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45th out of 100 books
—
2 voters
Every Knee Shall Bow
by
Jess Walter
What went wrong at Ruby Ridge? Why was Randy Weaver's son fatally shot in the back?
How could the FBI justify shooting a woman as she held her infant child?
Why were the Weavers given a $3.1 million settlement by the U.S. Government?
Was there an FBI cover-up and how high did it go?
Every Knee Shall Bow answers the critical questions that cut to the heart of the most explosive...more
How could the FBI justify shooting a woman as she held her infant child?
Why were the Weavers given a $3.1 million settlement by the U.S. Government?
Was there an FBI cover-up and how high did it go?
Every Knee Shall Bow answers the critical questions that cut to the heart of the most explosive...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
May 15th 1996
by ReganBooks
(first published 1995)
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I remember the news coverage of the Ruby Ridge Massacre. Everyone assumed it was another Waco situation and did not question the government's intentions. Jess Walter was a journalist who decided to interview everyone involved in the massacre, as well as friends and relatives of the Weaver family. What resulted was a portrait of a family that had racist, ultra-conservative religious beliefs, but ultimately wanted to live alone in the woods where their beliefs would not get them in trouble. Unfort...more
Well, after much delay in my reading due to a concussion, I've finished. And I must say, Jess Walter really nailed it with this one.
Creative non-fiction is a concept I've always struggled to understand. How can it be creative if it all just boils down to spewing facts? Now I know. In this book, Walter shows a dual mastery of the nuances of journalistic writing as well as the story-weaving of fiction writing. With this, he blends the genres to deliver a craftfully written story with the accuracy...more
Creative non-fiction is a concept I've always struggled to understand. How can it be creative if it all just boils down to spewing facts? Now I know. In this book, Walter shows a dual mastery of the nuances of journalistic writing as well as the story-weaving of fiction writing. With this, he blends the genres to deliver a craftfully written story with the accuracy...more
Jul 28, 2011
Justin
added it
This was a interesting book as the events that happened at Ruby Ridge were quite fuzzy, this book gives the reader a broader understanding of were the government and Randy Weaver were comming from. This book will show you what happens when people goto different extremes in their own view of the government and religion. this book portrays a deeper understanding from an investigative reporter that talks too lots of people to bring some sort of understanding to the mass confusion caused by the gove...more
This book really goes into great deal about what happened over 20 years ago, with the Randy Weaver family on Ruby Ridge, in Idaho. I was particularly interested in this story, as he and his family lived in Cedar Falls, and he worked at John Deere. It was just so tragic, that he son was shot in the back, and his wife was shot in the head, all because his family didn't want him to come to trial over an undercover sting of selling a sawed off shot gun to a federal marshal.
Eh, some of the very worst pandering to the wacko-libertarian fringe to emerge in the highly profitable period following Waco -- the big publishing houses got ahold of the market and, within a decade, Loompanics Unlimited was out of business. So it goes. Anyway, the Weaver story is a sad saga, but it certainly didn't deserve nearly 500 pages of fulmination dressed up as journalism.
An excellent account of the shootout and standoff at Ruby Ridge that's all the more powerful because Jess Walter plays it straight down the middle, neither out to get the government nor out to belittle Randy Weaver. What we get instead is a sober laying out of the facts through great use of detail and a strong narrative.
VERY well-written. I was afraid Jess Walter was going to "Choose" one side or another in the Ruby Ridge stand-off, and spend 400 pages villifing the other side. My fears were unfounded, however, as he took great care to present both sides of this "Only in America" tragedy. Essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the whole birth of "homeland security" issues and the fringe elements of our society that believe only in the authority of a Biblical God whom they alone can interpret. Hard t...more
Dec 25, 2007
Thee_ron_clark
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of true stories, conspiracy theorists, etc.
Ruby Ridge was both a tragic event and a look at what government agencies might attempt to get past the eyes of Joe Public if given the chance. This novel follows the Weaver family from their start as a family to their becoming white separatists to the eventual shooting of two members of the family and a family friend by government agents to the long legal proceedings that followed. I found myself horrified at the actions of government agencies in this book and nearly brought to tears by some of...more
In the first half I was amazed by the Weavers' hate driven religious views. In the second half I was even more amazed by Government's mistakes, especially the FBI. The FBI was held in contempt and fined by by the trial judge. The Government ended up paying the Weavers $3.1 million for the killings of Sammy and Vickie Weaver. No one was held accountable for U. S. Marshall Degan's killing. Many millions of our dollars were spent on this case, 3 people were killed...and for what?
Twenty years later and this is the first full length account I have read. It's long but quick without skipping around. It's a good mix of facts and human elements.
Summer of Jess Walter.
Ruby Ridge, excellent
Working my way through everything that I can find written by Walter. Up until now it has all been novels, so this was a big departure. It was very interesting, nonetheless. Thoroughly reported, and -- in my opinion -- very balanced. I am glad I read it.
Sep 03, 2007
Catherine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
historical-non-fiction
I have been obsessed with Ruby Ridge since I was in the fifth grade when NBC aired a made-for-tv movie on the fiasco. This book was far better than NBC's take on it, and it only furthered my obsession with RR.
I thought it was a well balanced account of what really happened at Ruby Ridge. It is an eye opener.
Gripping chronicle of not just the events at Ruby Ridge but also the political and cultural climate that brought the storm together. Hard to put down.
Very interesting but the end is so boring I stopped reading it!
Overall, a sad story with enough blame to go around.
very insightful and poignant.
May 21, 2013
Becky Maiello
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2013
Robin
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May 04, 2013
Jennifer
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Apr 30, 2013
Jennifer
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Apr 28, 2013
Gillian
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Lissa
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Raquel Deneige
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Jess Walter is the author of five novels and one nonfiction book. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages and his essays, short fiction, criticism and journalism have been widely published, in Details, Playboy, Newsweek, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe among many others.
His books:
Beautiful Ruins, 2012.
The Financial Lives of the Poets, 2009.
The Zero, a...more
More about Jess Walter...
His books:
Beautiful Ruins, 2012.
The Financial Lives of the Poets, 2009.
The Zero, a...more
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