Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America's Modern Militias
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- Create Date：2022-12-29 19:21:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kevin Cook
- ISBN：B09X42L7TM
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Summary
A news-making account of the war between David Koresh’s Branch Davidians and the FBI， and how their standoff launched today’s militias
In 1993， David Koresh and a band of heavily armed evangelical Christians took on the might of the US government。 A two-month siege of their compound in Waco， Texas， ended in a firefight that killed seventy-six， including twenty-five children。 America is still picking up the pieces， and we still haven’t heard the full story。
Kevin Cook， who revealed the truth behind a mythic， misunderstood murder in his 2014 Kitty Genovese， finally provides the full story of what happened at Waco。 He gives readers a taste of Koresh’s deadly charisma and takes us behind the scenes at the Branch Davidians’ compound， where “the new Christ” turned his followers into servants and sired seventeen children by a dozen “wives。” In vivid accounts packed with human drama， Cook harnesses never-reported material to reconstruct the FBI’s fifty-one-day siege of the Waco compound in minute-to-minute detail。 He sheds new light on the Clinton administration’s approval of a lethal governmental assault in a new， definitive account of the firefight that ended so many lives and triggered the rise of today’s militia movement。 Waco drew the battle lines for American extremists—in Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s words， “Waco started this war。” With help from sources as diverse as Branch Davidian survivors and the FBI’s lead negotiator during the siege， Cook draws a straight line from Waco’s ashes to the January 6， 2021， riot at the US Capitol and insurrections yet to come。
Unmissable reading for anyone interested in the truth of what happened in Texas three decades ago， Waco Rising is chillingly relevant today。 Here is the spark that ignited today’s antigovernment militias。
In 1993， David Koresh and a band of heavily armed evangelical Christians took on the might of the US government。 A two-month siege of their compound in Waco， Texas， ended in a firefight that killed seventy-six， including twenty-five children。 America is still picking up the pieces， and we still haven’t heard the full story。
Kevin Cook， who revealed the truth behind a mythic， misunderstood murder in his 2014 Kitty Genovese， finally provides the full story of what happened at Waco。 He gives readers a taste of Koresh’s deadly charisma and takes us behind the scenes at the Branch Davidians’ compound， where “the new Christ” turned his followers into servants and sired seventeen children by a dozen “wives。” In vivid accounts packed with human drama， Cook harnesses never-reported material to reconstruct the FBI’s fifty-one-day siege of the Waco compound in minute-to-minute detail。 He sheds new light on the Clinton administration’s approval of a lethal governmental assault in a new， definitive account of the firefight that ended so many lives and triggered the rise of today’s militia movement。 Waco drew the battle lines for American extremists—in Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s words， “Waco started this war。” With help from sources as diverse as Branch Davidian survivors and the FBI’s lead negotiator during the siege， Cook draws a straight line from Waco’s ashes to the January 6， 2021， riot at the US Capitol and insurrections yet to come。
Unmissable reading for anyone interested in the truth of what happened in Texas three decades ago， Waco Rising is chillingly relevant today。 Here is the spark that ignited today’s antigovernment militias。
Reviews
Dan
，
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Henry Holt & Company for an advanced copy of this book that is both a historical record and a prequel to what America is dealing with today。 On a February day in 1993， two groups were about to converge in Mount Carmel，Waco in an event that would become known for both its death count and the numerous conspiracies that would be born there。 Both sides were sure of the righteousness of their actions， either from the laws of men， or the word of God。 At th My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Henry Holt & Company for an advanced copy of this book that is both a historical record and a prequel to what America is dealing with today。 On a February day in 1993， two groups were about to converge in Mount Carmel，Waco in an event that would become known for both its death count and the numerous conspiracies that would be born there。 Both sides were sure of the righteousness of their actions， either from the laws of men， or the word of God。 At the end almost 90 or more people would be killed， shot， burned or asphxiated， and doubts about what happened， and why would start a slow corrosion in America that would lead to more deaths， governmental mistrust， coups and lots more hatred。 Kevin Cook in Waco Rising: David Koresh， the FBI， and the Birth of America's Modern Militias tells of what events led up to this raid， why things went wrong， and about the many questions that not only linger but poison most of the political discourse today。 Vernon Wayne Howell was the son of a fourteen year old girl whose father deserted him before birth。 Howell had a hard time growing up， with abusive stepfathers， problems learning and more。 However Howell was good at tinkering and even better at learning the Bible。 So much so that it became a calling， and a skill that kept him moving from religious group to group looking for a home。 Which he found with the Branch Davidians， a sect of Seven Day Adventists living in a compound in Waco that had it's own troubled history。 After a court battle， and a gun battle， Howell began to head the group， taking a very young bride， and soon adding more young girls， some as young as twelve as his wives， while grooming others。 To keep the group going which was actually expanding， even as Howell， now known as David Koresh， brought more and more ideas about women being his sole property， the group began to sell weapons at gun shows。 Which is when the Bureau of Alcohol， Tobacco and Firearms took an interest。 Needing a nice raid of public relations purposes， which had suffered from bad raids in the past， ATF， planned and executed a very large arrest party complete with the press to watch。 The surprise raid was not a surprise and soon after a bloody day， a long siege began。 A very fascinating and compelling book filled with eyewitness accounts and stories from both sides。 The book begins on the final day and goes back， but really never losses any momentum。 No one comes out good in this。 Not Koresh， who really seemed like a horrible man， the Branch Davidians who let their children become child brides， to Koresh。 Nor law enforcement people who seem both arrogant， incompetent and uncaring in their need for a win。 There seemed to be a sense of disconnect that went all the way up in government。 At the end it was the chlldren I felt the most for。 Cook is very good at capturing this personal moments， even moments where you want to reach through the page and shake these people saying and doing stupid stupid things。 This is book that not only makes you think， but makes a reader feel。Timothy McVeigh became radicalized by Waco。 Alex Jones found a career from this。 In a raid that was after guns， and yes to protect the children it is sad that much more children have suffered because of this。 There will be a lot of books because of the 30th anniversary of the event。 Kevin Cook's I think will be considered one of the best。 。。。more
Gail Gallant
，
Of course I knew Waco happened but my life didn't really take in what was happening at the time。 Kevin Cook did an amazing job of covering this fatal event from both sides; Davidians and law enforcement。 We don't often get to see both sides of the story。 The end result， all those lives lost， including children makes me ill。 I'm disgusted with the tactics law enforcement used to cause this but also disgusted by the hard headed loyalty that kept people inside the compound。 The end result can make Of course I knew Waco happened but my life didn't really take in what was happening at the time。 Kevin Cook did an amazing job of covering this fatal event from both sides; Davidians and law enforcement。 We don't often get to see both sides of the story。 The end result， all those lives lost， including children makes me ill。 I'm disgusted with the tactics law enforcement used to cause this but also disgusted by the hard headed loyalty that kept people inside the compound。 The end result can make anyone who has religious beliefs they don't waiver from wonder if they're next if the government doesn't like their theology。 。。。more
Ellie Pretsch
，
Thanks to Henry Holt and Co for the Advanced Reader Copy。This was a hard book for me to read- not because it wasn't well written or wasn't interesting， but because clearly both sides （the AFT/FBI and the Davidians） were at fault for the tragedy that occurred at Waco。 Of course there were "good guys" throughout whom were acting on the best interests of all involved。 As someone who is very into cults and extreme beliefs， I was not aware how little I truly knew about what happened at Waco， and obvi Thanks to Henry Holt and Co for the Advanced Reader Copy。This was a hard book for me to read- not because it wasn't well written or wasn't interesting， but because clearly both sides （the AFT/FBI and the Davidians） were at fault for the tragedy that occurred at Waco。 Of course there were "good guys" throughout whom were acting on the best interests of all involved。 As someone who is very into cults and extreme beliefs， I was not aware how little I truly knew about what happened at Waco， and obviously how little most of us continue to know about what happened at Waco。 Cook did an excellent job presenting a non biased account of the events， allowing the readers to make their own judgements about who was or was not at fault。 It was rather refreshing to read a nonfiction book about a serious event in history without feeling pressure from the author to swing to one side or another。 Cook gives the readers well-developed versions of the personalities and actions of members from both sides， letting the reader connect with a various number of individuals in the story。 What was the most fascinating bit about this entire book was the fact that no one knows （or is telling） what truly happened at Waco， who fired first shots， who set the fire etc。 Cook makes the connection to how Waco would become great fodder for conspiracy theorists and other alternative ideological movements or militias。 。。。more
Morgan
，
Waco Rising is a fast paced look into David Koresh’s life， the siege on the compound， and the reactions of people in the militia movement。 I didn’t know many details about Koresh or the siege but Cook did a fantastic job laying out what happened in just enough detail without getting bogged down。 Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy。
Drea
，
I remember watching the building burn after the 50+ day standoff on TV back in the day。 Little did I know at the time how little I knew about what happened。 So so well researched and well-written， this reads like fiction。 I couldn’t put it down。 Fascinating learning about David Korean’s childhood and background as well as learning more about who was negotiating and making decisions throughout the stand off。 I also appreciated learning about how other incidents such as Ruby Ridge fed into distrus I remember watching the building burn after the 50+ day standoff on TV back in the day。 Little did I know at the time how little I knew about what happened。 So so well researched and well-written， this reads like fiction。 I couldn’t put it down。 Fascinating learning about David Korean’s childhood and background as well as learning more about who was negotiating and making decisions throughout the stand off。 I also appreciated learning about how other incidents such as Ruby Ridge fed into distrust of the government and even Timothy McVeigh’s association to Waco。 The author thoroughly researched bringing in current events about Michigan Governor Whitmer。 I could have read another 100 pages。 Fascinating。 Thanks to Henry Holt Co for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
Michael
，
A great look at the events at Waco as they actually unfolded。 The author has done a great job in putting all the information together。 Such a tragic loss of life on both sides。 I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway。
Amanda-Has-A-Bookcase
，
I was a kid when Waco happened and only remember it being constantly shown on the news。 Therefore I was extremely excited to read this and really learn what exactly happened。 THEN， I see the author trying to tie this to January 6。 The only problem is the author， in his desperate attempt to do this completely misconstrues the facts。 I don't need the author going from a Waco play by play to personal opinion just to try and fit his narrative so he can sell a book。 He should have kept to the facts。 I was a kid when Waco happened and only remember it being constantly shown on the news。 Therefore I was extremely excited to read this and really learn what exactly happened。 THEN， I see the author trying to tie this to January 6。 The only problem is the author， in his desperate attempt to do this completely misconstrues the facts。 I don't need the author going from a Waco play by play to personal opinion just to try and fit his narrative so he can sell a book。 He should have kept to the facts。 J6 "rioters" are not modern militias。 This book was a major disappointment and was more offensive than porn。 。。。more
Catherine
，
What an important， fascinating subject。 It's hard to understand how the U。S。 became such a violent place， and we can learn more about the trajectory from Koresh's book。 Thank you for offering a free copy。 What an important， fascinating subject。 It's hard to understand how the U。S。 became such a violent place， and we can learn more about the trajectory from Koresh's book。 Thank you for offering a free copy。 。。。more
Janet
，
A fast paced account of a dark time for decision making by the federal government that reads like a made for television drama！ It’s been 29 years since the federal government engaged in a 51-day standoff with the millennialist sect in Waco， Tex。， that culminated in the deaths of 82 civilians and four agents from the Bureau of Alcohol， Tobacco and Firearms。 The fiasco has been dissected ad nauseam by outsiders including journalists， religious scholars and even a congressional committee。 Kevin Coo A fast paced account of a dark time for decision making by the federal government that reads like a made for television drama！ It’s been 29 years since the federal government engaged in a 51-day standoff with the millennialist sect in Waco， Tex。， that culminated in the deaths of 82 civilians and four agents from the Bureau of Alcohol， Tobacco and Firearms。 The fiasco has been dissected ad nauseam by outsiders including journalists， religious scholars and even a congressional committee。 Kevin Cook steps in to give a strong account of the atrocities committed both within as well as outside the compound in the decision making on all parties。 He does a fabulous job of pointing out the inconsistencies and misrepresentations on the governments side， and ties in how Waco （along with Ruby Ridge） can be attributed to as well as relied upon when discussing modern day militias。 What’s fascinating is how relevant these events from three decades ago foreshadowed， as well as explains， events occurring in todays political climate without being something drenched heavily in political basis。 He truly brings the drama and will have you turning through the pages at a rapid pace。 While I was always aware of the gun issues and underage brides， I was shocked to learn just how young some of these poor girls were， and even the grooming that was taking place for girls as young as toddlers （being groomed） and single digit brides。 The day to day life of the Davidians is as well as David Koresh himself has been meticulously researched and draws off interviews from surviving members。 This is a perfect read for people that just want to know more about the Waco tragedy， history buffs， and people that enjoy a fast paced read。 Thank you so much to #NetGalley， the publishers and author for extending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions。 Happy reading my friends！ 😊 。。。more
Brandon Westlake
，
Cook does a great job exploring a story that just has never received its due attention， and his tracing of the extremism that comes from Waco has never really been explored until now。 He begins with looking at Vernon Wells， whose background contains childhood traumas and risky sexual behavior。 What Cook makes clear is that the Branch Davidian cult that made the news was， at its base， built on the backs of vulnerable people。 He does a great job mixing their stories with those of Wells。 I never un Cook does a great job exploring a story that just has never received its due attention， and his tracing of the extremism that comes from Waco has never really been explored until now。 He begins with looking at Vernon Wells， whose background contains childhood traumas and risky sexual behavior。 What Cook makes clear is that the Branch Davidian cult that made the news was， at its base， built on the backs of vulnerable people。 He does a great job mixing their stories with those of Wells。 I never understood their link to guns， but the book makes it clear that the cult saw guns as an investment， put in context of the assault rifle ban。 He also explores the leadership rivalry between Wells and Roden- one that involves challenges to raise the dead。 Wells' sexual addiction and pedophilia shows how depraved the whole community was。The book centers then on the raid on the compound， and the narrative includes several voices from the FBI and ATF。 I think these are valuable as well， as they help us to see the events from multiple sides。 I think there has been a lot of criticism and analysis of the decisions made， but until this book， not much information from the perspective of the government。 。。。more
J Earl
，
Waco Rising by Kevin Cook is a comprehensive account of the events leading up to the incident in Waco as well as a brief assessment of how it helped birth the contemporary militias。This is a balanced account， with an attempt at understanding as well as acknowledging mistakes。 Neither side was without responsibility for what happened and while the reader will have a better grasp of what happened， it may or may not change your overall opinion。 It didn't change mine， perhaps tempered it with a bit Waco Rising by Kevin Cook is a comprehensive account of the events leading up to the incident in Waco as well as a brief assessment of how it helped birth the contemporary militias。This is a balanced account， with an attempt at understanding as well as acknowledging mistakes。 Neither side was without responsibility for what happened and while the reader will have a better grasp of what happened， it may or may not change your overall opinion。 It didn't change mine， perhaps tempered it with a bit more empathy。I was content with how much detail Cook went into when discussing the effects on modern militias。 He didn't repeat the many things he touched on in walking us through the siege but instead mentions how each aspect has been interpreted by those who join or support militias。 So it is brief but， if you read and paid attention to all that came before it， it was sufficient。 I'm sure an entire volume could be devoted to every detail that played forward， but that isn't what this book is doing， so I don't hold it against a book for not being what it never set out to be。Highly recommended both for those who remember the incident as well as those who have simply heard of it （or used it for personal reasons even though they have no idea what happened）。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Melissa
，
Waco Rising is a comprehensive account of the 1993 Waco situation。 For someone who would rather read about an event than try to watch hours of documentaries or listen to podcasts， this book was perfect。 It covered the events day-by-day and fairly straightforwardly。 Waco is still brought up frequently in American discourse but isn't something that most people under 45 or so would remember。The book is subtitled "David Koresh， the FBI， and the Birth of America's Modern Militias" but the author skim Waco Rising is a comprehensive account of the 1993 Waco situation。 For someone who would rather read about an event than try to watch hours of documentaries or listen to podcasts， this book was perfect。 It covered the events day-by-day and fairly straightforwardly。 Waco is still brought up frequently in American discourse but isn't something that most people under 45 or so would remember。The book is subtitled "David Koresh， the FBI， and the Birth of America's Modern Militias" but the author skimped on the FBI and especially the birth of militias。 The birth of militias is thrown in towards the end， mostly with nods to Timothy McVeigh and the militias that popped up during the Donald Trump administration。 While I don't mind that this was brief， I expected more information on it or for it to be used as a thread throughout the book。Overall， I think Waco Rising succeeded at being a solid account of the events and not packing too much information into one book。 Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy。 。。。more
Emily Burch
，