The Waco Siege: An American Tragedy

By: Jack Rosewood

Narrated by: Gaius M. Thynne

During 51 days in early 1993 one of the most tragic events in American crime history unfolded on the plains outside Waco, Texas. An obscure and heavily armed religious sect called the Branch Davidians was barricaded inside their commune and outside were hundreds of law enforcement angry because the former had killed four ATF agents in a botched raid. Go on an engaging and captivating ride to examine one of the most important true crime stories in recent decades. Hear the shocking true story of how a man the government considered a psychopath, but whose followers believed to be a prophet, led a breakaway sect of the Seventh Day Adventist Church into infamy.

You will follow the meteoric rise of the Branch Davidians' charismatic leader, David Koresh, as he went from an awkward kid in remedial classes to one of the most infamous cult leaders in world history. But the story of the Waco Siege begins long before the events of 1993. At the core of the conflict between the Branch Davidians and the United States government were ideas and interpretations of religious freedom and gun ownership, which, as will be revealed in the minutes of this book, created a considerable philosophical gulf between the two sides. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians carried on a long tradition in American and Texas history of religious dissent, but in 1993 that dissent turned tragically violent.

You will find that beyond the standard media portrayals of the Waco Siege was an event comprised of complex human characters on both sides of the firing line and that perhaps the most tragic aspect of the event was that the extreme bloodshed could have been avoided.

This book will make you angry, sad, and bewildered; but no matter the emotions evoke, you will be truly moved by the events of the Waco Siege.

©2015 Wiq Media (P)2016 Wiq Media

So-so

I was in high school when the Waco Siege took place and was interested to hear how the event is viewed historically now that it’s been almost 30 years. This audio book is short, only 2 hours. There are some interesting ideas, and the author seems to be trying to maintain a balanced perspective. Having said that, I found it woefully lacking in detail and was really just a summary of the event. The narrator has a very flat tone and mispronounced a lot of words, making the listening sub-par.

The reader ruins...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

A detailed nonfiction piece, there’s a great insight here.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The story is fascinating.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Words. Anecdotes became antidotes. Appellation became apealaation.


Within the first chapter, there’s a half dozen words that are just pronounced wrong. It detracts from the validity of the piece.

Did The Waco Siege: An American Tragedy inspire you to do anything?

Research.

Any additional comments?

Interesting. They should have done a pre read and made sure reader had all the words down.

Terrible narrator

While the story was interesting (although certainly bias towards the Branch Davidians ), the narrator was awful. So monotoned. Didn’t know how to pronounce some the words even. I will definitely steer away from any book he narrates in the future.

Great Read

The Waco Siege: An American Tragedy by Jack Rosewood and Dwayne Walker was a great read. It follows what lead up to the most tragic fifty one days in the early months of 1993 in Waco, Texas. The Branch Davidians were barricaded inside their commune with law enforcement outside. This was a great book that told of the events of the siege.

Very average recap

If you’ve never known anything about the Waco siege, this is an acceptable summary, despite the cringey delivery by someone uneducated enough to ask about words he doesn’t know while getting paid to read words. If you really want an insider’s view, check out David Thibodeaut’s book.

I wanted to learn about this, but...

This is the WORST narrator I've ever heard and I can't take any more after only 14 minutes. Marbles in his mouth, nasal, weird pronunciations of words, weird inflection and terrible enunciation. Weird pauses where you think the sentence is done, but no! He has pronounced Davidian 3 different ways so far and sometimes I can't tell what the heck he is saying. He says sects like sax. Have fun!

Horrible

Will not and could not give this book a positive review. The narrator sounds like a robot, to include saying that the event took place in “1934”. There was no flow and is a waste of money.

glorified Wikipedia page

Not in depth. No interviews of those involved. doesn't touch on the why of the Waco confusion at all.