Charles Manson Books

a VERY good book.gives a good insight into the family,the trial,and various people involved.i actually felt like i was at the trial.loads of interesting details.a must for true crime or family buffs.well worth searching for

Exceptional exposition of the Manson family murders with insightful excerpts of trial records. Along the way, the author divulges Manson's international conspiracy to foil the 1969 moon landing and infiltrate NASA with his clones. Mr. Bishop's book is the only one that relates the story of Susan Atkins attempting to impersonate Pat Nixon and sever diplomatic relations with West Germany. A must read for all conspiracy buffs!!!!!

The manson family story told in simple,easy to read style,though of course its not as in depth as''THE FAMILY'' BY ED SANDERS OR ''HELTER-SKELTER '' BY BUGLIOSI& GENTRY...........I've known copies of this to sell for quite a bit of change........but,true Manson buffs will love this because of its truly obscure photos[which ive never seen anywhere else]..........all in all, a refreshing change from the other books out on this subject,with a ''just the facts'' style that has been difficult to find since 1970 in probably the most bizarre and controversial murders ever commited.

This is a great collection of science fiction stories: Asimov's Science Fiction is the best science fiction magazine, and Analog is unequaled for those who like the hard variety of this genre. If you want to experience contemporary science fiction, you should defenitely buy this collection.

This book is written be a psychologist who encounters a young girl who is Charles Manson's penpel and in love with him. When Squeaky Fromme went after President Ford the FBI went and searched Manson cell and questioned him about the attack. They found many letters in his posession from a young girl who had been writing Manson since she was 13.She was picked up by the FBI and interrogated, they thought Manson was ordering people to kill people including the president on the outside. This is a story about her correspondance and relationship with Charlie and other Family members.... I found this book very interesting...

I would just like to note, in addition the otherwise superb review posted previously. The song stolen from Charles by Melcher and the other beach boy cohorts was titled "Never Learn Not To Love" and it can be found on the Friends 20/20 album.
Which is quite a brilliant rendition...
and just for the record, Manson to this day holds that he knew little of "the beatles" and cared not much for their music. The whole helter-skelter Scheme is nothing more than Bugliosi's little fantasy. In Reality and In My Humble Opinion.

(...)

When I first saw this book in manuscript, I knew it had to be published. Now it has been, in a charming coloring-book style edition that is fun for the whole family. Not really about Charles Manson at all, it's the tale of Ricky Bear Cub's journey through the margins of America, and initiation into the rebel underbelly of 60s-cum-90s culture.

Rick's illustrations are comical and rendered with a craftsman's competence, and are full of hidden jokes and cultural references.

The Afterword by Charles Manson is to die for, if you'll excuse the pun: a wild rant that is worth the price of the book.

I bet Vincent never thought people would one day have home computers and be able to read the police reports and see the blood evidence because once you do that, you quickly find the book is complete B.S. The crimes could have never taken place as described by Vince. Manson was railroaded and believe me when I tell you I'm no fan of Charlie's but it is true, he was railroaded. Manson is doing life in prison from a story that is a complete lie. Man, what a country we live in when a person can become a millionaire by using the vicious murders of 7 people and no one challenges him. You should be ashamed of yourself Bugliosi. Only in America.

Well written, great TRUE story, fascinatingly frightening. This book will chill you to the bone. It scared me worse than any other book I've ever read. It makes Blatty's "The Exorcist" seem like a Disney Book. Trust me, I do not mean to discredit Blatty because I loved his book, but "Helter Skelter" scared me to the very core.

I initially read this book as a 14 year old and due to the recent publicity regarding Susan Atkins, decided to read it again.

The book chronicles the true story of the murders of the LaBianca's as well as the murders commonly referred to the "Tate" murders. It also touches on the murders of Gary Hinman and Shorty Shea, who are often forgotten victims of the Manson Family.

Essentially, the murders begin with Charles Manson, a career criminal with a poor childhood who was practically raised in youth homes and detention facilities, etc. Despite his poor upbringing and limited education, Charlie was a bright man who had the ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in other people.

Upon his latest release from prison, Manson begins to attract a group of followers, mainly comprised of young girls, and a few young men, whom all seem to have dropped out of society and are experimenting heavily and frequently with drugs. Manson sees their dissatisfaction with society and using that, as well as sex and drugs further breaks down their morals and values until ultimately they look at him as Jesus Christ and look to him to make their every decision for them.

Manson, disillusioned with his failure as a musician, begins to envision a new future for himself and his Family, in part guided by the Beatles musics, which he believes is full of secret messages. Manson believes that there will ultimately be a race war with the black man being victorious. In the meantime Manson and his family will retreat to the desert where they will find a hole leading to the bottomless pit where they will live until the black man realizes that he is incapable of ruling/running society as a whole. At that time, Manson will emerge and become leader of the country, if the world. Charlie calls this chain of events "Helter Skelter".

When Helter Skelter fails to come to fruition in a timely manner, he decides to incite it himself, by murdering rich or upper class white people. His theory is that white society will believe the murders were committed by the black man, and will turn on the black man, thereby getting the race war rolling.

The book further goes on the describe the investigation (or lack thereof on the part of some officers) and ultimate arrest and conviction, as well as an epilogue and afterward in the book with updates.

I have read some of the reviews, and have to agree that in some instances, Vincent Bugliosi was perhaps too wordy and a lot of stuff could have been cut out.

I also noticed that many of the reviews accuse Bugliosi of manufacturing the Helter Skelter motive for his own purposes. While I have not read the other Manson books, I am not inclined to believe this. First of all, he got the idea from many of the family members, many of whom got on the witness stand and testified to Manson's belief system as well as his many statements that "the time for Helter Skelter is now", etc. I also noted that many of those reviewers expressed support for Manson with the oft repeated phrase "he wasn't there", "he didn't kill them", blah blah blah. For the record, he was an active participant in the Hinman murders, slicing his ear off. He was present and aware of what was occurring and ultimately was the one who ordered the kill. He was also present at the Shorty Shea murder, for at least a portion of it. Again, it was at his behest that Shorty was murdered. Further, he is the one who sent the murderers to the Tate residence that night, he is the one who told them to get their knives, he is the one who told Tex to murder everyone and make it gruesome. As if that weren't enough, the next evening, it was he who entered the LaBianca home first and tied them up and left them there with full knowledge of what would happen to them. For anyone who is aware of the law, if someone is killed at your request, if you participate in a felony (i.e., cutting someone's ear off, or say breaking into their home and tying them up), and ultimately those people die in conjunction with those some events in which you particiated, you are responsible as if you killed them yourself.

If anyone is in doubt as to Manson's control over the female defendant's in this case, one only need to read the vast material available regarding the trial and how he conrolled them in court, and how he attempted to control the trial. If they were unable, while their freedom and very lives were on the line, to exercise their own free will and make their own decisions, it's not a stretch to imagine that he was able to control their day to day actions, as well as order them to kill with the expectation that it be carried out.

Additionally, the former Manson Family members who were involved, many of whom are still incarcerated, to this day state that was the motive/theory behind the killings. If it was not Manson's true motive, then he failed to share that with other family members.

Further, in an interview with Charles "Tex" Watson, a reporter asked him if he had read Helter Skelter, to which Watson replied that he had and it was pretty accurate.

Either way, it is a very informative book, and while on the wordy side, provides a detailed and inside look at the trial and what was going on behind the scenes. Whether the reader chooses to believe in the Helter Skelter theory or not is up to them.

The 3 stars if for the actual writing, NOT the contents of the book. If you want a fairly accurate account of the Manson murders, l strongly suggest reading 'Manson - in his own words', and even if you decide to read Helter Skelter, you should read the other book first so you will have much more detailed information than you will ever get out of the distortion and assumptions of Helter Skelter. It is written by the prosecutor and is so one sided. Bugliosi tries to push the "helter skelter" race war theory as a motive which is just ridiculous. Sure the family discussed far out ideas when they were all tripping, but for Bugliosi to push that as the motive was manipulative.
If you want a clear picture of the manson murders, you cant form an opinion based only on hearing a perspective from one side, let alone from an outsider.

Helter Skelter was the absolute best true crime book I have ever read. From the very beginning, the book captures you into the lives of the murderers, victims, and prosecutors. It does a remarkable job at building the story line so that you are not overwhelmed with information, but are still well informed with details and specifics. I also loved that the book went into the past of Charles Manson and the "family". Over all this was an EXCELLENT book, and it was very hard to put down!!

Overall, a good effort. Couple of shortcomings in that Fromme's formative years (her childhood) are glossed over pretty quickly, and because of when the book was written (late 1980s), there's little to nothing about her last two decades or so behind bars. Basically, the book really concentrates on Fromme's life from the period of 1970 to 1975, and in particular on the Ford assassination attempt and subsequent trial. Of interest is the period after Manson was sentenced leading up to early 1975, as this is where the author did a good job tracking down people involved with Fromme and fleshed out the holes in the media narrative as to what she was up to between the Manson trial and the attempt on Ford. Not a pro-Manson or pro-Squeaky book, nor is it mired in sensationalism...in fact, the portrait of Fromme is quite a bit different than what I expected it would be.

Another great book about the Manson women. Gives insight to the person behind the media stories. Very interesting story. Gives you insight to the person and not the crimes.

If you're one of those people who went through a phase where you were trying like hell to figure out why humans like Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme helped turn Charles Manson into a cult leader back in the late 1960s, this book will answer none of your questions. Though it received a lot of great reviews by writers from the best newspapers and magazines, I remain utterly dumbfounded as to why.
Anyone who has truly wasted a lot of time digging for any information that can be found on "the family" will find this book hollow. Beyond hollow. It doesn't even have an outward form.

This is a compelling and very informative portrait of one of the more vocal female members of the Manson family, would-be presidential assassin Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. In late 1969, when Charles Manson and four others were imprisoned for the brutal murders of nine people, Squeaky Fromme became the leader of the Manson clan in Charlie's absence and took to the streets, holding daily vigils outside the courthouse with the other family members who weren't imprisoned. In 1975, while living in Sacramento and preaching about the destruction of the environment with friend Sandra Good, Squeaky aimed a gun at then-president Gerald Ford. In prison for life, this novel details her early life as a dancer with the Westchester Lariats in Redondo Beach, California, her notable High School days, and finally how and when she met Manson and was seduced by his off-the-wall ideologies. It gives an incredible day-by-day account of her highly-publicized trial in which it was to be decided whether or not she actually meant to kill the president. Although not for everyone, this book is a must for true-crime fans and those who want to know what made this fascinating woman tick.

I've always thought you have to take anything thats been written about the so called "Manson family", whether pro or anti Manson, with a huge grain of salt. This book requires less salt than anything I've read pertaining to the "Manson family" to date.

The author paints a very sympathetic picture of Fromme. I think the angle he is getting at is Manson was able to influence Fromme because she was looking for a Father figure type because her dad was emotionally abusive, neglectful and he strongly implies that Squeaky was sexually abused by him. (which Fromme has denied is true) He also does a lot to show and explain the environmental/ecological activism and theories of the "Manson family", which I found interesting and a lot more well grounded than Bugliosi's screwy "helter skelter" theory. The environmental issues were the main focus and obsession of the "Manson family", not "helter skelter" in my own personal opinion.

I'm giving this book 4 stars, I'm leaning toward giving it 5 but some the stuff on her trial for attempted murder on former President Gerald Ford drags a little, although some of Frommes wacky courtroom behaviour during the trial is amusing. I personally do not believe she had any intention on shooting Ford either, she was just was trying to draw attention to the environmental issues she was obsessed with.

Factual account of day to day life in easy to read wording. Historically accurate.

Today a friend asked me what had been the best Civil War book I had ever read - not a straight history book - and after the briefest thought I said "Children of Pride." I've spent many years thinking about the War, trying to understand the motivations of Americans at that time, and then how they survived such a horrendously wrenching time. "Children of Pride" does it better than anything I have ever read.
I think it is understood that primary sources are the best way to truly understand times as these; this book provides the thoughts of the entire family, all literate and well-spoken people, over the entire period from the 1850s, just living their ante-bellum experience, to the idea of the war on the horizon, entering into it and living it day by day. This is all seen through ordinary every-day experiences, family anecdotes, and discussions of what is occurring. I can't recommend it highly enough for a true understanding of Southern life and views through all these years and well into Reconstruction.
As readers said earlier, the abridged versions absolutely do not do any justice to what the book truly is. The whole work is the only way to experience "Children of Pride."
It has lived with me since I first read it in the 1970s; I would never let my copy out of my hands, and as said above today I realized it was the single best book about the Civil War that I have ever read.

A significant collection of the letters of an influential low country family, from before the Civil War and right after. These letters show the attitudes, morals, mindsets, goals, worries, and daily lives of their writers, and seem at once both modern and dated, universal and unique. What one reads here also shows how, arguably, the English language reached its height during this era. The beauty of the wording of so many of these letters, even short chatty ones from one family member to another, have much to teach us, and should dispel any residue of belief that those who lived in eras before our own were unlearned and intellectually inferior to us. It is particularly interesting to read along from the position of hindsight and see how men and women who lived through momentous times regarded them as they were about to happen, as they were happening, and in the days that came after the events. These letters are not only educational, they are also, as a bonus, very interesting.

Like being able to eavesdrop on history, the letters give a vivid account of life before, during and after the civil war. I became fascinated with this format and time period and have also read Mary Chestnutt, Sarah Morgan, and many others, but am now reading The Children Of Pride for the second time. Someone offered to buy my copy, but there is no way I'll ever part with it. It's worth every penny, and every minute spent finding the complete version!

Winners of the wars get to write the history books...so you have to look a little further to get truer impressions. I use a lengthy excerpt from this book in advanced US History classes to give the kids a clue why the South was so bitter about Reconstruction. They come away very thoughtful. But the unabridged version is the only real deal.

I'm sure there's not much I can add that hasn't been said, except....

The First edition had a chapter about an Aleister Crowley cult that may have been part of the input for Manson (at least the author thought). That chapter got dropped from future editions, but it should have been kept. It's worth the price of the book alone. The cult had a lot of similarities to The Family, i.e. racism, the occult & drugs. Get a nice HB first edition, which are selling pretty cheap

Of the several books addressing these horrible events, this is probably the best as to details and massive amounts of information. It is quite readable and well done. I must admit to not being a big fan of this particular genre of book, i.e. true crime, etc. but this event was so a part of our cultural make up at that time (and still is to a certain extent), I thought I would give it a try. I am glad I did...I learned much that I did not know before. Recommend this one highly.

I enjoyed this book much better than Helter Skelter because this book explained how the murders actually happened. Who died first etc. I felt Helter Skelter was left wanting in this area. I also liked the information about the family. I highly encourage others to read this book.

if you're intersested in the real true crime novel this is the book. while helter sketer was entertaining, it didn't provide the background this book does. sanders deals with this subject with a sence of ironic humor that makes this book easier to enjoy(the subject matter is of course brutal) but this is historically an important part of the 60s. sanders leaves nothing out. you get a real sence of manson as a man, not the urban legend/monster other books turned him into. that's what makes this book terrifying, the fact it makes him a real person. from a litteral,historical, and phycological point of view, this is a most for any true crime fan. this book will "creepy crawl" into your subconcience

A decent read, but not something I would spend a lot of time trying to get a hold of.

Brings a different "light" to the Manson Family, though I suspect that it's not exactly 100% true.

If you're building a true crime library, add this to your Manson collection. If you're just looking for the Manson story stick with Helter Skelter.