A Place Called Waco: A Survivor's Story
| Company type | Memoir |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | David Thibodeau, Leon Whiteson |
| Products | Book |
A Place Called Waco: A Survivor's Story is the memoir of Waco siege survivor David Thibodeau (born 1969), co-written with novelist Leon Whiteson (1930–2013). Initially released in 1999 by PublicAffairs, it was republished in 2018 under the title Waco: A Survivor's Story, featuring revisions that coincided with the debut of the 2018 miniseries Waco, which drew partial inspiration from Thibodeau’s narrative. The updated edition included Aviva Layton as a co-author alongside Thibodeau and Whiteson. The reissue was also accompanied by an audiobook version narrated by Robert Fass.
Publishers Weekly reported that more than twenty publishing houses declined the manuscript before it found a home at PublicAffairs.
Shortly before the book’s September 1999 release, federal authorities amended their official report to admit the use of pyrotechnic tear gas canisters during the April 19, 1993, assault on the Mount Carmel Center. However, they maintained that these devices harmlessly landed in an open field and asserted that the Branch Davidians were responsible for initiating the deadly blaze.
Reception
A review in Publishers Weekly commended David Thibodeau for his restraint, describing the work as "far from an extremist apologia". Michael Sawyer of the Library Journal recommended the memoir for public library collections, citing heightened public interest in the Waco siege around its publication. Margo Hammond from the St. Petersburg Times praised the book’s "remarkably nuanced" approach, emphasizing its fair distribution of accountability for the events.
Eric Robbins writing for Booklist recognized the memoir’s challenge to the official federal account but criticized its absence of source citations, which undermines its authoritative weight. Alicia Anstead of the Bangor Daily News observed that although Thibodeau’s survivor perspective is persuasive, American audiences might hesitate to embrace aspects of David Koresh’s conduct, given allegations of statutory rape and his role as a cult leader.