh's fixation on holy war, which would deliver the Davidians to their reward and confirm himself as Christ, collided with his paranoid obsession with firearms to destructive effect. Their deadly, 51-day standoff with the embattled FBI and ATF, he shows, embodied an anti-government ethic that continues to resonate today.
Now, thirty years after that unforgettable moment, Koresh presents the tragedy at Waco--and the government mistrust it inspired--in its fullest context yet.
No other event in the last fifty years is shrouded in myth like the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Today, we remember this moment for the 76 people, including 20 children, who died in the fire; for its inspiration of the Oklahoma City bombing; and for the wave of anti-government militarism that followed. What we understand far less is what motivated the Davidians' enigmatic leader, David Koresh.
Drawing on first-time, exclusive interviews with Koresh's family and survivors of the siege, bestselling author Stephan Talty paints a psychological portrait of this infamous icon of the 1990s. Born Vernon Howell into the hyper-masculine world of central Texas in the 1960s, Koresh experienced a childhood riven with abuse and isolation. He found a new version of himself in the halls of his local church, and love in the fundamentalist sect of the Branch Davidians. Later, with a new name and professed prophetic powers, Koresh ushered in a new era for the Davidians that prized his own sexual conquest as much as his followers' faith. As one survivor has said, "What better way for a worthless child to feel worth than to become God?"
In his signature immersive storytelling, Talty reveals how Koresh's fixation on holy war, which would deliver the Davidians to their reward and confirm himself as Christ, collided with his paranoid obsession with firearms to destructive effect. Their deadly, 51-day standoff with the embattled FBI and ATF, he shows, embodied an anti-government ethic that continues to resonate today.
Now, thirty years after that unforgettable moment, Koresh presents the tragedy at Waco--and the government mistrust it inspired--in its fullest context yet.
446 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2023
About the author
Stephan Talty
24 books281 followersStephan Talty is the New York Times bestselling author of six acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, as well as the Abbie Kearney crime novels. Originally from Buffalo, he now lives outside New York City.
Talty began as a widely-published journalist who has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Men’s Journal, Time Out New York, Details, and many other publications. He is the author of the forthcoming thriller Hangman (the sequel to Black Irish), as well as Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Double Agent who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day (2012) and Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws Bloody Reign (2008).
His short e-book, The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy was the best-selling Amazon Single of 2013.
Talty began as a widely-published journalist who has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Men’s Journal, Time Out New York, Details, and many other publications. He is the author of the forthcoming thriller Hangman (the sequel to Black Irish), as well as Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Double Agent who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day (2012) and Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws Bloody Reign (2008).
His short e-book, The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy was the best-selling Amazon Single of 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
April 26, 2023
The majority of people know the story of how Koresh came to power, how he evangelized, how the Branch Davidians took up arms against the government as the ATF raided the compound at Mount Carmel where they were housed and when that went to hell, the FBI took over with their HRT (Hostage Rescue Team). As a 12 year old, seeing the footage of the fire engulfing the compound is memorable along with the innumerable conspiracy theories. What I didn't know until this point is how everything went down the way it did and why it happened.
It's been 30 years since the Siege at Waco and you can tell by the many books that have come out lately. I thought I'd give this last one a chance since it seemed more geared on explaining Vernon Howell's (known as David Koresh the last couple years of his life) early years.
Howell never had a chance. The physical and sexual abuse, the inherited poor psychological health paired with the neglect as a child shaped the monster who he eventually became. As he aged into a teenager and a young man, the attention he craved was unavoidable and the controlling nature of his psyche started to blossom. When you can't control who you're around as a youth, you start to try to control the environment around you when you have the ability to -- Howell never gave that up, even to the end.
In regards to his later behavior towards the opposite sex, Talty doesn't hold back on calling Howell what he truly was: a rapist. Howell had a way of taking advantage of underage girls and was even said to have 'troubling' thoughts about toddlers, which he mentioned was the scourge of his mind.
With his insane ability to memorize quotes from 'The Bible', he used his charisma and personality to more or less take control of the Branch Davidians, which were an evangelical branch of the modern day Seventh-Day Adventists. His outreach and influence across the world reminded me of Jim Jones and the vile behavior was reminiscent of Warren Jeffs.
The name of the book is fitting: the true story takes about half of the book, while the other half is geared more towards the tragedy at the compound. I say 'compound' because the tragedy of so many people dying was bad enough, but the abuse, lies and the emotional manipulation of his members caused their and so many children's deaths. There were no winners that day. From the very start the US Government went into it half-assed with hardly any communication and Koresh was set on not negotiating to live, but negotiating to die.
Not only did I learn what exactly happened, but also why the US Government reacted towards Mount Carmel so aggressively like they did. Two words: Ruby Ridge. They weren't going to make the same mistake they did half a year before.
I also thought it was interesting to learn that the Oklahoma City bombing on the 2 year anniversary of the death of Koresh (April 19th, 1995) by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols was brought about by revenge on the US for their part in Waco.
There's an underlying point throughout the book: Talty ties the start of the extreme right-wing movement to Ruby Ridge and brings it full circle to the domestic terror attack on the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. He may have a point, but to be honest, I don't think many of the main combatants of January 6th had even heard of Ruby Ridge, much less know the true story of the Siege at Waco.
It's been 30 years since the Siege at Waco and you can tell by the many books that have come out lately. I thought I'd give this last one a chance since it seemed more geared on explaining Vernon Howell's (known as David Koresh the last couple years of his life) early years.
Howell never had a chance. The physical and sexual abuse, the inherited poor psychological health paired with the neglect as a child shaped the monster who he eventually became. As he aged into a teenager and a young man, the attention he craved was unavoidable and the controlling nature of his psyche started to blossom. When you can't control who you're around as a youth, you start to try to control the environment around you when you have the ability to -- Howell never gave that up, even to the end.
In regards to his later behavior towards the opposite sex, Talty doesn't hold back on calling Howell what he truly was: a rapist. Howell had a way of taking advantage of underage girls and was even said to have 'troubling' thoughts about toddlers, which he mentioned was the scourge of his mind.
With his insane ability to memorize quotes from 'The Bible', he used his charisma and personality to more or less take control of the Branch Davidians, which were an evangelical branch of the modern day Seventh-Day Adventists. His outreach and influence across the world reminded me of Jim Jones and the vile behavior was reminiscent of Warren Jeffs.
The name of the book is fitting: the true story takes about half of the book, while the other half is geared more towards the tragedy at the compound. I say 'compound' because the tragedy of so many people dying was bad enough, but the abuse, lies and the emotional manipulation of his members caused their and so many children's deaths. There were no winners that day. From the very start the US Government went into it half-assed with hardly any communication and Koresh was set on not negotiating to live, but negotiating to die.
Not only did I learn what exactly happened, but also why the US Government reacted towards Mount Carmel so aggressively like they did. Two words: Ruby Ridge. They weren't going to make the same mistake they did half a year before.
I also thought it was interesting to learn that the Oklahoma City bombing on the 2 year anniversary of the death of Koresh (April 19th, 1995) by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols was brought about by revenge on the US for their part in Waco.
There's an underlying point throughout the book: Talty ties the start of the extreme right-wing movement to Ruby Ridge and brings it full circle to the domestic terror attack on the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. He may have a point, but to be honest, I don't think many of the main combatants of January 6th had even heard of Ruby Ridge, much less know the true story of the Siege at Waco.
February 26, 2023
Talty gives you a lot of juicy tidbits and high stakes storytelling. He has a clear (anti-Koresh) point of view which doesn't always match the other reading I've done on the topic. It also absolves the US agencies involved a lot of guilt that should be handed their way. The book is entertaining but certainly comes with strong opinions from the author.
April 15, 2023
‘“Hey, you know what Waco stands for?” went one. “We Ain’t Coming Out.”’ - Quote from Koresh
The siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas took place when I was in my freshman year of high school. That was a landmark year for my family because my parents had finally saved enough money to buy us a brand-new house and we had moved in just the year before and were settling in. I was still an awkward, tiny girl with glasses and I knew there was something wrong with my brain but didn’t know exactly what it was yet. I just knew I wasn’t like other kids. I had a ton of friends, but I was also paranoid and insecure in my friendships. So believe me when I say, Waco was the last thing on my mind at that point in time in my life. Things like Ruby Ridge, the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, and Waco wouldn’t become something I even gave some thought to until the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 (incidentally, I visited that bombing site in the summer of 1995 during a cross country trip and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so devastated before in my life).
Cults and cult leaders have been of great interest to me ever since I became interested in true crime in my late teens but David Koresh has been a topic I’ve largely stayed away from because of how volatile it can be and how much misinformation is out there about the events that happened at Mount Carmel. But Ruby Ridge and Waco are tied intrinsically to the alt-right and the fight against gun control legislation in the present day, so I felt it was time to go in and read something that might give me some insight as to how Waco ties into today’s arguments against gun control and just what went wrong during that siege that made so many people upset and paranoid.
I should note: I did not fact check this book or Talty’s research. I did not have the time to do so. I am aware there is a ton of conflicting research and books on Koresh and on the siege of Mount Carmel. I am also an atheist, so I may come off as dismissive or unconcerned with the Branch Davidians religious beliefs. This is not intentional. I deeply believe in the part of the first amendment where we get to practice whatever religion we want and also be free not practice any religion. I love the first amendment, full stop. I also should note I am pro gun control, in a very, very strong manner, so I will try to keep away from discussion about weaponry. I’m not here to fight. I just want to review this book.
I was very impressed with the first half of this book. In my opinion, Talty did an excellent job not only researching David Koresh’s childhood and family history, but he also did a tremendous job of humanizing the future cult leader. As a reader of fiction and nonfiction, I know how important it is to humanize the “villain”. David Koresh was a human being. His followers were human beings. His family are human beings. The survivors are human beings. None of these people just popped up out of a cabbage patch. Understanding David Koresh when he was just little Vernon Howell is absolutely vital to understanding how he ended up a dangerous and criminal cult leader. Reading the chapters involving Koresh’s childhood broke my heart, made me angry, and made me wonder just how many times there might have been a different choice that could’ve been made or a different way things could’ve gone that would’ve led little Vernon Howell away from the path that ultimately led him to Waco. We’ll never know, of course, but the sadness of a wasted life weighs on me, and it’s going to leave me thinking for just a while.
It’s when Vernon Howell joins the Davidians that the sympathy for him as a child begins to evaporate and turn into condemnation and sorrow: Condemnation for Vernon, and sorrow for those who fell under his spell or became his victims of sexual assault and/or abuse. It’s clear by this point that Vernon Howell had either not escaped the copious amount of serious mental illness that ran through his family or the severe abuse he had received as a baby, child, and teen had damaged his brain enough to cause some sort of traumatic brain injury that had never been treated. It’s another thing we’ll never know and can never be fully explained.
As much as I condemn the Branch Davidians and David Koresh for what they built, what they approved of, what they allowed David Koresh to do to their wives and children, and for their blind fanaticism, I was absolutely astounded at the ineptitude of the ATF and FBI.
Ruby Ridge, Waco, and the Oklahoma City bombing all took place before the formation of the department of Homeland Security (which wasn’t formed until after 9/11). Back then, the alphabet agencies not only didn’t share, they didn’t share well. If they were forced to share, it was a dominance fight every time. It was alpha males everywhere, banging their fists against their chests, all determined they were the best agency for the job and sometimes even willing to pull the rug out from under one another’s feet. Waco is an excellent example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing and sometimes even the right hand is unsure of what its supposed to be doing and the left hand is just hanging out not doing their job and acting like frat boys. Up until reading this book I hated Homeland Security, but boy does this book make it look like an excellent idea. What Waco needed was interagency cooperation from the bottom to the top and a very, very clear chain of command. One chain of command. Instead, it seemed like there were about 3-4 chains of command running around and sometimes people were just guessing at what they were supposed to be doing.
Waco could’ve ended sooner and maybe even more peacefully if all these little boys had cooperated, shared information, and had one clear chain of command. Instead, there was chaos.
I did feel like the second half of the book wasn’t as interesting to read as the first, if only because a lot of the time it felt repetitive when reading the transcripts between David or Steve and either the negotiators or one of the other agencies. I’d swing from bored to angry at how our government was acting to sad because I knew how the story was going to end.
The book is a compelling read, especially if you’ve never read much about Koresh or what happened at Waco. What happened there changed the sociopolitical fabric of America that reached into the minds of people who are leaders of the alt-right today. It’s an important part of American history, and you should take the time to understand why this happened and why people have every right to be upset with our government’s part in what happened there.
Because, in the end, the Branch Davidians needed to be taken down, but they didn’t deserve what happened to them. They deserved to go to jail. And a large part of why everything went so wrong was because of our government and the inability to listen or to humanize these people. It’s an important lesson we all need to learn.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, views, ideas, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Read/Biography/Cult/History/Nonfiction/True Crime
The siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas took place when I was in my freshman year of high school. That was a landmark year for my family because my parents had finally saved enough money to buy us a brand-new house and we had moved in just the year before and were settling in. I was still an awkward, tiny girl with glasses and I knew there was something wrong with my brain but didn’t know exactly what it was yet. I just knew I wasn’t like other kids. I had a ton of friends, but I was also paranoid and insecure in my friendships. So believe me when I say, Waco was the last thing on my mind at that point in time in my life. Things like Ruby Ridge, the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, and Waco wouldn’t become something I even gave some thought to until the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 (incidentally, I visited that bombing site in the summer of 1995 during a cross country trip and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so devastated before in my life).
Cults and cult leaders have been of great interest to me ever since I became interested in true crime in my late teens but David Koresh has been a topic I’ve largely stayed away from because of how volatile it can be and how much misinformation is out there about the events that happened at Mount Carmel. But Ruby Ridge and Waco are tied intrinsically to the alt-right and the fight against gun control legislation in the present day, so I felt it was time to go in and read something that might give me some insight as to how Waco ties into today’s arguments against gun control and just what went wrong during that siege that made so many people upset and paranoid.
I should note: I did not fact check this book or Talty’s research. I did not have the time to do so. I am aware there is a ton of conflicting research and books on Koresh and on the siege of Mount Carmel. I am also an atheist, so I may come off as dismissive or unconcerned with the Branch Davidians religious beliefs. This is not intentional. I deeply believe in the part of the first amendment where we get to practice whatever religion we want and also be free not practice any religion. I love the first amendment, full stop. I also should note I am pro gun control, in a very, very strong manner, so I will try to keep away from discussion about weaponry. I’m not here to fight. I just want to review this book.
I was very impressed with the first half of this book. In my opinion, Talty did an excellent job not only researching David Koresh’s childhood and family history, but he also did a tremendous job of humanizing the future cult leader. As a reader of fiction and nonfiction, I know how important it is to humanize the “villain”. David Koresh was a human being. His followers were human beings. His family are human beings. The survivors are human beings. None of these people just popped up out of a cabbage patch. Understanding David Koresh when he was just little Vernon Howell is absolutely vital to understanding how he ended up a dangerous and criminal cult leader. Reading the chapters involving Koresh’s childhood broke my heart, made me angry, and made me wonder just how many times there might have been a different choice that could’ve been made or a different way things could’ve gone that would’ve led little Vernon Howell away from the path that ultimately led him to Waco. We’ll never know, of course, but the sadness of a wasted life weighs on me, and it’s going to leave me thinking for just a while.
It’s when Vernon Howell joins the Davidians that the sympathy for him as a child begins to evaporate and turn into condemnation and sorrow: Condemnation for Vernon, and sorrow for those who fell under his spell or became his victims of sexual assault and/or abuse. It’s clear by this point that Vernon Howell had either not escaped the copious amount of serious mental illness that ran through his family or the severe abuse he had received as a baby, child, and teen had damaged his brain enough to cause some sort of traumatic brain injury that had never been treated. It’s another thing we’ll never know and can never be fully explained.
As much as I condemn the Branch Davidians and David Koresh for what they built, what they approved of, what they allowed David Koresh to do to their wives and children, and for their blind fanaticism, I was absolutely astounded at the ineptitude of the ATF and FBI.
Ruby Ridge, Waco, and the Oklahoma City bombing all took place before the formation of the department of Homeland Security (which wasn’t formed until after 9/11). Back then, the alphabet agencies not only didn’t share, they didn’t share well. If they were forced to share, it was a dominance fight every time. It was alpha males everywhere, banging their fists against their chests, all determined they were the best agency for the job and sometimes even willing to pull the rug out from under one another’s feet. Waco is an excellent example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing and sometimes even the right hand is unsure of what its supposed to be doing and the left hand is just hanging out not doing their job and acting like frat boys. Up until reading this book I hated Homeland Security, but boy does this book make it look like an excellent idea. What Waco needed was interagency cooperation from the bottom to the top and a very, very clear chain of command. One chain of command. Instead, it seemed like there were about 3-4 chains of command running around and sometimes people were just guessing at what they were supposed to be doing.
Waco could’ve ended sooner and maybe even more peacefully if all these little boys had cooperated, shared information, and had one clear chain of command. Instead, there was chaos.
I did feel like the second half of the book wasn’t as interesting to read as the first, if only because a lot of the time it felt repetitive when reading the transcripts between David or Steve and either the negotiators or one of the other agencies. I’d swing from bored to angry at how our government was acting to sad because I knew how the story was going to end.
The book is a compelling read, especially if you’ve never read much about Koresh or what happened at Waco. What happened there changed the sociopolitical fabric of America that reached into the minds of people who are leaders of the alt-right today. It’s an important part of American history, and you should take the time to understand why this happened and why people have every right to be upset with our government’s part in what happened there.
Because, in the end, the Branch Davidians needed to be taken down, but they didn’t deserve what happened to them. They deserved to go to jail. And a large part of why everything went so wrong was because of our government and the inability to listen or to humanize these people. It’s an important lesson we all need to learn.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, views, ideas, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Read/Biography/Cult/History/Nonfiction/True Crime
May 3, 2023
This book is OK journalism of the sort that does better with the “what” than with the “why.” I get the feeling Talty is bored by religion, and that’s a detriment in a book that deals extensively with a wacko religious cult that had roots in Seventh Day Adventism. I saw many similarities between Koresh’s cult and other homegrown American religions, but Talty seems oblivious. Perhaps he is just indifferent.
Then too the author makes careless mistakes. For instance, he thinks Southern Baptists celebrate “mass” (50), he calls the sect leader Victor Houteff a Hungarian rather than a Bulgarian (69), and he thinks that the Persian king Cyrus is mentioned in the New Testament book of Revelation. (79) Talty doesn’t seem to know that a comparison of women preachers and dogs walking on their hind legs was first made by Samuel Johnson more than two hundred years ago. These kinds of mistakes were probably caused by writing straight from interview notes without fact-checking print sources when that was possible.
Finally, Koresh was a crude man who both spoke and acted in crude ways. Talty has every right to quote his protagonist’s crude language. But I see no reason for Talty to use four-letter words in his own exposition. For one thing, it downplays the seriousness of the story.
Then too the author makes careless mistakes. For instance, he thinks Southern Baptists celebrate “mass” (50), he calls the sect leader Victor Houteff a Hungarian rather than a Bulgarian (69), and he thinks that the Persian king Cyrus is mentioned in the New Testament book of Revelation. (79) Talty doesn’t seem to know that a comparison of women preachers and dogs walking on their hind legs was first made by Samuel Johnson more than two hundred years ago. These kinds of mistakes were probably caused by writing straight from interview notes without fact-checking print sources when that was possible.
Finally, Koresh was a crude man who both spoke and acted in crude ways. Talty has every right to quote his protagonist’s crude language. But I see no reason for Talty to use four-letter words in his own exposition. For one thing, it downplays the seriousness of the story.
March 14, 2023
This was a long one. It's filled with detail and context around every action [and inaction]. I think it could probably use some editing to make it more concise. For example, Vernon/David is super repetitive in what he says and does, and it could probably be shortened in that respect.
The language is... interesting. The author definitely has a specific voice and style. Some examples that caught my attention: "went apeshit," "the hottest chick in class," "a shit ton of firepower," and of course "funny-ass stories." None of these were dialogue. No hate, it felt conversational, but not what I expected in a nonfiction book.
I came into this read knowing pretty much nothing. I'm actually surprised I hadn't heard it before on a podcast. It was fascinating, a weird culty spin on a rags to riches storyline, and horrifying. Trigger warnings include but are probably not limited to: sxual assault, child abuse, animal abuse, graphic injuries and post-mortems, and just plain cruelty.
Suffice to say, I need something wholesome after this.
**I received a free copy from Netgalley.
The language is... interesting. The author definitely has a specific voice and style. Some examples that caught my attention: "went apeshit," "the hottest chick in class," "a shit ton of firepower," and of course "funny-ass stories." None of these were dialogue. No hate, it felt conversational, but not what I expected in a nonfiction book.
I came into this read knowing pretty much nothing. I'm actually surprised I hadn't heard it before on a podcast. It was fascinating, a weird culty spin on a rags to riches storyline, and horrifying. Trigger warnings include but are probably not limited to: sxual assault, child abuse, animal abuse, graphic injuries and post-mortems, and just plain cruelty.
Suffice to say, I need something wholesome after this.
**I received a free copy from Netgalley.
July 10, 2023
Interesting, but I've got some issues with this volume. So much of the narrative has to be based on Koresh's own testimony, and it is genuinely difficult to believe pretty much anything Koresh said, even if it is recalling his own experiences and feelings.
Also, there is a general tone throughout that really feels like it looks down on rural folk, religious folk, "East" Texans, etc. Add to that the numerous references to Waco being in East Texas, and the author loses some credibility in my book.
Gripes aside, this is a well-researched and well-written narrative of an historical event that has impacted American thought and life much more greatly than many will admit or realize.
ARC provided
Also, there is a general tone throughout that really feels like it looks down on rural folk, religious folk, "East" Texans, etc. Add to that the numerous references to Waco being in East Texas, and the author loses some credibility in my book.
Gripes aside, this is a well-researched and well-written narrative of an historical event that has impacted American thought and life much more greatly than many will admit or realize.
ARC provided
Shelved as 'dnf'
May 20, 2023I read half of this but it was just stomach churning and I couldn’t figure out why I should continue.
The guy was a psychopath. He was abused and neglected as a kid and grew up to be an absolute monster.
That’s all you need! Details abound in here but to no real end. I don’t feel like this really adds anything to the discourse. We know the feds screwed it up. It’s all awful.
I probably shouldn’t have picked this up, but I don’t honestly know why anyone should.
The guy was a psychopath. He was abused and neglected as a kid and grew up to be an absolute monster.
That’s all you need! Details abound in here but to no real end. I don’t feel like this really adds anything to the discourse. We know the feds screwed it up. It’s all awful.
I probably shouldn’t have picked this up, but I don’t honestly know why anyone should.
December 29, 2022
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, Stephan Talty 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, Stephan Talty 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.”
November 22, 2022
I was very young when Waco happened. I vaguely remember photos, people talking about it on TV constantly, and the word "cult" being thrown around very liberally. I also remember that the story seemed to completely disappear once it was over. Waco was a fiasco, but I never remember hearing exactly why in any sort of depth.
Stephan Talty provides (as far as I know) the first truly in-depth look at David Koresh (or Vernon Howell if you prefer). Talty spares no details as the first half of the book is Koresh's upbringing. To say you might feel a modicum of sympathy for Koresh would be an understatement. Very often, books will focus on salacious details to keep the book interesting. Talty, however, focuses on events which help you understand how Vernon Howell will become David Koresh. To be clear, some of these events are very salacious, but others are just heartbreaking. Vernon Howell was a loner but not an outcast. His innate sense of superiority grew from something quite different and this portion of the book is a testament to how well Talty knows what details matter.
When the failed assault and subsequent siege start, the book does not lose any of its momentum. Talty walks an extremely fine line in this portion of the book which can be a minefield. Almost everyone agrees the government action at Waco was a spectacular failure. Talty doesn't place blame as the author but highlights multiple point of views about where the breakdowns occurred. I felt like I was given the full story as opposed to being spoon fed what the author wanted me to believe.
Sometimes, you just have to fall back on cliches. I could not put this book down.
(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Mariner Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 4/11/2023.)
Stephan Talty provides (as far as I know) the first truly in-depth look at David Koresh (or Vernon Howell if you prefer). Talty spares no details as the first half of the book is Koresh's upbringing. To say you might feel a modicum of sympathy for Koresh would be an understatement. Very often, books will focus on salacious details to keep the book interesting. Talty, however, focuses on events which help you understand how Vernon Howell will become David Koresh. To be clear, some of these events are very salacious, but others are just heartbreaking. Vernon Howell was a loner but not an outcast. His innate sense of superiority grew from something quite different and this portion of the book is a testament to how well Talty knows what details matter.
When the failed assault and subsequent siege start, the book does not lose any of its momentum. Talty walks an extremely fine line in this portion of the book which can be a minefield. Almost everyone agrees the government action at Waco was a spectacular failure. Talty doesn't place blame as the author but highlights multiple point of views about where the breakdowns occurred. I felt like I was given the full story as opposed to being spoon fed what the author wanted me to believe.
Sometimes, you just have to fall back on cliches. I could not put this book down.
(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Mariner Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 4/11/2023.)
June 23, 2023
Stephan Talty created a book that carries the historical nuance of a textbook with the thrilling storytelling of a Netflix show or documentary. I listened to Koresh on Audible and I could not stop. It was so enthralling and it left me with what I feel is a near complete understanding of the Waco crisis. Most works out there (TV shows, books, documentaries) about Waco focus heavily on the siege and I appreciated this book because it started from David Koresh’s childhood and focused more on the creation of the cult. The beginning focused exclusively on that and you start to see the trends that become the monster who led the Branch Davidians. In addition to conducting psychological analysis on Koresh, Talty covers in extreme detail the relationship between the FBI and ATF agents before and during the siege. There is no stone left unturned and you are really left with no questions about Koresh, the Branch Davidians, or the siege.
Although I loved the book, I was put off in the epilogue by the comparison of Ruby Ridge, Waco, and the January 6th Capitol riots. He uses Ruby Ridge throughout the book to compare and contrast FBI responses, but the epilogue tries to lump together all these events into one far-right box. I see some connections but overall this is comparing apples to oranges and I thought it was an ineffectual way to end the book. The epilogue did not however taint my view of the book, as I still think it is an incredibly well crafted book.
Although I loved the book, I was put off in the epilogue by the comparison of Ruby Ridge, Waco, and the January 6th Capitol riots. He uses Ruby Ridge throughout the book to compare and contrast FBI responses, but the epilogue tries to lump together all these events into one far-right box. I see some connections but overall this is comparing apples to oranges and I thought it was an ineffectual way to end the book. The epilogue did not however taint my view of the book, as I still think it is an incredibly well crafted book.
July 23, 2023
I feel like a lot of this information was skewed in favor of the ATF and FBI at best and just outright erroneous at worst. Much of the info directly contradicts the many other books about Waco I've read.
June 12, 2023
This book was more like 3.5 stars from me.
The author definitely had a way of drawing me into this biography of Vernon Howell (aka David Koresh), and it provided a lot of information about his childhood and young adulthood that I hadn't read in other accounts of the Branch Davidians and Waco in general.
However, my main problem is that the author presents things as fact without having any way of knowing that they were fact. For example, towards the end of the siege, the author asserts that Koresh was thinking about his unpleasable step-father and how the FBI reminded him of the man. How could this be known? There's no quote attributed to someone who heard him say that. There aren't any letters or diary entries that survived the raid and fire. So...how did the author "know" that Koresh was thinking about his step-father at all at that point, much less comparing the FBI to him? It made me call into question a lot of the account. (There were other moments like this scattered throughout the book, but this is the one that stuck in my mind the most.)
The author definitely had a way of drawing me into this biography of Vernon Howell (aka David Koresh), and it provided a lot of information about his childhood and young adulthood that I hadn't read in other accounts of the Branch Davidians and Waco in general.
However, my main problem is that the author presents things as fact without having any way of knowing that they were fact. For example, towards the end of the siege, the author asserts that Koresh was thinking about his unpleasable step-father and how the FBI reminded him of the man. How could this be known? There's no quote attributed to someone who heard him say that. There aren't any letters or diary entries that survived the raid and fire. So...how did the author "know" that Koresh was thinking about his step-father at all at that point, much less comparing the FBI to him? It made me call into question a lot of the account. (There were other moments like this scattered throughout the book, but this is the one that stuck in my mind the most.)
July 9, 2023
This was all told in third person, which got pretty boring after the first few chapters. I also found his actual writing a little juvenile at some places, I never would have known he had written other books. There was also a lot of speculation on little details, which made me wonder how he could possibly know some of the things he was writing about.
If you are looking for a book that speculates thoughts and feelings of those he has never met, or when David Koresh’s bowels we’re backed up, this is for you! 😂
If you are looking for a book that speculates thoughts and feelings of those he has never met, or when David Koresh’s bowels we’re backed up, this is for you! 😂
May 2, 2023
Really bad. Questionable “facts”, and the ending is a condemnation of both conservative Americans as well as Christianity in general.
This is the third of the 30th anniversary Waco books I’ve read this year; I would only recommend Jeff Guinn’s.
This is the third of the 30th anniversary Waco books I’ve read this year; I would only recommend Jeff Guinn’s.
October 27, 2023
A detailed and heavily researched book, which loses a great deal of credibility by almost completely adopting the government’s talking points on this tragedy. (I AM NOT SIDING WITH THE DAVIDIANS. But a book of this nature NEEDS to be as much of a dispassionate observer as possible, and Talty failed at this most important task). There are a lot of happenings at Waco that are still up for debate, and they were presented here as facts, almost always from the government side. (An exception would be the relatively neutral presentation of the original disastrous raid by the ATF)
I also found the style of writing off-putting. Phrases like “pencil necked dude”, “loony tunes antics”, and “his bowels were so bound up he couldnt go number two for days” have zero place in the type of book that the author tries to present this as. (Apologies for the dangling preposition)
I’m aware Norman Mailer used this style successfully in “The Executioner’s Song”, and it was made into a movie. I noticed that one of Talty’s books was the basis for the movie “Captain Phillips”. You can probably guess where my cynical mind is going with this.
I’m certain there are better books out there about Waco, and I should have done more research before I chose this one.
I also found the style of writing off-putting. Phrases like “pencil necked dude”, “loony tunes antics”, and “his bowels were so bound up he couldnt go number two for days” have zero place in the type of book that the author tries to present this as. (Apologies for the dangling preposition)
I’m aware Norman Mailer used this style successfully in “The Executioner’s Song”, and it was made into a movie. I noticed that one of Talty’s books was the basis for the movie “Captain Phillips”. You can probably guess where my cynical mind is going with this.
I’m certain there are better books out there about Waco, and I should have done more research before I chose this one.
February 23, 2023
This book was such a good deep dive into an event from history that I remember like it was yesterday. This is a tragic story on every level, no one comes out as a hero. My heart breaks for a small awkward boy who wanted to be loved and for the grown men and women whose lives were never the same because they had met and interacted with Vernon Howell/David Koresh.
November 29, 2023
Aínda tendo visto varios documentales sobre esta secta quedei: flipando. Ao principio non me gustaba moito a maneira de escribir, xa que por momentos incomodábanme certas frases, pero xa cando deixou de centrarse tanto nos comezos de Koresh xa empezou a cambiar a forma de narrativa e todo moito mellor. Non lle poño 5 estrellas por eso jeje
May 31, 2023
I remember when this happened. The book is factual to a point, but I believe there is some sensationalism here. It is a decent account of the Branch Davidians, but I don’t know if it is entirely true. Not many people were left to tell the story of the inner workings of this cult, so I’m wondering how some of the detailed information was obtained.
April 12, 2023
Talty has a great sense in the realm of topics. The stories he chooses are simply memorable. And here above all else we have a tragedy that could happen perhaps only in America.
October 10, 2023
The content of this book was fascinating, but the colloquial style drove me crazy. Really unprofessional and inappropriate given the dark subject matter. Made for a really disjointed read.
Also, Baptists don’t attend mass. That’s Catholics. How does a mistake that egregious make it through editorial? What other mistakes made it through?
Also, Baptists don’t attend mass. That’s Catholics. How does a mistake that egregious make it through editorial? What other mistakes made it through?
November 16, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for this advanced reader copy. This is a tragedy all around, and the story contains more information about who he was, why, and how Mr. Koresh developed. Interesting story yet very saddening but vital to compose and offer.
August 14, 2023
Every time I read a book about a splinter religious group, I wonder to myself, "How can anyone with two IQ points to rub together get involved - and STAY involved - in that group?"
And then I remember how... I was raised in a cult.
What if Vernon Wayne Howell had been raised by two loving parents in a healthy environment? What if he'd been loved by his grandfather instead of referred to as 'that bastard'? What if he'd become obsessed with cars or trains or rodeo instead of the Bible? Would society ever have learned the name David Koresh?
Stephan Talty's book reads like a New York Post biography of David Koresh's life. His thinly-veiled disgust for Christianity as a whole is apparent (I'll save my disgust for Vernon the pedophile and Janet Reno's DOJ, thanks).
For an actual, balanced description, watch one of these documentaries:
Waco: Madman or Messiah
Waco: Rules of Engagement
And then I remember how... I was raised in a cult.
What if Vernon Wayne Howell had been raised by two loving parents in a healthy environment? What if he'd been loved by his grandfather instead of referred to as 'that bastard'? What if he'd become obsessed with cars or trains or rodeo instead of the Bible? Would society ever have learned the name David Koresh?
Stephan Talty's book reads like a New York Post biography of David Koresh's life. His thinly-veiled disgust for Christianity as a whole is apparent (I'll save my disgust for Vernon the pedophile and Janet Reno's DOJ, thanks).
For an actual, balanced description, watch one of these documentaries:
Waco: Madman or Messiah
Waco: Rules of Engagement
February 1, 2024
It was good. Cults are always interesting, sad but interesting
November 19, 2022
Would it be far-fetched to look at this year's events on January 6th at the U.S. Capitol and connect them to 1993's siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas?
I think not.
Few events in the past 50 years are shrouded in as much myth as the 51-day Waco siege that would end up claiming the lives of 76 people, including 20 children, in the climactic fire that ended the siege. It's practically undeniable that the many mysteries around the siege helped to fuel an underlying antigovernment sentiment that inspired the Oklahoma City bombing and continues to thrive to this day.
With remarkable precision and emotional resonance, bestselling author Stephen Talty has crafted what really is the first in-depth exploration of David Koresh, born Vernon Howell, the leader of the Branch Davidians at the time of the siege. "Koresh" is for the most part a chronological study of Koresh's life from his outsider status growing up in the hyper-masculine world of central Texas in the 60's through a childhood defined by abuse and isolation and into the halls of his local church where he found acceptance and began to formulate the theologies that would ultimately lead him into the Seventh Day Adventist offshoot where he became both an accepted preacher and an undeniable perpetrator.
Utilizing first-time, exclusive interviews with Koresh’s family and survivors of the siege, Talty has crafted what is undeniably a "must read" book for anyone interested in Koresh, the Branch Davidians, the Waco Siege, antigovernment militarism, and cults. Divided in nearly equal parts devoted to the transformation of Vernon Howell into David Koresh and the siege itself, "Koresh" is a well-researched, insightful, and at times even difficult to read psychological exploration of Koresh and immersive exploration of how the Branch Davidians grew from a fundamentalist intentional community into one committed to holy war.
"Koresh" is at its most hypnotic in its first half as Talty paints a vivid picture of the life trajectory that transformed Vernon Howell from a child who felt worthless into David Koresh, a cult leader who believed himself to be a returning Christ. As someone who grew up in what was the equivalent of a cult, though much less dramatically so, I found these chapters to be mesmerizing, disturbing, and jarring not just in how they formed Howell/Koresh but in the fact that along each step of the way it seems as if there were opportunities to detour his path that never came to fruition. Kudos to Talty in being uncompromising in his language, never romanticizing Koresh's fondness for younger females even during those times when Koresh himself would portray such "relationships" in a spiritual light. Talty calls it like it is - these "relationships" were rape over and over and over again. Long before he became a cult leader, "Koresh" paints a vivid portrait of this man as an increasingly emboldened sex offender whose religious persona essentially empowered his abusive and controlling behaviors. While this is often true, it's seldom portrayed as clearly and concisely as Talty is able to portray it. However, for survivors, rest assured that a trigger warning, which I seldom use, is likely appropriate here.
Unless you are a devotee of Koresh and Branch Davidian history, you're likely to learn quite a bit from the first 60% of "Koresh" as Talty truly delves deeply into the early and formative years along with the young adult years. As we turn the corner, somewhat abruptly for me, into the Branch Davidian compound itself, "Koresh" begins to cover more familiar territory though, admittedly, it is covered in much greater depth than in most public accounts. For those who've longed for a more detailed, complete, and transparent account of the history of the Branch Davidians and the build-up to the siege, "Koresh" certainly provides it with tremendous detail and insight.
Easily the most comprehensive account of Koresh's life and his road to Waco to date, "Koresh" is masterful narrative nonfiction storytelling that is both intellectually and emotionally resonant. At times quite jarring in its impact, "Koresh" fleshes out not just the Waco siege but the years before that helped sow what was ultimately reaped by everyone impacted.
I think not.
Few events in the past 50 years are shrouded in as much myth as the 51-day Waco siege that would end up claiming the lives of 76 people, including 20 children, in the climactic fire that ended the siege. It's practically undeniable that the many mysteries around the siege helped to fuel an underlying antigovernment sentiment that inspired the Oklahoma City bombing and continues to thrive to this day.
With remarkable precision and emotional resonance, bestselling author Stephen Talty has crafted what really is the first in-depth exploration of David Koresh, born Vernon Howell, the leader of the Branch Davidians at the time of the siege. "Koresh" is for the most part a chronological study of Koresh's life from his outsider status growing up in the hyper-masculine world of central Texas in the 60's through a childhood defined by abuse and isolation and into the halls of his local church where he found acceptance and began to formulate the theologies that would ultimately lead him into the Seventh Day Adventist offshoot where he became both an accepted preacher and an undeniable perpetrator.
Utilizing first-time, exclusive interviews with Koresh’s family and survivors of the siege, Talty has crafted what is undeniably a "must read" book for anyone interested in Koresh, the Branch Davidians, the Waco Siege, antigovernment militarism, and cults. Divided in nearly equal parts devoted to the transformation of Vernon Howell into David Koresh and the siege itself, "Koresh" is a well-researched, insightful, and at times even difficult to read psychological exploration of Koresh and immersive exploration of how the Branch Davidians grew from a fundamentalist intentional community into one committed to holy war.
"Koresh" is at its most hypnotic in its first half as Talty paints a vivid picture of the life trajectory that transformed Vernon Howell from a child who felt worthless into David Koresh, a cult leader who believed himself to be a returning Christ. As someone who grew up in what was the equivalent of a cult, though much less dramatically so, I found these chapters to be mesmerizing, disturbing, and jarring not just in how they formed Howell/Koresh but in the fact that along each step of the way it seems as if there were opportunities to detour his path that never came to fruition. Kudos to Talty in being uncompromising in his language, never romanticizing Koresh's fondness for younger females even during those times when Koresh himself would portray such "relationships" in a spiritual light. Talty calls it like it is - these "relationships" were rape over and over and over again. Long before he became a cult leader, "Koresh" paints a vivid portrait of this man as an increasingly emboldened sex offender whose religious persona essentially empowered his abusive and controlling behaviors. While this is often true, it's seldom portrayed as clearly and concisely as Talty is able to portray it. However, for survivors, rest assured that a trigger warning, which I seldom use, is likely appropriate here.
Unless you are a devotee of Koresh and Branch Davidian history, you're likely to learn quite a bit from the first 60% of "Koresh" as Talty truly delves deeply into the early and formative years along with the young adult years. As we turn the corner, somewhat abruptly for me, into the Branch Davidian compound itself, "Koresh" begins to cover more familiar territory though, admittedly, it is covered in much greater depth than in most public accounts. For those who've longed for a more detailed, complete, and transparent account of the history of the Branch Davidians and the build-up to the siege, "Koresh" certainly provides it with tremendous detail and insight.
Easily the most comprehensive account of Koresh's life and his road to Waco to date, "Koresh" is masterful narrative nonfiction storytelling that is both intellectually and emotionally resonant. At times quite jarring in its impact, "Koresh" fleshes out not just the Waco siege but the years before that helped sow what was ultimately reaped by everyone impacted.
April 17, 2023
This review is for the true crime novel Koresh by Stephen Talty. The first half of the book delves into Vernon Howell’s (AKA David Koresh) early childhood, his religious upbringing, his adulthood, and how his powerful preaching of the Bible brought in followers and formed the Branch Davidian Waco compound as we remember it. The second half of the book focuses on the raid on the compound and its tragic ending. An epilogue gets readers up to date with what happened to the survivors and those who participated in the raid on the compound. Clearly the author wants readers to know what happened and when they happened from the beginning to the tragic ending and beyond.
The author appears to have done his homework on this subject, proven by the pages and pages of sources he consulted. The compound raid was well written and gave very detailed timelines as to what happened and when. Also included are little-known facts about the raid, from the point of view of all those involved on the inside and outside of the compound as reported in official records and tape recordings from the negotiations that occurred to get the members to surrender and evacuate the compound. For instance, the author includes the decision-making process that Janet Reno, AG at the time, had to go through to make the decisions she made and how much President Clinton was involved in that process. The author brings the reader into the room where the decisions about the raid were made, what to do to resolve the standoff peacefully through negotiations, what prompted plan after plan to be scrapped, and how fractured the communication between the AFT and the FBI was. This part of the book was very meticulously written; the author appeared to want this part of the book to be the main focus.
The information provided on Howell’s background, however, chronologically was a little difficult to follow, compared to how the raid was written. Dates of when certain events that happened in Howell’s childhood would have helped the reader follow along a little easier. This reader often thought, when reading the first half of the book on his childhood, “When did this happen? What year?” and I often had to go back several pages to find a year to see where in Howell’s life it occurred. For a reader to be able to follow chronologically, especially a reader who does not pick this book up and read from cover to cover in one sitting, might have a hard time remembering where they are in the chronology of events in Howell’s early life.
However, the author did provide somewhat extensive background information on how religion shaped Howell’s life and how narcissism and his desire to be worshipped by others drove him to wrestle control of the Branch Davidians from their leader and shape the group into his own. The author makes no bones about the fact that Howell, or Koresh as he wanted to be called, was indeed a pedophile and an abuser who wanted full control of what his followers ate, who they associated with, and whether they were able to leave the compound on their own accord. It was difficult for this reader to decide whether Koresh was just a con artist, or he truly believed what he preached to his followers, justifying all his actions on excerpts from the Bible that he interpreted to suit his own purposes. There was little doubt that Koresh’s magnetic presence and his Bible interpretations/studies are what held the compound together and brought in new followers. Whether that spells con artist or captivating speaker who believed what he preached is left up to the reader to decide.
Any true crime fan, like myself, will find this book engrossing, and those who want to know what happened in that compound during the standoff will be glued to every page. People interested in the pathology of what drove Howell’s/Koresh’s actions will also find this novel fascinating. One regret this reader has was the exclusion of any pictures of those in Howell’s life, the survivors, and the agents who participated in the raid. Overall, however, I’d give this book four out of five stars.
The author appears to have done his homework on this subject, proven by the pages and pages of sources he consulted. The compound raid was well written and gave very detailed timelines as to what happened and when. Also included are little-known facts about the raid, from the point of view of all those involved on the inside and outside of the compound as reported in official records and tape recordings from the negotiations that occurred to get the members to surrender and evacuate the compound. For instance, the author includes the decision-making process that Janet Reno, AG at the time, had to go through to make the decisions she made and how much President Clinton was involved in that process. The author brings the reader into the room where the decisions about the raid were made, what to do to resolve the standoff peacefully through negotiations, what prompted plan after plan to be scrapped, and how fractured the communication between the AFT and the FBI was. This part of the book was very meticulously written; the author appeared to want this part of the book to be the main focus.
The information provided on Howell’s background, however, chronologically was a little difficult to follow, compared to how the raid was written. Dates of when certain events that happened in Howell’s childhood would have helped the reader follow along a little easier. This reader often thought, when reading the first half of the book on his childhood, “When did this happen? What year?” and I often had to go back several pages to find a year to see where in Howell’s life it occurred. For a reader to be able to follow chronologically, especially a reader who does not pick this book up and read from cover to cover in one sitting, might have a hard time remembering where they are in the chronology of events in Howell’s early life.
However, the author did provide somewhat extensive background information on how religion shaped Howell’s life and how narcissism and his desire to be worshipped by others drove him to wrestle control of the Branch Davidians from their leader and shape the group into his own. The author makes no bones about the fact that Howell, or Koresh as he wanted to be called, was indeed a pedophile and an abuser who wanted full control of what his followers ate, who they associated with, and whether they were able to leave the compound on their own accord. It was difficult for this reader to decide whether Koresh was just a con artist, or he truly believed what he preached to his followers, justifying all his actions on excerpts from the Bible that he interpreted to suit his own purposes. There was little doubt that Koresh’s magnetic presence and his Bible interpretations/studies are what held the compound together and brought in new followers. Whether that spells con artist or captivating speaker who believed what he preached is left up to the reader to decide.
Any true crime fan, like myself, will find this book engrossing, and those who want to know what happened in that compound during the standoff will be glued to every page. People interested in the pathology of what drove Howell’s/Koresh’s actions will also find this novel fascinating. One regret this reader has was the exclusion of any pictures of those in Howell’s life, the survivors, and the agents who participated in the raid. Overall, however, I’d give this book four out of five stars.
July 22, 2023
Stephan Talty shows how Vernon Howell emerged from an abused and troubled child to become David Koresh, a narcissistic cult leader. I wish I had had the time to turn the pages for a straight read, but my life isn’t set up like that now. The short chapters gave me convenient stopping places, but the story never stopped; it stayed in my mind and still does.
By all accounts Koresh could be very charming. He had to be, to convince people to leave everything and join him in Waco, TX. Further, they gave him all their money and if they worked, they turned over all their earnings to him. He could convince others to convince others to leave their lives and families in Australia and England. He convinced his #2 leader (among others) that he should “share” his wife and somehow he convinced parents not to complain when he beat or raped their children.
The BTF and FBI made miscalculations and paid heavily with their organization’s reputations. The issue was simple: the BTF sought to search the compound and arrest Koresh for a stash of illegal firearms and explosives. (The rape of underage girls was known but addressed.)
The decision makers did not listen to their staff members who told them that Koresh could be arrested when he went into town. They relied on a social worker who said Koresh was always at the compound when it was widely known that Koresh frequently went to Waco for steaks, burgers, (while he underfed his followers with gruel) music and cars.
In this initial raid, the BTF did not expect to be met by (heavily) armed resistance. The raid was only called off after 90 minutes that left 4 BTF men and 5 (?) Davidians dead.
There is a lot of detail on the stand off that ensued. There are texts from the negotiations and what could be heard from bugs planted in the milk cartons. There were odd moments that showed humor and humanity on both sides.
There wasn’t enough on the 20 or so children that were released to satisfy my curiosity. (i.e. Why these kids? Were any of them Koresh’s kids,,, he had several by the young teens. How have they fared over these 30+ years?).
After several weeks, the government feared that Koresh was starving his followers and/or was planning a Jim Jones style event. They made plans to enter the compound. All the profilers contracted at different stages of the stand off said Koresh knew he was cornered and would never back down. Some added an implication that he would take his followers with him.
The Davidians, believing these were the prophesied “End Times” complied with Koresh’s order to set the compound on fire. The bugs record their progress on soaking the premises with gas. Then they waited in the burning building for their bodies to be transported to their new life… It was Jim Jones sans Kool-Aid. No one fled the flames. The one woman rescued by the FBI would not tell the rescuer where the (20) children were and ran back into the burning building. These were very true believers.
I had only a vague recollection that Koresh had set the fire, but when I asked others what they remembered, they said it was the government. This misconception remains a rallying cry for far right militias. While the leaders of these agencies demonstrated the tin ear style of management, their staffs were brave and showed a high regard for the followers, especially the kids, trapped in this horrible situation.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in this event, cults or narcissistic personalities.
By all accounts Koresh could be very charming. He had to be, to convince people to leave everything and join him in Waco, TX. Further, they gave him all their money and if they worked, they turned over all their earnings to him. He could convince others to convince others to leave their lives and families in Australia and England. He convinced his #2 leader (among others) that he should “share” his wife and somehow he convinced parents not to complain when he beat or raped their children.
The BTF and FBI made miscalculations and paid heavily with their organization’s reputations. The issue was simple: the BTF sought to search the compound and arrest Koresh for a stash of illegal firearms and explosives. (The rape of underage girls was known but addressed.)
The decision makers did not listen to their staff members who told them that Koresh could be arrested when he went into town. They relied on a social worker who said Koresh was always at the compound when it was widely known that Koresh frequently went to Waco for steaks, burgers, (while he underfed his followers with gruel) music and cars.
In this initial raid, the BTF did not expect to be met by (heavily) armed resistance. The raid was only called off after 90 minutes that left 4 BTF men and 5 (?) Davidians dead.
There is a lot of detail on the stand off that ensued. There are texts from the negotiations and what could be heard from bugs planted in the milk cartons. There were odd moments that showed humor and humanity on both sides.
There wasn’t enough on the 20 or so children that were released to satisfy my curiosity. (i.e. Why these kids? Were any of them Koresh’s kids,,, he had several by the young teens. How have they fared over these 30+ years?).
After several weeks, the government feared that Koresh was starving his followers and/or was planning a Jim Jones style event. They made plans to enter the compound. All the profilers contracted at different stages of the stand off said Koresh knew he was cornered and would never back down. Some added an implication that he would take his followers with him.
The Davidians, believing these were the prophesied “End Times” complied with Koresh’s order to set the compound on fire. The bugs record their progress on soaking the premises with gas. Then they waited in the burning building for their bodies to be transported to their new life… It was Jim Jones sans Kool-Aid. No one fled the flames. The one woman rescued by the FBI would not tell the rescuer where the (20) children were and ran back into the burning building. These were very true believers.
I had only a vague recollection that Koresh had set the fire, but when I asked others what they remembered, they said it was the government. This misconception remains a rallying cry for far right militias. While the leaders of these agencies demonstrated the tin ear style of management, their staffs were brave and showed a high regard for the followers, especially the kids, trapped in this horrible situation.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in this event, cults or narcissistic personalities.
June 24, 2023
To add above the rest of my review: the fjvw stars reflects my respect for the quality of research and information. The writing is fucking terrible. I feel that the author just skipped high school English, as so many sentences have clunky noun repetition and just sound bad. The author should get a proofreader, or just write better I guess.
Research: If you're like me, you sort of kind of generally know what happened in Waco. This book goes into a ton more detail on the lives of people involved, not just Koresh and the government, but Koresh's laundry list of disciples and ex girlfriends. Some things you might not have known:
-Koresh was a high school track star and played in a fairly successful band.
-Despite his best efforts to avoid premarital sex, he had impregnated the same girl twice by the time he was sixteen. Bro. It's not that hard my guy.
-He seized control of the cult from the son of its former leaders, George Roden, who (among other things) ran for president in 1976 (and convinced Carter to meet with him!), sued the government for 200 million, and ran a bar / pornigraphy ring from inside the cult.
- One of his cult members was a harvard educated lawyer. Why is the unabomber the only guy that place is known for.
-the media accidently tipped off the cult about the ATFs initial ambush. The ATF, despite knowing that Koresh had been tipped off, went with it anyways.
- Most surprisingly to me: I had always thought Koresh flipped it in Jerusalem. The book makes it very clear that he had been as such since he was way, way younger.
-despite his bevy of teenage (or in some cases preteen) brides to rape and abuse, Koresh spent his entire life chasing down one ex girlfriend (who he married, with Biya instead of Kesef or Shtar, when he was an altar boy type figure in her dad's church). Very stalkerish.
- his mother was stabbed to death by his aunt on 2009. Wacky.
- When he was a kid, he worked as a street performer with his guitar. He would also randomly smash his guitar during performances.
- He and the cult spoke openly during thw suicide about mass suicide, and allegedly (more in a bit) poured kerosene everywhere.
-After a fifteen year old named David Bunds fell under his wing, Koresh extorted his dad for numerous high quality motorcycles, which he used to zip between Texas and Cali. And just to look cool.
- Perhaps my favorite: during the seige, Koresh and the government negotiator discussed many things you'd expect, like demands, hostages, David's Bible passages, etc. They also discussed the quality of the local What-A-Burger. Koresh disliked Whataburger.
- After Koresh declared his ownership of every woman in the world as his wife, he took his best friends wife, and had a kid with her. This guy is so devoted he stays as Koresh's main man. Unreal.
The author is very anti Koresh, and tries to make the government look like loveable idiots. I don't want to say much more than that, cause obviously it's a very murky situation.
The book was very good, however! Highly recommend, gives a ton of info on the subject.
Research: If you're like me, you sort of kind of generally know what happened in Waco. This book goes into a ton more detail on the lives of people involved, not just Koresh and the government, but Koresh's laundry list of disciples and ex girlfriends. Some things you might not have known:
-Koresh was a high school track star and played in a fairly successful band.
-Despite his best efforts to avoid premarital sex, he had impregnated the same girl twice by the time he was sixteen. Bro. It's not that hard my guy.
-He seized control of the cult from the son of its former leaders, George Roden, who (among other things) ran for president in 1976 (and convinced Carter to meet with him!), sued the government for 200 million, and ran a bar / pornigraphy ring from inside the cult.
- One of his cult members was a harvard educated lawyer. Why is the unabomber the only guy that place is known for.
-the media accidently tipped off the cult about the ATFs initial ambush. The ATF, despite knowing that Koresh had been tipped off, went with it anyways.
- Most surprisingly to me: I had always thought Koresh flipped it in Jerusalem. The book makes it very clear that he had been as such since he was way, way younger.
-despite his bevy of teenage (or in some cases preteen) brides to rape and abuse, Koresh spent his entire life chasing down one ex girlfriend (who he married, with Biya instead of Kesef or Shtar, when he was an altar boy type figure in her dad's church). Very stalkerish.
- his mother was stabbed to death by his aunt on 2009. Wacky.
- When he was a kid, he worked as a street performer with his guitar. He would also randomly smash his guitar during performances.
- He and the cult spoke openly during thw suicide about mass suicide, and allegedly (more in a bit) poured kerosene everywhere.
-After a fifteen year old named David Bunds fell under his wing, Koresh extorted his dad for numerous high quality motorcycles, which he used to zip between Texas and Cali. And just to look cool.
- Perhaps my favorite: during the seige, Koresh and the government negotiator discussed many things you'd expect, like demands, hostages, David's Bible passages, etc. They also discussed the quality of the local What-A-Burger. Koresh disliked Whataburger.
- After Koresh declared his ownership of every woman in the world as his wife, he took his best friends wife, and had a kid with her. This guy is so devoted he stays as Koresh's main man. Unreal.
The author is very anti Koresh, and tries to make the government look like loveable idiots. I don't want to say much more than that, cause obviously it's a very murky situation.
The book was very good, however! Highly recommend, gives a ton of info on the subject.
November 21, 2023
The Waco siege is something I've never been able to wrap my head around. I never really understood why people would follow Koresh and why the government was so threatened by the Branch Davidians that they used tanks, tear gas, and other hostile methods to disband the group at Mount Carmel. I had heard some of the details; but didn't understand how it all fit together.
"Koresh" is a great timeline of the events of Vernon Howell/David Koresh's life, his rise as a prominent branch Davidian, and the siege at Waco. But I'm no closer to understanding why so many people (and a really surprising number of people for England, Australia, and New Zealand), followed a man who at best was a charismatic speaker and able to link bible passages to his lived experiences. At worst Howell/Koresh was a pedophile, a hypocrite, and abused his power over his followers and was responsible for a significant loss of life.
"Koresh" starts out with the childhood of Vernon Howell - born to a teenage mother, and abusive grandparent, and no male role models. Not a happy childhood, but Vernon eventually finds his place running track, playing guitar, and has a few girlfriends. His attraction to religion seems to come from a need for control in his own life and then over the lives of others. At first Vernon tries to follow the religious dogma like a formula - until he finds success in manipulating religion to serve him and starts to create his own formulas. The Brach Davidians relied heavily on Koresh's theology and accepted him as their leader who would see the destruction of this world and the passage of the Branch Davidians into the next life. Koresh uses his position to rape underage girls, control his followers' diet and activities, and to begin to amass a large arsenal of weapons. Koresh's followers were so convinced of his status that they almost seemed to welcome death come the devastating fire.
The last part of "Koresh" focuses on the involvement by law enforcement, specifically the ATF and FBI, and poorly managed and under communicated surveillance and breach attempts into Waco. The author describes the boredom felt by federal agents who were waiting for the Davidians to surrender or instigate combat (the author hints that the latter was preferable). It was a frustrating last hundred pages as the human errors mount up on both sides of the siege. The last part of "Koresh" felt impersonal and I'm still no closer to the why of the matter - but the book presents a fantastic timeline.
I'm rating 4 stars because the research, timeline, and writing were all top notch. I had hoped to understand a bit more about the people who had joined and why they were drawn to Vernon Howell/David Koresh. I'm also reminded that so few people are alive who could answer that question.
"Koresh" is a great timeline of the events of Vernon Howell/David Koresh's life, his rise as a prominent branch Davidian, and the siege at Waco. But I'm no closer to understanding why so many people (and a really surprising number of people for England, Australia, and New Zealand), followed a man who at best was a charismatic speaker and able to link bible passages to his lived experiences. At worst Howell/Koresh was a pedophile, a hypocrite, and abused his power over his followers and was responsible for a significant loss of life.
"Koresh" starts out with the childhood of Vernon Howell - born to a teenage mother, and abusive grandparent, and no male role models. Not a happy childhood, but Vernon eventually finds his place running track, playing guitar, and has a few girlfriends. His attraction to religion seems to come from a need for control in his own life and then over the lives of others. At first Vernon tries to follow the religious dogma like a formula - until he finds success in manipulating religion to serve him and starts to create his own formulas. The Brach Davidians relied heavily on Koresh's theology and accepted him as their leader who would see the destruction of this world and the passage of the Branch Davidians into the next life. Koresh uses his position to rape underage girls, control his followers' diet and activities, and to begin to amass a large arsenal of weapons. Koresh's followers were so convinced of his status that they almost seemed to welcome death come the devastating fire.
The last part of "Koresh" focuses on the involvement by law enforcement, specifically the ATF and FBI, and poorly managed and under communicated surveillance and breach attempts into Waco. The author describes the boredom felt by federal agents who were waiting for the Davidians to surrender or instigate combat (the author hints that the latter was preferable). It was a frustrating last hundred pages as the human errors mount up on both sides of the siege. The last part of "Koresh" felt impersonal and I'm still no closer to the why of the matter - but the book presents a fantastic timeline.
I'm rating 4 stars because the research, timeline, and writing were all top notch. I had hoped to understand a bit more about the people who had joined and why they were drawn to Vernon Howell/David Koresh. I'm also reminded that so few people are alive who could answer that question.
February 14, 2024
After reading about Jim Jones, I wanted to read about another infamous cult leader, David Koresh. Both have been fascinating. Whereas Jones was more of a con man, using Christianity as more of a conduit toward socialism, Koresh was apparently sincere in his spiritual beliefs. Koresh believed God spoke to him, revealed things to him, and that he was even a form of Christ.
Both Jones and Koresh had difficult childhoods. Jones was more neglected while Koresh actually suffered abuse. Neither had a good father figure in his life. Both developed narcissistic personalities, and both were unusually gifted in certain ways (Jones was good at reading and charming/manipulating people, Koresh had the Bible memorized, for example). They both had a keen interest in religion from a very young age. Whereas Jones trampled on the Bible (literally), Koresh loved but misinterpreted it.
Both practiced abstinence for a short while, and later on both grew more lustful to the point of taking on multiple women/sex partners. It seems the power of being a cult religious leader got to them both. While Jim was married to one woman and essentially took two concubines, David just kept taking more wives, many of them minors. David seemed to have more of a mental illness throughout his life while Jim seemed to have lost his mind to drugs later on. They both ended up being responsible for inducing mass suicide among their closest followers—the ones they had under closest control in their isolated compounds.
That’s all I’ll say about comparing the two. As for the book itself, it was very intriguing. Some of the writing could have been a little better. I got lost on some colloquialisms. But I thought the author seemed to be really fair about getting different points of view on what happened during the Waco tragedy. You can see that a lot of messy decision-making happened among the ATF and the FBI. The whole thing never should have happened.
It was also kind of painful for me to read about David’s spiritual development. You can imagine why he was so convicted in his beliefs when he audibly hears voices that he believes is God, but it’s telling him all the wrong things. And so many people believed him and many followed him to their deaths. All because they were convinced they had the one truth and they were special.
I’ve begun to believe that everyone should educate themselves on how to recognize cults. This book and the other one I read—The Road to Jonestown—are both good reads. They both go into the cult leaders’ lives as a sort of biography, but also discuss other cult members’ experiences and the ultimate tragic endings. Next I’m going to look for a book that’s more of a general book on cults, but it was fascinating just to compare these two myself.
Both Jones and Koresh had difficult childhoods. Jones was more neglected while Koresh actually suffered abuse. Neither had a good father figure in his life. Both developed narcissistic personalities, and both were unusually gifted in certain ways (Jones was good at reading and charming/manipulating people, Koresh had the Bible memorized, for example). They both had a keen interest in religion from a very young age. Whereas Jones trampled on the Bible (literally), Koresh loved but misinterpreted it.
Both practiced abstinence for a short while, and later on both grew more lustful to the point of taking on multiple women/sex partners. It seems the power of being a cult religious leader got to them both. While Jim was married to one woman and essentially took two concubines, David just kept taking more wives, many of them minors. David seemed to have more of a mental illness throughout his life while Jim seemed to have lost his mind to drugs later on. They both ended up being responsible for inducing mass suicide among their closest followers—the ones they had under closest control in their isolated compounds.
That’s all I’ll say about comparing the two. As for the book itself, it was very intriguing. Some of the writing could have been a little better. I got lost on some colloquialisms. But I thought the author seemed to be really fair about getting different points of view on what happened during the Waco tragedy. You can see that a lot of messy decision-making happened among the ATF and the FBI. The whole thing never should have happened.
It was also kind of painful for me to read about David’s spiritual development. You can imagine why he was so convicted in his beliefs when he audibly hears voices that he believes is God, but it’s telling him all the wrong things. And so many people believed him and many followed him to their deaths. All because they were convinced they had the one truth and they were special.
I’ve begun to believe that everyone should educate themselves on how to recognize cults. This book and the other one I read—The Road to Jonestown—are both good reads. They both go into the cult leaders’ lives as a sort of biography, but also discuss other cult members’ experiences and the ultimate tragic endings. Next I’m going to look for a book that’s more of a general book on cults, but it was fascinating just to compare these two myself.
November 15, 2023
Ideally, this book is about the same 4.25 stars as Guinn’s, but I’m bumping up because of the low-star reviews and the reasons why.
Two points contra wingnuts:
First, Talty doesn’t say that the name of Cyrus is in Revelation. He says an antitype of Cyrus is in Revelation, and the Lamb enthroned vs Cyrus the shepherd of Isaiah can certainly be seen as that. Tis true that he has a flub here and there, like calling Amoz Isaiah’s son rather than father, but overall, there’s no glaring errors. And, as the antitype shows, as do other things, yes, he makes an effort to understand where Koresh is coming from.
Second, the amount of either “rural putdown” or “f-bomb” language that he uses has been overstated. Given the mockumentaries that one person recommends in their review, these claims are no surprise.
That said, Talty, vs. Guinn, notes even more Koresh’s maliciousness even to his own family, as in, the afternoon after the raid, on the phone with his mom, ending the call with “I’ll see you in the skies,” then leaving the line open as if he had died.
And, on that same page, Koresh claiming the National Guard was coming next. It’s part of a piece, Talty notes, with messianic cultic leaders. You have to “deliver” on the prophecies, especially at a semi-confined semi-stinkhole, or you start losing people. The CPS investigation helped on that, then the media, then ATF.
Koresh’s martyrdom desire also illustrates that the biggest lies we tell are the ones we tell to ourselves.
He also notes that Koresh considered a suicide bombing, surrendering to ATF but being loaded up with grenades. Guinn mentions none of this.
Next, Talty gives a much better look inside the FBI team than Guinn. He notes different analysis by different inside psychs as to what Koresh would do, and then, the outsider Park Dietz saying “he’ll never come out alive.” Ditto on the ATF. I don’t understand why Chuck Sarabyn wasn’t fired. Heck, I think that Reno's DOJ should have looked at the possibility of criminal charges to see if anything would stick.
Also, while Guinn looks at the evolution of Vernon Howell into David Koresh more deeply than does Talty, Talty arguably looks more deeply at the childhood and adolescence of Howell.
Two points contra wingnuts:
First, Talty doesn’t say that the name of Cyrus is in Revelation. He says an antitype of Cyrus is in Revelation, and the Lamb enthroned vs Cyrus the shepherd of Isaiah can certainly be seen as that. Tis true that he has a flub here and there, like calling Amoz Isaiah’s son rather than father, but overall, there’s no glaring errors. And, as the antitype shows, as do other things, yes, he makes an effort to understand where Koresh is coming from.
Second, the amount of either “rural putdown” or “f-bomb” language that he uses has been overstated. Given the mockumentaries that one person recommends in their review, these claims are no surprise.
That said, Talty, vs. Guinn, notes even more Koresh’s maliciousness even to his own family, as in, the afternoon after the raid, on the phone with his mom, ending the call with “I’ll see you in the skies,” then leaving the line open as if he had died.
And, on that same page, Koresh claiming the National Guard was coming next. It’s part of a piece, Talty notes, with messianic cultic leaders. You have to “deliver” on the prophecies, especially at a semi-confined semi-stinkhole, or you start losing people. The CPS investigation helped on that, then the media, then ATF.
Koresh’s martyrdom desire also illustrates that the biggest lies we tell are the ones we tell to ourselves.
He also notes that Koresh considered a suicide bombing, surrendering to ATF but being loaded up with grenades. Guinn mentions none of this.
Next, Talty gives a much better look inside the FBI team than Guinn. He notes different analysis by different inside psychs as to what Koresh would do, and then, the outsider Park Dietz saying “he’ll never come out alive.” Ditto on the ATF. I don’t understand why Chuck Sarabyn wasn’t fired. Heck, I think that Reno's DOJ should have looked at the possibility of criminal charges to see if anything would stick.
Also, while Guinn looks at the evolution of Vernon Howell into David Koresh more deeply than does Talty, Talty arguably looks more deeply at the childhood and adolescence of Howell.
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