Koresh

The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco

By: Stephan Talty

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

"Impressively researched and written with storytelling verve. ... Talty delves the deepest into the history and twisted personality of David Koresh." —Wall Street Journal

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.

©2023 Stephan Talty (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

in depth and thorough

driven by first hand accounts and federal files not inspired by opinion and current events. hard to listen to at times due to the atrocious acts inflicted upon children yet interesting and provocative enough to keep you reading. Koresh in my opinion was a madman deserving of what came to him, terrible that it had to harm so many innocent children. worthwhile read.

Draws you in

This book provides facts from all sides, and leaves you with a clear picture about what happened, and what happened to get us there.

questionable conclusions, pro-government and pro-FBI narratives

The book heavily suggests the davidians started the fires the day they all died when mount carmel burned, shot first in the initial raid, and that the ATF and FBI basically did everything perfectly, mountains of evidence refute this. Watch the documentaries The Rules of Engagement (1997) and Waco: A New Revelation (2000)

Excellent

More than just the raid, but the full picture. Excellent reporting. Engaging read that was difficult to put down.

First half of the book he had a different name!

I got confused at the beginning because the author chose not to tell the reader that David Korean started out with a different name…that was annoying. The reader was a good choice and overall a good story about the tragedy of Waco.

Very Detailed Account

There is a great deal of interesting information on Koresh’s life from beginning to end.

Reads like a NYT / Wapo article

If you like the Washington Post and New York Times, you may enjoy this book.
It mostly contradicts all other material if read on the subject and I believe it’s heavily factionalized.