Koresh : the true story of David Koresh and the tragedy at Waco / Stephan Talty.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Talty, Stephan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Waco Branch Davidian Disaster, Tex., 1993.

Radicalism--United States.

Radicalism.

Political culture--United States.

Political culture.

Cults--United States.

Cults.

Koresh, David, 1959-1993.

Koresh, David.

Branch Davidians--Biography.

Branch Davidians.

Texas.

United States.

Genre:

Biography.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xvii, 446 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

True story of David Koresh and the tragedy at Waco

Place of Publication:

New York : Mariner Books, [2023]

Summary:

"The first comprehensive account of David Koresh, the tragedy at Waco, and the rise of government mistrust in America"-- Provided by publisher.

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. - Publisher.

Contents:

pt. I. Child of the lone star. Bonnie ; Vernon ; Dallas ; Vernon and Roy ; The clubhouse ; Vernon and Linda ; Sandy ; Every story tells a lie ; Wild winds

pt. II. The message. Lois ; The Davidians ; The meetings ; Rachel ; David Bunds ; Palestine ; The Golden state ; Marc ; Steve

pt. III. Of Babylon. The raid ; Coker ; Mount Carmel

David and Vernon ; Newbold ; The scream tape ; Unreal colossal supermarket ; The new light ; Marc Agonistes ; Author's note

pt. IV. Coming a time. The rival ; Doreen ; Jerusalem lost ; Waco ; The trial

pt. V. The bureau. The investigation ; Surveillance ; Hood ; The element of surprise ; Byron ; Ambulances

pt. VI. My strange work. Washington ; Irreconcilable ; Double-minded ; The trilateral commission ; The hill ; Nebula ; Acceptance ; The manuscript ; Letters ; Gas ; Bodies ; Specters.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Talty, Stephan. Koresh

ISBN:

9780358581284

0358581281

OCLC:

1335756577

Publisher Number:

99993918207