Customer Reviews

Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict

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Dr. Stuart Wright brings together experts in sociology, psychology, criminal justice, constitutional law, and the media to analyze data collected, witness testimony, and survivor accounts of a tragedy in Texas. For anyone wanting the truth of what really happened in Waco, this is a good start. The authors present a sociologically sound study of many of the dynamics affecting the events in Waco. The Branch Davidian's orgin and what ultimately happened in Waco are also clearly detailed.

This is the ultimate treatise on the Waco "incident," the massacre that at rock bottom informs us of the limitations of our government's ability to "uphold the Constitution" of the United States of America. Whether deliberately or by tom foolery, men, women and children were burned to death because the BATF and the FBI failed in their mission to inform themselves of what was at stake. The authors of the various essays in the book are well-informed, articulate and thoughtful souls who have given great care in crafting their words. They have brought forth many of the troubling aspects of the Branch Davidian conflict that the mainstream media did not even have the capacity to approach.

Do not be simple-minded about this issue. It is the seed from which there has been much trouble since (think Oklahoma City). It is important to understand Waco as much as is humanly possible in order for this country to get past it. Of all the books I have read so far on the subject, this one is by far the best.

I'm about half way through and probably won't finish the book. There are too many unneccessary references with parentheses, dates, and other interference to extract any useful information from the text. It's as though the authors wrote none of it and felt obligated to attribute every bit of text to somebody else. The apparent lack of organization and failed attempt to explain the history prior to the event were contributory to a complete failure to hold my attention enough to finish the book. Although the authors attempted to tread lightly in support of Koresh because of his sordid exploits with his followers, they failed to show the same measure of control regarding any other entity that was counter to Koresh and ended up giving him a lot more credit, albeit indirectly, than he deserved. Many of the suppositions and conclusions were amateurish and probably faulted. For warriors against a government that is ignoring the Constitution and eroding liberty and civil rights, any alignment with Koresh himself would be a mistake, and was evident here. The authors could have easily focused on the simple facts of what the fed did to conclude that they were inept and cared nothing of Constitutional Law or civil rights, not to mention that they killed quite a few very young children in failed boondoggle that they tried to cover up. I'm obviously no literary expert, but I got nothing out of the first half of the book and wouldn't encourage anybody to buy it. There are better books on the subject out there.

This was a really good book. I had to read it in college and It blew my mind. The things you can learn from books like this. It was just an all around good ( gut wrenching ) read. I highly recommend it.