End of Days: Ruby Ridge, the Apocalypse, and the Unmaking of America

This stirring account from Jennings (Paradise Now) posits that the fatal 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff in Idaho was a flash point for contemporary political and religious extremism. Vicki and Randy Weaver were an unremarkable Midwestern couple whose lives were upended by the farm crisis of the 1980s. Seeking stability and spiritual clarity, the family abandoned their Baptist congregation, withdrew from community life, and embraced an increasingly insular worldview. Their move to a remote Idaho ridge, where they built a cabin and prepared for what they believed was the approaching apocalypse, placed them in the heart of a region rapidly becoming a magnet for militias and white supremacists. Jennings vividly reconstructs how mounting tensions over Randy’s gun charges led to a fatal confrontation with federal agents that left Vicki, the Weavers’ teenage son, the family dog, and a U.S. marshal dead. The author’s meticulous reporting also highlights the FBI’s reputational damage after the confrontation and the speed with which the Weavers were transformed into martyrs by anti-government and white supremacist groups. Sharply observed and chillingly relevant, this real-life page-turner reveals how economic desperation, isolationist faith, and conspiracy thinking can form a combustible blend. Agent: Amanda Urban, CAA. (Feb.)