Rating: 
Summary: For You to Decide
Review: "Every Knee Shall Bow" by Jess Walter is the definitive statement of the events that transpired on Ruby Ridge between the Weaver family and the federal government. The author was one of the many journalists who covered the story as it unfolded. He got a bird's eye view of a lot of things that went on during the standoff, although most of it being secondary to the main events.Walter takes a look not only at what happened on the mountain but also at the backgrounds of Randy and Vicki Weaver and the subsequent legal proceedings against Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris. While most readers will be drawn to this book for the Ruby Ridge incidents, I'd be willing to bet that most will be more riveted by the court room proceedings than the other two parts of the book. Walter doesn't draw too many conclusions in the book. He seems to decide two things: 1) the Weavers were anti-government paranoids and 2) the government royally ... up this case thereby doing nothing to dissuade the Weavers from their paranoia. He seems to believe that the Weavers were not intent upon provoking a standoff with the feds; that they believed they didn't have to provoke one and that it would just show up at their doorstep. This account of what happened is none too flattering of anyone involved in the standoff. There is much second guessing of the government's overreaction to a man who was essentially wanted on a failure to appear charge. You expect the government to be the ones to show good judgement in a situation like this and they blew it by a wide margin. "Every Knee Shall Bow" is the only book you need to get both sides of what happened on the mountain. Both the Weavers' and the feds' sides are well presented. Walter doesn't play favorites with the stories; although, he seems to believe the Weavers' account of what transpired more than the government's.
Rating:
Summary: For You to Decide
Review: "Every Knee Shall Bow" by Jess Walter is the definitive statement of the events that transpired on Ruby Ridge between the Weaver family and the federal government. The author was one of the many journalists who covered the story as it unfolded. He got a bird's eye view of a lot of things that went on during the standoff, although most of it being secondary to the main events. Walter takes a look not only at what happened on the mountain but also at the backgrounds of Randy and Vicki Weaver and the subsequent legal proceedings against Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris. While most readers will be drawn to this book for the Ruby Ridge incidents, I'd be willing to bet that most will be more riveted by the court room proceedings than the other two parts of the book. Walter doesn't draw too many conclusions in the book. He seems to decide two things: 1) the Weavers were anti-government paranoids and 2) the government royally ... up this case thereby doing nothing to dissuade the Weavers from their paranoia. He seems to believe that the Weavers were not intent upon provoking a standoff with the feds; that they believed they didn't have to provoke one and that it would just show up at their doorstep. This account of what happened is none too flattering of anyone involved in the standoff. There is much second guessing of the government's overreaction to a man who was essentially wanted on a failure to appear charge. You expect the government to be the ones to show good judgement in a situation like this and they blew it by a wide margin. "Every Knee Shall Bow" is the only book you need to get both sides of what happened on the mountain. Both the Weavers' and the feds' sides are well presented. Walter doesn't play favorites with the stories; although, he seems to believe the Weavers' account of what transpired more than the government's.
Rating: 
Summary: Sober, even-handed & compelling
Review: 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. I went into the book a little skeptical and underinformed about Ruby Ridge and emerged horrified at what happened, particularly by the behavior of the feds. But Walter doesn't try to make Weaver a pure hero either, showing his eccentricities and willingly raising questions about his handling of the situation such as whether Weaver used his children as a buffer between himself and danger. The obligatory court section of the book is saved from the boring recitation of trial that often characterizes non-fiction, true crime books by an excellent portrait of lawyer Gerry Spence and very nice detail on the jury's lengthy deliberations. Walter ties Ruby Ridge, Waco and Oklahoma City together very nicely without overdoing it. He's a master of understatement, leaving the reader to form his own conclusions. He includes a very good, concise history of the Aryan Nations/militia/freemen/patriot radical right-wing movement. This is a must-read for any student of the radical right-wing movement, especially anyone open-minded enough to be willing to accept that the government has made some horrific, perhaps criminal errors ... and that some of those errors have fanned the flames of hatred more effectively than any racist demagogue.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifying tale of Government murder
Review: First: This book is not a right-wing diatribe. It is an objective history written by a journalist. The book is well-written and researched. The story is horrifying. I recommend this, or Alan Bock's book, Ambush at Ruby Ridge.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Writing
Review: Hats-off to Jess Walter for a great job. I've been in law enforcement for nearly thirty yrears and I think this book should be required reading for every law enforcement officer.
Rating:
Summary: Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth and Tragedy of Ruby RIdge an
Review: The reviewer preceeding me says it all. A balanced account of what did happen in northern Idaho in the early nineties. Sobering to be sure. Anyone interested in domestic terrorists and separtists should read this book to get the "other side's" viewpoint. Nobody wore "White Hats" - lots of gray and black in this account. Don't jump to conclusions until you read some of both sides of the conflict. An excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: The Shocking truth
Review: this book is a total eye opener. It gives a great view of what happened at Ruby Ridge, and tells facts about a government out of control.
Rating:
Summary: The Final Word
Review: This excellent book may well be the definitive work on the tragedy of Ruby Ridge. I was prepared for another diatribe; either Randy Weaver the martyr or Randy Weaver the lawless, racist scum. Instead, Jess Walter has written a very even-handed chronicle that left me terribly sad. If Walter's facts are right, (and they're certainly believable,) this was a story without unalloyed heroes or villains. He takes us through the Weaver family's odyssey from fundamentalist Christians to - well, whackos. He takes us through the story of how the U.S. Marshalls sent to bring in an everyday, minor fugitive found the case spinning out of their control, leaving them on a mountaintop with two people and a dog dead, and the whole world watching. And he explains the inexplicable; how on earth a law enforcement officer could be in a blind with a .308 and orders to shoot on sight. This is one of the few really essential books I've read this year.
Rating:
Summary: The Final Word
Review: This excellent book may well be the definitive work on the tragedy of Ruby Ridge. I was prepared for another diatribe; either Randy Weaver the martyr or Randy Weaver the lawless, racist scum. Instead, Jess Walter has written a very even-handed chronicle that left me terribly sad. If Walter's facts are right, (and they're certainly believable,) this was a story without unalloyed heroes or villains. He takes us through the Weaver family's odyssey from fundamentalist Christians to - well, whackos. He takes us through the story of how the U.S. Marshalls sent to bring in an everyday, minor fugitive found the case spinning out of their control, leaving them on a mountaintop with two people and a dog dead, and the whole world watching. And he explains the inexplicable; how on earth a law enforcement officer could be in a blind with a .308 and orders to shoot on sight. This is one of the few really essential books I've read this year.
Rating:
Summary: The Shocking truth
Review: This is a well written book. It is as exciting and easy to read as a novel. All sides of the controversy get a fair hearing. The beliefs of the Weavers, the White Separtist Movement, Christian Identity and others involved in this controversy are explained. The author definately had his point of view but covered all points of view fairly.
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