Waco

April 1, 2018

After a chance meeting with David Koresh in a California music store, Thibodeau eventually became not only a drummer with Koresh's band but a religious follower. Thibodeau was inside the Branch Davidian complex, Mount Carmel, during the government siege of 1993, and in this account, originally published in 1999, he shares stories of other followers and demands to know why the government acted as it did, putting forth compelling evidence that the attack and siege should not have occurred, especially by the authorities. Thibodeau seems to remain a true believer and genuinely convinced that Koresh's demand of celibacy from all other men in the compound was reasonable, lamenting that being the only sexually active man in the group was "exhausting" for Koresh. Indeed, that aspect seems to be a basic tenet that the author accepts unquestioningly and brings up again and again, something that most listeners will find distressing since in addition to having sexual relations with presumably willing adult partners, Koresh was raping girls as young as 12. Narrator Robert Fass is eminently believable as Thibodeau. VERDICT For those interested, this would be a choice read prior to 25th-anniversary remembrances of the events. ["With the renewed interest in this siege, this book is recommended for public libraries": LJ 10/15/99 review of the PublicAffairs hc.]--Cheryl Youse, Norman Park, GA

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