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From Ruby Ridge to Freedom: The Sara Weaver Story

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Sara Weaver was a teenager when her little brother was shot and killed by a U.S. Marshal. One day later, her mother was killed right in front of her by an FBI sniper. She survived an eleven-day siege, hunkered down in a cabin on a mountain top in Naples, Idaho with her little sisters, her injured father, and injured adopted brother. But walking down that mountain to safety was only the beginning. In the years that followed, she was hounded by news media and reporters. People created their own versions of the event, each presenting their own spin, their own angle, and their own social or political views on those tragic days.
But this book is Sara’s story, written in her own words. It is the story of Ruby Ridge from the inside, from the perspective of the 16-year-old girl who experienced the nightmare firsthand. However, it isn’t just about the pain and hopelessness that shadowed the next ten years as she tried to move on. Sara's story continues with the transformation in her heart that changed the course of her life. This book is about forgiving even the most horrible and personal of crimes. It’s about finding hope, about finding joy and freedom from the only source that can offer it in this sometimes broken world—her Savior, Jesus Christ.

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

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About the author

Sara Weaver

3 books11 followers
Sara Weaver was born March 16th 1976 in Cedar Falls Iowa. She is the oldest daughter of Randy and Vicki Weaver, most recognized in association with the 1992 national tragedy, The Federal Siege at Ruby Ridge. Sara lost her mother Vicki and her younger brother Sam during the violent 11 day siege, at the tender age of 16. She was standing right next to her mother when her mother was shot in the head and killed by an F.B.I. sniper. As a result of this tragedy, Sara has had much to overcome. She was required to appear in Washington D.C. to speak at Senate hearings about Ruby Ridge at just 18 years of age and has handled intense media scrutiny. In the years following Ruby Ridge, Sara has had to deal with deep depression, PTSD and has worked hard at overcoming her own personal pain. In spite of this tragedy, Sara has a message of hope and forgiveness to share with the world. Sara credits God first and foremost, for that ongoing success. She experiences spiritual and emotional freedom from her past through the power of forgiveness through her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for those who hurt her. She is a published author and most recently has been interviewed by William Shatner for Aftermath on the Biography channel, as well as CBN for the 700 Club. Sara now also travels and speaks about her experiences to help others find freedom from the wounds of life and share hope that though life can be extremely tough, it doesn’t have to destroy you. Through sharing her own personal story, Sara has seen many, many individuals find the courage to begin the healing process in their own lives. She also has a passion to help educate her own generation about what went wrong at Ruby Ridge with the hope that it never happens again.

Sara lives in Montana with her husband and son.

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Sheila .
2,004 reviews
October 16, 2012
How would you feel if your 14 year old brother was shot in the back and killed by a U.S. Marshal when you were 16 years old? How would you feel if the next morning your father was shot and injured by an FBI sniper while trying to visit your brother's body? How would you feel if your mother was then shot in the head and killed right in front of you by the same FBI sniper, while she was holding your baby sister, holding open the door to your house for you and your father to run to safety? Would you EVER be able to forgive the men involved? Would you ever be able to move past this trauma?

This book is the autobiographical story of Sara Weaver, the 16 year old daughter of Randy Weaver, who was involved in the Ruby Ridge incident in 1992. The book details Sara's personal recollections of her childhood and the seige, the troubling years that followed for her, and her path to healing and forgiveness through finding faith and hope in Jesus.

Profile Image for Chewie.
193 reviews3 followers
November 29, 2014
November 29, 2014



Sara Weaver and Ruby Ridge



In 2012, on the 20th anniversary of the Ruby Ridge incident in northern Idaho, a book was published by Sara Weaver called, From Ruby Ridge to Freedom. It tells the story of ten harrowing days of a fierce standoff between Randy Weaver and the U.S. Government. In the Process, Randy’s wife and son, Vicki and Samuel Weaver; and a U.S. Marshal, William Deagan were killed.
In Chapter One: Good Soil, Sara Weaver talks about her earlier years with her family. She was born in 1976 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She was later followed by her brother, Sam in 1978, and her sister, Rachel in 1981. It is in this chapter that Sara talks about the love she had for her parents, Randy and Vicki. She writes, “My dad was so much fun to be with, and I idolized him early on. He cracked us up by sitting at the breakfast table, chewing his raisin bran and then smiling at us with a mouthful sticking to his teeth.” Then she talks about the changes in her home life. For example, she writes, “Next, my mom started taking pictures off the walls. Dad and mom then called a family meeting and explained what was going on to Sam and me. Our younger sister Rachel was still a baby, and too young to understand. Mom and Dad said we were a family who wanted to please God, and the Ten Commandments stated we were not to have images, so the question was put to us, would we be willing to give up all our toys that represented and image?” Sara Weaver, in an ominous tone, said that it was the first domino that fell. This would be the domino that triggered events that would end in tragedy ten years later at Ruby Ridge.
In Chapter Two: The Big Move, Sara Weaver talks about her family’s move to Ruby Ridge. The family began making preparations to move. Randy told his kids that they were moving “out west in the mountains.” Sara mentioned that they would do rock climbing, and playing with animals. Even better, their mom, Vicki, would home school them. The move, however, was arduous; for example, Sara explains, “One day, our long journey, Dad said that the truck had too much weight on it and we needed to unload some things and leave them behind.” It is here that Sara delves into Randy’s kind nature. She writes, “My dad’s heart is big, and he has always liked helping people. At our home in Iowa, he let a homeless man live in our basement and sleep in the same guest bed the little boy from bible study had fallen off.” The chapter indicates that the Weaver Family has found the perfect place to settle. Sara states that they had found a piece of land, worth $5,000.00. Once everything was settled, they began laying out the foundation of their cabin. Sara Weaver spoke very highly of her role, as this quote explains, “Mom and Dad quickly got busy with plans four building our house. I learned that even though I was only seven years old, my role would be a very important one. I was to look out for five-year-old Sam, and two-year-old Rachel, while Mom and Dad were up the mountain all day, working on our house.” This is the role that Sara would take very seriously in the years ahead.
The next chapter, Little House on the Mountain, talks about the lives of Randy Weaver and his family at Ruby Ridge. Sara gets right down to the basics of their daily routines. For example, whenever the laundry needs to get done, they would use washtubs, and wooden and metal washboards. It is here that the Weaver Family first meets Kevin Harris. Randy and Vicki were sickened at the thought that a man named Mr. P forced him to work like a dog. This led them to take him in to their own home. To Sara, he was like an older brother, willing to help out. She writes, “He pitched in with whatever needed to be done, from laundry to baking, and made the task fun-laughing and joking and cutting up.” Other tasks included drying fruits and vegetables on large window screens and cooling racks.
At the end of Chapter Four: Miss Adventures, Sara talks about going to an Aryan nation camp, which she states would be a hot point of controversy, one that would haunt the reputation of their family for years. Of this one camp, she thoroughly states, “I met the owner of the camp and leader of the group, an older man in a suit who was also the ‘pastor.’ I remember getting the impression from him that if you were cool and wanted to fit in, you had a shaved head, and wore black boots and black jackets with patches. I also remember seeing a huge cross lit on fire, after dark circled by men in white coats and pointy hats.” When looking back on it, Sara realized that it was a lie. This one group, along with others disguised themselves with names like, Church of Jesus Christ Christian. To Sara, these groups were built on hatred.
Enticing Entrapment, The fifth chapter of the book goes into detail about the events leading up to the standoff in August 1992. The event at Ruby Ridge would be the catalyst that would lead to the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. During one Aryan nation meeting, Randy Weaver met a biker by the name of Gus Magisono who is actually an informant named Kenneth Fadely. Randy sold sawed-off shotguns to this man. This led two ATF agents, disguised as Forest Service agents, to confront Randy. One was even rude to him. When the one that was rude to Randy tried getting him to become an informant, Randy told them to forget it. He went so far as to give him the bird. The gun charge situation was far from over. Sara described what happened next. According to her, her parents went into town to get some supplies. At the roadblock, they encountered what appeared to be stranded motorists. Actually, they were FBI agents in disguise. They arrested Randy and Vicki. In Jail, Randy was told to make an appearance for March 20th at court. Sara said that there was a mix-up. She said that the date has been switched from February 19th to February 20th. The mistake would soon prove to be fatal. During that time, Vicki gave birth to a baby girl, Elisheba Anne.
Chapters six-eight go into even greater detail about the standoff. “The beautiful sunny morning of Friday, August 21, 1992,” Sara writes, “Seemed to start out like any other summer day on my mountain. There was no inner premonition, no suggestion of doom in the air, no external clues that what was about to unfold would change the course of my life and America’s history books forever. I certainly wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen, and I could not have imagined the impact it would make on my young life, let alone the lives of my family and countless others.” At 10:30 AM on that morning, Sam, Kevin, Randy, and Sam’s dog, Striker went down on opposite sides of the road called the Y to see if there was any movement. What happened next was unthinkable. Randy Weaver was approached by a U.S. Marshal. The Marshal tried to arrest him. Weaver shouted for Kevin and Sam to run home; and then fired off a warning shot with his gun. Sara then goes on to describe the gunshots that followed. Sam, Striker, and U.S. Marshal William Deagan would eventually die in the initial shootout. Kevin Harris would eventually admit at the trial that he was the one that shot Deagan. When Sara and the rest of her family learned from Kevin about Sam’s death, they completely went crazy with grief. Sara even puts this bluntly in this quote, “My world shattered. Hopelessness filled me, fueled by sheer desperation. It couldn’t be true. Dead. No! Not my little brother, my best friend, my closest confidant.” But nothing could have prepared her for what was about to happen the next day, Saturday. On that day, Sara, Kevin, and Randy went outside. Randy wanted to check on Sam’s body in the shed. Just when he was about to open the door, a shot rang through the air, hitting Randy in the shoulder. Vicki, holding baby Elisheba, came outside of the cabin. She stood right by the door. She asked what happened, and Randy told her that he had been shot. Vicki screamed at the hidden snipers, calling them bastards. Just as Randy, Sara, and Kevin entered the cabin, the same sniper that hit Randy, fired another round. The bullet hit the window on the cabin door, killing Vicki in the head, and wounding Kevin in the upper arm and chest. Sara described the brutal scene: “The Sniper’s second bullet had passed through the glass in the door and hit my mom in the head, completely destroying half of her beautiful face. The fragments that hit my cheek were particles of her blood and bone.” Rachel, her younger sister cried out for her mom. The next few days were an odyssey for survival. At one point, Sara could hear lawmen calling out Vicki’s name, inviting her and the kids for breakfast. By then, protesters were gathering at the roadblock, lashing out against the government. The standoff reached a climax when Col. James “Bo” Gritz, who like Randy Weaver, was a former green beret, came onto the scene. Randy told him what happened in the past few days. In the end, Randy and the girls surrendered. Kevin was taken to the hospital.
Chapters nine-fourteen talk about what happened after Ruby Ridge. Sara describes the years as years of hardship that led to ultimate triumph. Her father, Randy, and Kevin were eventually put on trial in 1993, with Gerry Spence as their defense lawyer. Randy was only found guilty of the failure to appear charge. Both he and Kevin served a short prison sentence. During that time, Sara and the girls stayed for a time with Vicki’s parents, Jean and Dave Jordison. To say that Sara found holding on to her mom’s memory difficult would be an understatement. She felt that no one understood her. She did say that while looking back, she saw it as a place where she could be herself. She talks about a man named David, whom she had met. In the years ahead, Sara would go on about her daily struggles. In 1995, the Weavers got a call from Gerry Spence, telling them about a civil suit he filed against the government for the standoff at Ruby Ridge. They money they would get was over $1,000,000.00. Despite taking this advice, Sara felt it was of little comfort. In 1998, she and Randy wrote a book called, The Federal Siege at Ruby Ridge, In Our Own Words. Sara goes on to talk about her marriage to David, and giving birth to their son, Dawson Samuel. The marriage, in the end, failed when Sara chose to give her life to God and became a Christian. Despite feeling like a failure, she relied on God to forge ahead, and married a wonderful man named Marc.
In Conclusion, Sara Weaver has learned about forgiveness, and how to forgive. The one person that introduced Sara to Christianity was her old friend, Maria. She began to heal from the tragedy at Ruby Ridge. Sara says that we must forgive others; for example, she writes, “So many times, he commands us to forgive those who wound us. The other crucial part of this lesson was that I knew this would be a choice.” She further explains that the Bible does not say, “Forgive others when and if you feel like it.” The trap, as Sara explains it, was waiting for a feeling. As a result, she chose to forgive. The one thing that we can learn from From Ruby Ridge to Freedom is for people in government offices should not repeat the bloody history of Ruby Ridge.

Source: From Ruby Ridge to Freedom by Sara Weaver


Profile Image for Raina S..
18 reviews
February 11, 2025
This book was an experience, an entire journey from start to finish. It broke my heart into pieces and put it back together whole. Sara told her story. It was powerful and left me at a loss for words, but she didn't end it on a note of tragedy - rather, one of righteous triumph.

I cried. I got angry. I felt bitter and vulnerable and in a state of utter helplessness and loss that shattered me as I examined my own struggles. She took me through an emotional roller coaster that helped me to break so that I could be rebuilt on God's truth and find healing where I never thought to look.

Her wisdom is timeless and pure; it communicates to others, regardless of their backgrounds and experiences, with a deep translation that pulls them out of the darkness. I knew Sara long ago, and her story back then carried the same weight after hearing it again today, even though my circumstances have changed. Her example is consistent and a beautiful beacon to others in their struggles. It meets you where you need to be met for healing.

If even only a fraction of souls heard her story, I know the world would be exponentially better. Sara, truly, embodies what it means to be a strong, unbreakable woman after God's own heart. I wish for everyone to have her story impact their lives.
Profile Image for Sage Nestler.
Author 8 books117 followers
December 11, 2022
An absolutely essential book for anyone interested in learning about the truth of what really happened at Ruby Ridge, and Sara's life afterwards. It is a heartbreaking yet uplifting story that I read in a day. Sara uses heavy religious themes throughout, but her faith is what has saved her from her trauma and depression, so it is an essential part of her story.
Profile Image for Cecilia.
23 reviews
May 23, 2020
This is an excellent book by an amazing woman. Although it was heartbreaking, she was so honest about her feelings and her telling of this event is something everyone should know about. But this book goes further and is a true witness to her belief and an inspiration for us all.
6 reviews
September 11, 2020
I had the priviledge of hearing Sara speak, meeting her and talking with her. Her story deeply impacted & challenged me. I highly recommend reading this book!!!!
37 reviews
December 24, 2024
Between this fiasco and Waco, now I know why the government had to make Oklahoma City look so bad. Our government is dangerous.
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