This is an examination of Timothy McVeigh’s life; not only his infamous crime, but his radicalization that led to his bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building on April 19th, 1995. 168 men women and children were killed and thousands more were injured.

You probably remember photographs of the rage of the protesters surrounding young black children as they were escorted into segregated white schools during the 1960’s.I t’s important to know that the rage demonstrated in these photos has never truly vanished as certain groups see what they believe to be attacks on their way of life.

In the ‘90’s this angry anti-government rage had not vanished but had gone underground into such sources as the ads in the back of magazines like Soldier of Fortune which featured among other items a novel iconic to the haters called The Turner Diaries. Hate filled commentators such as Rush Limbaugh went from late night obscure radio stations to easier and more popular venues.

Ex military Tim McVeigh drifted into the culture of gun shows. There he found other disenfranchised people who swapped guns, angry literature and conspiracy theories.

Two events hardened McVeigh into committing to actions rather than theories. These were the Waco Branch Davidian disaster and President Clinton’s ban on assault weapons. Both of these convinced McVeigh that the government was out to eliminate the Constitutionally guaranteed right to have guns in order to quash dissenters.

It’s quite concerning is that many of McVeigh’s beliefs which were considered radical and aberrant in the 90’s have now become almost common among the far right. These include the necessity of a coming civil war/ revolution, taking the law into your own hands if you disagree with it, and violence against those who disagree with you.

Although most of the book focuses on Timothy McVeigh, It’also a well-written and thought-provoking view on how we got to the state of political and personal division we find ourselves in the United States today. ( )

Homegrown is a powerful tour-de-force that contains extraordinarily pertinent information for American citizens in the current atmosphere of divisiveness, polarity, non-tolerance, racism and hate. It sheds light on the large number of right wing extremist groups and movements and largely explains their origins, growth and beliefs. It strips off the blinders we tend to wear and exposes plainly and explicitly the details of right wing extremism, given powerful boosts by the internet and Trump and poised, ready to and capable of toppling what's left of our fragile democracy and end this two plus century American experiment.

Here we learn in detail the story of Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber and the precursor to today's right wing extremist; such as those participating in the January 6, 2021 violent insurrectionist attack on the nation's Capitol. Timothy McVeigh was indoctrinated with right wing propaganda starting in high school. He became obsessed with the radical extremist talk show hosts of the time such as Rush Limbaugh who spewed their poison daily. In fact he fell down the right wing extremist rabbit hole completely, embracing their magazines, books, articles, etc. It was in fact a book of fiction sold through a mail order advertisement in a militant periodical that gave him the general outline and blueprint for the tragic bombing and loss of innocent lives that he was responsible for.

For me, it was hard to read, to face where we are and where we are heading as a country. Homegrown is so very informative, and one of the most important books out there in my opinion. Learning and understanding the history and motivations of the right wing extremist groups is imperative. As they say, knowledge is power; and I feel that only through knowledge will we have any hope of saving Democracy in America. As it is, it is hanging by a thread. ( )

A compelling, well researched book that places the Oklahoma City Bombing in it's proper context of right wing political violence in America. ( )

Good ( )

On April 19,1995, Timothy McVeigh exploded a truck bomb next to the Oklahoma City Federal building killing 168 people including many children from the day care center in the building. McVeigh's lawyer recently provided all of his files from the case including all of the files the FBI provided to the defense. The lawyer's files also included the extensive discussions between McVeigh and his legal team about his background and his motivations.

Jeffrey Toobin has utilized all of these files to create a detailed page-turner about the case. The first half of the book details McVeigh's background and his motivations for the bombing. He had been heavily influenced by the book The Turner Diaries and took his idea for the truck bomb directly from this book. Also, he was a heavy consumer of Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing radio which fed his anger at the actions of the Federal Government in Waco. The second half of the book discusses the FBI investigation and the strategies of the legal teams involved.

The book is very unsettling because it is clear that there are many other potential McVeigh's in America at the moment. Toobin demonstrates this with his lists of subsequent right-wing extremists actions since 1995 that parallel the McVeigh case in some way. Toobin also shows the parallels to the people who assaulted the US Capitol on January 6th. ( )