American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & the Tragedy at Oklahoma City [Mass Market Paperback]

Lou Michel (Author), Dan Herbeck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2002

A major news event: The first book to tell the true and complete story of the most horrific act of domestic terrorism in US history - as informed by exclusive interviews with the bomber Timothy McVeigh, as well as his family and 300 others. On April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City was destroyed by a bomb that claimed 168 lives, including those of 19 children. In June of 1997, 29-year-old Timothy McVeigh was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to death. But McVeigh, whose case is currently up for appeal, has never publicly confirmed or denied his role in the bombing; he has never given a complete accounting of exactly what happened that day, or in the days and months preceding the event. Until now. Investigative journalists Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck have covered the story of the Oklahoma City bombing since McVeigh was first named as a suspect. And now they have secured an extraordinary coup: the first extensive interview with the killer McVeigh, conducted over more than 75 hours and furthered by an extensive correspondence with the authors. In these pages, the authors have reconstructed every last detail of the conception, planning, and execution of this tragedy. McVeigh has given this exhaustive account freely, without any compensation or approval, and his contributions have been supplemented by over 300 other interviews with others - from his family to survivors of the bombing. The details of this account will on their own make this book a page-one newsmaker - and will almost certainly influence the fate of others whose day in court awaits. But Michel and Herbeck have gone beyond merely reconstructing the bombing. In these pages they offer the first complete portrait we have had of McVeigh's life: of the formation of his character from childhood through his Gulf War experience and the plunge into the world of anti-government extremists and gun-show agitators that fanned the flames of his hatred. This will be the definitive account of the making of America's most chilling mass murderer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"American Terrorist unfolds as the warped reflection of teh American Dream." (Fort Worth Star Telegram )

"Compelling. It gets inside the mind of a monster..." (The Daily Oklahoman )

"The chill lasts long after you put the book down." (Denver Rocky Mountain News )

"This impeccably reported book...represents good journalism." (Cleveland Plain Dealer )

"An important contribution to history." (New York Daily News )

"In calm, unadorned prose, the authors methodically reconstruct...McVeigh's swift journey into ...hell." (The Buffalo News )

"American Terrorist is the closest we'll get to the official testimony of Timothy McVeigh." (The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

"The book is history. Michel and Herbeck have done us all a service." (New York Newsday )

"Probably the best recounting of the biggest true crime story in modern times, told by two crack investigative reporters." (Minneapolis Star Tribune )

About the Author

Lou Michel is a staff reporters for the Buffalo News. Michel is the recipient of several Associated Press awards for his writing on topics including the Oklahoma City bombing. He lives in western New York with their families.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Harper (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061065188
• ISBN-13: 978-0061065187
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and important piece of literature, August 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & the Tragedy at Oklahoma City (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is one of the most compelling and riviting works I have ever read. It is complete, detailed, honest and it does justice to the bombing and to McVeigh. This book will explain to you exactly what happened, and most importantly, WHY it happened. It doesn't bog you down with conspiracy theories and bold statements designed to impress you. It is impressive in and within itself. I casually started reading the beginning of it just a week ago, not intending to dive into it just yet. But I couldn't put it down. The authors are so detailed and complete that it's sometimes difficult to get over all the cold facts and many names they report, but it paints a good picture. I would have preferred that they included even more of McVeigh's own thoughts and opinions in the text. They left out a few minor details that I was interested in like... what ever happened to his older sister? And to his high school girlfriend? They included enough to cause me to feel as if I knew him, however. You'll walk away better informed with a clearer mind and understanding of government, the military, and crime. It is scary, but it is worth it. Everyone ought to read this book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No grand conspiracy, just one committed fanatic and friends, March 28, 2002

By 

Joseph Brown "jlbrown7289" (Menlo Park, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & the Tragedy at Oklahoma City (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished the book. Well written and thorough, Michel and Herbeck convinced me that one committed fanatic, and not even an
insane fanatic, Tim McVeigh, is responsible for the Murrah building bombing. He wasn't racist, wasn't a misanthrope, but his extreme hatred of the government (something LOTS of people share) drove him to an act of monstrous evil. As Michel and Herbeck note, this hatred of the government led McVeigh to kill innocents, exactly the kind of evil he laid at the doorstep of the government. Yet McVeigh never seems to have caught on to that.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrorist, Patriot or both??, January 31, 2002

By 

David Nolte "crimsoncelluloid" (Adelaide. South Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & the Tragedy at Oklahoma City (Mass Market Paperback)

Immaculately researched (with cooperation from Tim McVeigh and his family)book about the infamous terrorist attack on American soil (somewhat overshadowed now by events on Sept 11)that will dispell many myths and clear up innacuracies.
For what it's worth I felt that McVeigh comes across in the book as quite a likeable fellow, hell if it weren't for that whole bombing thing, pretty much anyone would be glad to call him a friend.
Like many a serial killer, this mass murderer/terrorist isn't a slobbering at the mouth maniac, hiding in the shadows. He was an anti-government zealot who channelled his feelings of disgust and frustration into one act of severe violence. His acts could never be justified by any free-thinking person, however the book is interesting in that it doesn't set out to portray him as some kind of maniac. Just presents the facts in a fascinating and compelling fashion.
Highly recommended.