KORESH

The legacy of a self-proclaimed Messiah.

The rise of extremist patriot groups and militias, including those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has inspired several new books about the Branch Davidians, a sect that many right-wing groups believe was exterminated at the hands of the tyrannical U.S. government. Drawing on sources that include FBI files and eyewitness testimony, Talty focuses his thoroughly researched history on the troubled and troubling life of Vernon Wayne Howell (1959-1993), better known as the Branch Davidians’ leader David Koresh. Howell grew up among Seventh-day Adventists in a small town in East Texas, raised in part by his grandmother while his 14-year-old mother worked at one menial job after another. His childhood was marked by cruelty: He was bullied by other kids, whipped by his frustrated mother and her new husband, and sexually molested. He hated school but loved church; most of all, he loved the Bible. He claimed to have visions and to hear God. “As one local writer said, saying God talked to you was like saying the Avon lady rang your doorbell that morning,” writes Talty. “It happened to someone every day.” The author follows his subject’s search for acceptance, by the Adventists, Southern Baptists, and by girls he fell madly in love with. One after another, they rejected him, fed up with his religious proclamations, egotism, and need to control every aspect of their lives. As one girlfriend put it, “His visions were curiously tailored to what he wanted.” In 1981, Howell’s fortunes changed after he insinuated himself into a leadership role among the Branch Davidians; in 1990, he changed his name to reflect his status as their savior. Talty recounts in vivid detail his rise among unquestioning followers; his apocalyptic prophecy that led them to amass weapons; and the ill-conceived government surveillance that ended in a deadly raid.

A dark chronicle of hubris and violence.