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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
It rightly deserves its reputation as a true crime classic. It's well-written, well-paced, and illustrates a nine-month trial smoothly. I enjoyed Bugliosi's explanations of court tactics, as well as his behind-the-scenes knowledge. (Btw, doesn't this make the book a conflict of interest? How was it allowed to be published? I don't know but I'm glad it was.) The Manson murders were more fucked up than I even initially thought, and it was a very illuminating analysis of criminal actions.
I doubt any of us needed a book to tell us that Charles Manson was unhinged and that his followers were beyond the realm of crazy. But this deep-dive into the Manson Family and their horrendous crimes was also a fascinating exploration into the appeal of cults, and how powerfully the need to belong can drive the actions of people. In the end...Charles Manson's followers were simply broken people who found love and acceptance in Charlie. And they valued it so much, they gave their lives and their freedom for it.
Vince Bugliosi was the prosecutor for the trial that eventually convicted Manson, Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkle to death for the murders of nine innocent people. His recounting of the crimes, the trial, and all of the key players was methodically recounted in exquisite detail, painting a picture of extreme brutality that was carried out by a master manipulator and his puppets.
Though I admit to finding this extremely confusing at points, simply because of all of the names, dates, and events that took place and the complexity of the trial, this was extremely well written, informative, and comprehensive. Vince Bugliosi deserves a medal for the patience he exuded amid the circus that was this trial, as well as for his exhaustive efforts to not only investigate the crimes (due to the complete incompetence of the LAPD) but to ensure that no stone of was left unturned, all while being as fair as he could possibly be.
There was definitely a lot I didn't know about Manson, the Family, and the crimes depicted in this book. And the fact that there could be upwards of 30 more victims that have yet to be found, is amazing to me. It is safe to say, that I am extremely glad Manson died behind bars....even if he should have died decades earlier.
Vince Bugliosi was the prosecutor for the trial that eventually convicted Manson, Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkle to death for the murders of nine innocent people. His recounting of the crimes, the trial, and all of the key players was methodically recounted in exquisite detail, painting a picture of extreme brutality that was carried out by a master manipulator and his puppets.
Though I admit to finding this extremely confusing at points, simply because of all of the names, dates, and events that took place and the complexity of the trial, this was extremely well written, informative, and comprehensive. Vince Bugliosi deserves a medal for the patience he exuded amid the circus that was this trial, as well as for his exhaustive efforts to not only investigate the crimes (due to the complete incompetence of the LAPD) but to ensure that no stone of was left unturned, all while being as fair as he could possibly be.
There was definitely a lot I didn't know about Manson, the Family, and the crimes depicted in this book. And the fact that there could be upwards of 30 more victims that have yet to be found, is amazing to me. It is safe to say, that I am extremely glad Manson died behind bars....even if he should have died decades earlier.
Got 5 hours into the audiobook- too dry and long. Didn’t weave a compelling story, just felt like reading a police report.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Read my review here!
http://areadersrapture.blogspot.ca/2014/04/helter-skelter.html
http://areadersrapture.blogspot.ca/2014/04/helter-skelter.html
dark
sad
slow-paced
I'm glad I listened to the abridged version; I don't think I missed out on much. You can definitely tell the author was a lawyer. The narration was often dry and at points felt like a slightly elaborated police report. Bugliosi also seemed to think he was pretty great, which I found annoying. I'm going to need to read Tom O'Neill's book Chaos: (etc etc) next, I think.
Truly wild. I knew a little bit about the Manson family but this gave an entirely different insight.