Nine stars
When it comes to great biographies, I am always eager when Jeff Guinn has published something else. Having read a number of his previous pieces, I was eager to get my hands on this tome, which explores the 1993 debacle in Waco, the Branch Davidoans, and David Koresh. Guinn does a stellar job at providing historical accounts of the group, their wayward final leader, and the build-up to the raid by Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) agents in early 1993. Guinn provides the reader a complete view of the entire situation, leaving both sides feeling as though their views have been properly addressed. A stellar piece that many will be able to use as a benchmark for further reading on the subject.
While many may remember the ATF/FBI siege of the Branch Davidian Compound in February 1993, few are likely well-versed about the events that lasted over a month, and the group at the heart of the matter. Jeff Guinn seeks to provide the reader with a great deal of context as to how the group, its leader, and may members of the Branch Davidians found themselves on the federal government's radar, leading to a raid that would end with a bloody and fiery finish, with 76 members of the group dead. US officials were also left with a significant black mark on how the event took place. Guinn relies on the insights of many who found themselves on both sides of the incident to shed light on how poorly things went and how changes might have saved many lives.
In the early chapters, the book explores the heart of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. While the Church was a peaceful group, there were those at its head who saw things significantly differently. This led to a number of splinters and provided a more 'fundamentalist' view, which led to the development of Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. While the group was led for decades by one family, it was only when a young follower rose to prominence and things truly forked in an entirely different direction. The man, who would eventually call himself David Koresh, took the group in a more isolated direction and prophesised about a new and exciting connection with God, as well as the preparation to for the return of Christ.
While Koresh appeared docile on the surface, Guinn explores how he took the Branch Davidians on a path towards sacrifice and potential violence. He led them with religious fervour, as the Bible foretold, but also moved into gathering large amounts of firearms in preparation for the Final Days. This tipped off the ATF agents to keep an eye on the group, whose views cold be highly problematic should they come to fruition. There were also questionable sentiments about the parenting style that Koresh eschewed of his followers, which included corporal punishment and providing him with many wives as young as twelve, both of which appeared to be rooted in biblical passages. Behind the walls of the compound that was being developed on the outskirts of Waco, the group was preparing for an all-consuming clash, in which their earthly lives would be only a sacrifice for the larger good.
In the latter stages of the book, Guinn explores the struggles the federal government had in trying to address the ongoing issues and trying to dilute the situation without the need for a great deal of media attention. However, it was as though Koresh sought this outward attention to show that his peaceable group was being targeted for their views. With a struggle to neutralise the Branch Davidians and the country without an Attorney-General, the violence soon increased and a long standoff took place, with the Branch Davidians keeping the ATF and FBI agents at bay with large amounts of bullet fire and worthiness to end their lives for the greater cause. It was only when things came to a head and a final plot took place on April 19, 1993 that the indelible view of a bloody and fiery end tattooed itself on the minds of many old enough to remember events. Those 76 bodies of Branch Davidians recovered from the flames showed a dedication for the cause and left many wondering if this would simply be a time-pausing holdout until the next End of Days moment.
Guinn uses a great deal of analysis to better explain the situation and the views of all people from a variety of perspectives. The narrative flowed well and kept the reader in the middle of the story, which builds as the great deal of backstory connects with the eventual clash between Koresh and the Federal Government. Guinn paces the piece through a number of informative chapters that helped explore sentiments from all sides, though never quite choosing one or the other on the issues at hand. Comparing this book to the few others in which the author explores cult-like groups, Guinn does a stellar job weeding out the rumours and lays the truths he has come to understand for the reader to judge. There is little chance that there is one, single point of view that is entirely correct, though Jeff Guinn tries to provide it for all to see and educates the reader throughout the reading experience.
Kudos, Mr. Guinn, for another powerful biography that left me wanting to learn more.
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