Dwayne Walker

The Waco Siege is a quick, almost bullet-point account of the Waco siege and the facts and circumstances that led up to that event. Starting with the formation and rise of Mormonism, the author then narrows down his focus on how the Branch Davidians separated from the Seventh Day Adventist Church and how a young man named Vernon Howell rose to prominence within that group to become David Koresh. The book also covered how the siege started and progressed, before explaining the dramatic effect it had on the general public as a whole.

It's a good quick overview of the Waco Siege, perfect for those who don't know much about it and are looking for a short, comprehensive explanation.… (más)

Hoping History Doesn't Repeat! The Waco Siege: An American Tragedy could not be anymore relevant to public discussion than it is right now, what with the current occupation of a Federal property in Oregon by an armed militia. The author does an excellent job of describing what happened at the Branch Davidian's complex. He does an adequate description of David Koresh, his beliefs and actions. I wish that he would have covered more thoroughly the law enforcement agencies side; rather than concentrating on his perceived schism between two factions of the FBI. That being said, the book does a good job of pointing out that mistakes were made on both sides, that of Koresh and of the government. And that the tragedy might have been avoided with taking more time to try to reach a resolution. Finally, the author does a great job of connecting the Waco tragedy with the rise of today's militias. And that a more open process of releasing information by the government might lead to a lessening of the paranoia of today's militia groups. This is a very quick read, coming in at about 20,000 words. The pacing is smooth, the writing style good. Let's hope that we have all learned from what occurred in Waco, and that the current occupation will end peacefully, with no loss of life.… (más)