Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family
Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family book cover

Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family

Paperback – February 19, 2002

Price
$18.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
432
Publisher
Harper Perennial
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0060007942
Dimensions
6 x 1.07 x 9 inches
Weight
1.08 pounds

Description

“A stunning job of reporting.” — New York Times Book Review “A brilliant, cautionary tale of the dangers of conspiracy thinking―by people and by governments.” — Dennis Prager, talk show host and author of Think a Second Time “The most comprehensive, even-handed and best written account of Ruby Ridge currently in print.” — Washington Times "Jess Walter's careful chronicle of what happened in and around that cabin in...northern Idaho...is remarkably complete." — Salt Lake City Tribune "Tightly reported...an even-handed...excellent, minute-by-minute account." — The Portland Oregonian "A meticulously researched account of the Ruby Ridge incident." — People magazine On the last hot day of summer in 1992, gunfire cracked over a rocky knob in northern Idaho, just south of the Canadian border. By the next day three people were dead, and a small war was joined, pitting the full might of federal law enforcement against one well-armed family. Drawing on extensive interviews with Randy Weaver's family, government insiders, and others, Jess Walter traces the paths that led the Weavers to their confrontation with federal agents and led the government to treat a family like a gang of criminals. This is the story of what happened on Ruby Ridge: the tragic and unlikely series of events that destroyed a family, brought down the number-two man in the FBI, and left in its wake a nation increasingly attuned to the dangers of unchecked federal power. Jess Walter is the author of six novels, including the bestsellers Beautiful Ruins and The Financial Lives of the Poets , the National Book Award finalist The Zero , and Citizen Vince , the winner of the Edgar Award for best novel. His short fiction has appeared in Harper's , McSweeney's , and Playboy , as well as The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading . He lives in his hometown of Spokane, Washington. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • “The most comprehensive, even-handed and best written account of Ruby Ridge currently in print.” —
  • Washington Times
  • From #1
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author Jess Walter, here is the story of what happened on Ruby Ridge: the tragic and unlikely series of events that destroyed a family, brought down the number-two man in the FBI, and left in its wake a nation increasingly attuned to the dangers of unchecked federal power.
  • On the last hot day of summer in 1992, gunfire cracked over a rocky knob in northern Idaho, just south of the Canadian border. By the next day three people were dead, and a small war was joined, pitting the full might of federal law enforcement against one well-armed family. Drawing on extensive interviews with Randy Weaver's family, government insiders, and others, Walter traces the paths that led the Weavers to their confrontation with federal agents and led the government to treat a family like a gang of criminals.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(488)
★★★★
25%
(204)
★★★
15%
(122)
★★
7%
(57)
-7%
(-57)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Distasteful, otherwise probably worth 4 stars

My opinion of the book and author nose dived when he attributed feelings and thoughts into the heads of William Denton and Vicky Weaver, both of whom were killed. You want to pass something off as real then don't engage in a creative writing exercise with dead people's emotions. We do not know what Bill and Vicky thought or felt during their final hours.

I believe during the mission the Marshalls acted in a cowardly and pathetic manner. It was not their greatest moment that is for certain.
57 people found this helpful
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A true story that pulls you in like a novel

This book is very well-written and informative. Through reading it one begins to see the motivations for seemingly unexpicable actions. Both sides of the story--the government's and the Weaver family's--are told with objectivity. Before reading this book, I had only heard very simplified versions of what happened at Ruby Ridge, but now I feel like I have a much better understanding. Randy Weaver doesn't come out like a folk hero as in some books about Ruby Ridge. He is portrayed as a regular person who made choices that he regretted, but for which he did not deserve to lose his son and wife. The reprehensible nature of the government's actions are shown in full light, including the inexcusable animalistic actions of the sniper who fired unprovoked on a woman holding a baby in her arms. I appreciated that a section was included which followed up on where the family is today.
34 people found this helpful
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Not for just any reader

I love Jess Walter as a writer. I found him first as the author of a short story in Esquire and then bought a few books by him. One was a short story book which I have read and reread just to re-experience his wonderful writing and storytelling. I purchased Ruby Ridge first and foremost because he wrote the book. I also was interested in finding out more about this event and how it may have forecast other situations of its type.

The book started interesting enough. The first chapter is a short passage of the immediate aftermath of the standoff. The book then goes back to the origins of Randy and Vicki Weaver, their religious evolution, and their families and friends in Iowa. This part I found very interesting - the ins and outs of family member history and the seeds planted that led to what Vicki and Randy became. I even enjoyed the chapters about their early years in Idaho.

But at the point where the FBI becomes more and more interested in Randy and Vicki as forces they need to reckon with, I lost interest. And I'm not sure exactly why. I know that I am not particularly religious - certainly not to the extent to which these folks were - and I grew tired of the relentless coverage of how their religion drove them to their expected end. I ultimately found the reporting of the years of FBI investigation wearying and detailed. I grew tired of the Weavers themselves - their fears, the militarization of their children, etc.

One recommendation for this book is that it was incredibly well researched - and it is clear that Mr. Walter did just that. The book is very very detailed and for that, it's an important book. But ultimately the details wore me down and I did not finish it.
16 people found this helpful
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Let's just say it was good enough for me to immediately order another

I lost my first volume in a motel room about halfway through the read. Let's just say it was good enough for me to immediately order another. I had stumbled across some internet discourse on the subject of separatists movements and learned of this case. An Amazon search pointed me in the direction of this version. The author was very balanced in his presentation which is not only rare but hard to pull off. He also excelled at pulling together an immense amount of details and keeping them interconnected with the theme: What induces someone to separate from society and why does society care? Although the events transpired over 20 years ago, the story remains relevant. I'm not sure why the subject intrigued me. It was like driving by a car wreck.
2 people found this helpful
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Frightening

It's really frightening to realize that our own US Government can be so screwed up. However, it's a fact of life, and as Americans, we need to be vigilant, and hold those in power accountable. That did NOT happen in this case. While I do not hold to the beliefs that Randy Weaver held, this is America, where every person has a right to their beliefs, as long as they're not hurting anyone else. In this case, he was set up by the government, and the tragedy ended in three deaths. I don't think we'll ever really know the full story of what happened, because every person sees it from their own point of view. But the documented facts of the case, of the government's mishandling/BUNGLING, are there for all to see. Regardless of whether you believe as Weaver did, you can't escape the fact, as Gerry Spence put it, "People ought not to be murdered by their own government."
2 people found this helpful
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Five Stars

Outstanding, detailed reporting.
1 people found this helpful
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Five Stars

I will see what version this story is in favor of randy weaver and his family or ron Horluochi
1 people found this helpful
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... writes empathetically and perceptively about everyone involved in this horrible incident. This is a piece of recent history

Jess Walter writes empathetically and perceptively about everyone involved in this horrible incident. This is a piece of recent history that everyone needs to know; this is a book that everyone needs to read.
1 people found this helpful
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Book - Ruby Ridge

I ordered this book as a gift for a friend. He thoroughly enjoyed it and although he had followed the Ruby Ridge raid on the news when it occurred he learned many things he had not known. My friend highly recommends Ruby Ridge to everybody who is interested in this type of occurrence. The book arrived well within the promised delivery time and in perfect condition.
1 people found this helpful
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Good book

Great book. Sad story though.