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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
This is a book I may never recover from. A true life horror story worse than any fictional horror movie/book I’ve ever seen or read. The story of the Manson murders is the most bizarre, baffling story that literally left me speechless, a senseless and brutal killing spree that terrorised a city and the whole world and continues to haunt people today.
I can’t explain the affect this book had on me, I was completely transfixed and couldn’t think of much else while reading it but I also had many moments where I was so horrified I was scared to keep reading, this book chilled me to the bone. The author really shows his genius inside the courtroom as head prosecutor and in retelling the story of the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders. The background story is compelling stuff. Manson was a one of a kind evil mastermind and his kind of hold on young girls and his loyal followers was completely unnerving and disturbing. The idea that Manson is as much loathed as loved is even more unbelievable and the fact he has so many die hard admirers still to this day is concerning. I can somewhat understand the morbid fascination towards him as this book gave such a detailed insight into his brain. It’s one of those books you need to read it to believe it. It’s an incredible story and a masterpiece in true crime non fiction. A heavy read but absolutely riveting from start to finish.
I can’t explain the affect this book had on me, I was completely transfixed and couldn’t think of much else while reading it but I also had many moments where I was so horrified I was scared to keep reading, this book chilled me to the bone. The author really shows his genius inside the courtroom as head prosecutor and in retelling the story of the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders. The background story is compelling stuff. Manson was a one of a kind evil mastermind and his kind of hold on young girls and his loyal followers was completely unnerving and disturbing. The idea that Manson is as much loathed as loved is even more unbelievable and the fact he has so many die hard admirers still to this day is concerning. I can somewhat understand the morbid fascination towards him as this book gave such a detailed insight into his brain. It’s one of those books you need to read it to believe it. It’s an incredible story and a masterpiece in true crime non fiction. A heavy read but absolutely riveting from start to finish.
This was a good historical first person account of the Manson Family Murders. I have heard about Charles Manson my whole life, but I didn't realize how much I didn't know. I highly recommend it!
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Disclaimer: this book and review is not for people who are easily upset or do not have interest in true crime read. (This review includes some rather disturbing details and analysis)
What a fascinating and informational read. Enriched with many detailed conversations with offenders, i.e. the Manson family, as well as the psychological analysis of Manson's behaviour and his reasons for proxy murder.
“He had a thousand faces and that he used them all—he told me that he had a mask for everyone.”
Manson's manipulation, persuasiveness, and indirect viciousness was often overwhelming in the book. He was, is one of the most extraordinary criminals in the history - often compared to Jack the Ripper, whose identity is still unknown.
However, what struck me the most and was beyond my comprehension were the acts of other members of the family; in particular, Susan Atkins- the girl that is "insane in a way that is almost science fiction”
Her behaviour, her killing, and her words were the most disturbing and mysterious to me.
She was the one to murder Sharon Tate, a coming of age actress at the time. Without any remorse, telling her victim only seconds before killing her that she has no mercy for her or the baby she is carrying (Tate was 9 months pregnant when the murder occurred, which again shows Atkins as a even more vicious murderer)
“The more you do it, the better you like it.”
The fact that during the trials she would act as if she's sensing voices no one else could; she would talk rapidly than stop for a few minutes. She often gave the look as if being possessed; her lack of remorse, her use of word 'thing' when referring to a human being. Moreover, after killing Tate, she tasted her blood and stated - although this has not been fully proved - that she had one of the most amazing trips in her life; the real high. Also, Atkins' nonchalant recalling of the events as if it was an ordinary day; the voice was flat, emotionless, dead. It gave me chills.
The main family members:
It's important to highlight that psychiatric report has stated that Atkins, and possibly more members of the Manson Family has suffered from folie à famille - so called shared madness, a psychotic disorder.
Manson was the one that has started the madness. His followers - naïve, and eager to believe in something young people needed somewhere to belong. They followed Manson's views and beliefs, which in turn, unintentionally helped create his evilness. Again, indirect encouragement, to go further with the plan- the Helter Skelter.
Additionally, the parallels made between Manson and Hitler when reaching the conclusion left me unsettled. As it's stated, they are far from being coincidental. Manson himself looked up to Hitler, he used to say to his followers that “Hitler had the best answer to everything” not hard to guess that this answer was murder.
I do not want to go deeper into the discussion, as this book is a lengthy piece and information that it holds are impossible to be fully discussed in a review.
Nevertheless, if one made that far in this review and found it interesting, I definitely would recommend to read this book!
What a fascinating and informational read. Enriched with many detailed conversations with offenders, i.e. the Manson family, as well as the psychological analysis of Manson's behaviour and his reasons for proxy murder.
“He had a thousand faces and that he used them all—he told me that he had a mask for everyone.”
Manson's manipulation, persuasiveness, and indirect viciousness was often overwhelming in the book. He was, is one of the most extraordinary criminals in the history - often compared to Jack the Ripper, whose identity is still unknown.
However, what struck me the most and was beyond my comprehension were the acts of other members of the family; in particular, Susan Atkins- the girl that is "insane in a way that is almost science fiction”
Her behaviour, her killing, and her words were the most disturbing and mysterious to me.
She was the one to murder Sharon Tate, a coming of age actress at the time. Without any remorse, telling her victim only seconds before killing her that she has no mercy for her or the baby she is carrying (Tate was 9 months pregnant when the murder occurred, which again shows Atkins as a even more vicious murderer)
“The more you do it, the better you like it.”
The fact that during the trials she would act as if she's sensing voices no one else could; she would talk rapidly than stop for a few minutes. She often gave the look as if being possessed; her lack of remorse, her use of word 'thing' when referring to a human being. Moreover, after killing Tate, she tasted her blood and stated - although this has not been fully proved - that she had one of the most amazing trips in her life; the real high. Also, Atkins' nonchalant recalling of the events as if it was an ordinary day; the voice was flat, emotionless, dead. It gave me chills.
The main family members:
It's important to highlight that psychiatric report has stated that Atkins, and possibly more members of the Manson Family has suffered from folie à famille - so called shared madness, a psychotic disorder.
Manson was the one that has started the madness. His followers - naïve, and eager to believe in something young people needed somewhere to belong. They followed Manson's views and beliefs, which in turn, unintentionally helped create his evilness. Again, indirect encouragement, to go further with the plan- the Helter Skelter.
Additionally, the parallels made between Manson and Hitler when reaching the conclusion left me unsettled. As it's stated, they are far from being coincidental. Manson himself looked up to Hitler, he used to say to his followers that “Hitler had the best answer to everything” not hard to guess that this answer was murder.
I do not want to go deeper into the discussion, as this book is a lengthy piece and information that it holds are impossible to be fully discussed in a review.
Nevertheless, if one made that far in this review and found it interesting, I definitely would recommend to read this book!
This book really challenged my preconceived notions about the Manson murders, and rightfully so. I had to take several breathers while reading. This book was written by the prosecutor of the Manson case, so I also learned a lot about law and how lawyers use certain information to portray or paint a certain picture about a case/defendant. Outstanding and chilling read overall.
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism
How do I write this review? Nothing seems to suffice. I've typed and erased this review so many times. Until I better gather my thoughts, here's a few things I felt the need to write down while reading:
~ My intention is to read this book slowly, so that it really has time to resonate. Sometimes when I read a particularly dark or moving piece, I stop.
~ To say that reading this book has been an experience is a gross understatement. I honestly don't know how to review it. I'm in so deep. At one point while reading last night, my jaw literally dropped. I put the book down, sitting in stunned silence for a moment before I went back to re-read that section. I had to be sure that I had actually read it correctly. For all the reading I've done about "the Family" and the murders, there are still moments that shock me; things so bizarre that I have to keep reminding myself that it's all very real...
~ I'm really glad I read Dianne Lake's memoir before this. Her book is the perfect precursor to this, given that she describes the formation and inner workings of the Family. It gives you a good reference for the basis of the prosecution's arguments and the killers' state of mind.
~ The most fascinating thing to me about this case is the way Charlie was able to warp the minds of and subsequently control "the family". It's such an important thing to understand, especially in a time when we see political figures using these same tactics on their own people. In fact, in the book, during the trial when Bugliosi compares Charlie's rule to a dictatorship, Charlie just smiles broadly.
~ I once had such compassion for "the girls". I understood how Charlie had taken these broken women and hid his psychological abuse under the guise of love. Of course many women endure abusive relationships, just not on this scale. After reading this book (the description of stabbings so brutal that knives scratched bones, the behaviour of the girls at the trial, the prideful boasting of Susan Atkins), it's really testing my morality to remain compassionate.
~ I almost don't want it to end. How do you just close the cover on something so substantial, so monumental? This isn't just a book: these are people's lives, deaths, tragedies, nightmares. It's both humanist and monstrous; a mess of contradictions... Just like Charlie.
~ I have so much respect for Vincent Bugliosi. I know he's been criticized for being self indulgent or self congratulatory, but in my opinion, he is absolutely entitled to it. The insane amount of work and ingenuity required to handle this case is astounding. My only hesitation with regards to him is his insistence on the death penalty. I agree with his legal reasoning, but I morally object to the death penalty. Other than that, Bugliosi has my utmost respect. This book, as with his work on the Tate/LaBianca case, is thorough and immensely important.
This book was fascinating and I absolutely believe I will read it again.
~ My intention is to read this book slowly, so that it really has time to resonate. Sometimes when I read a particularly dark or moving piece, I stop.
~ To say that reading this book has been an experience is a gross understatement. I honestly don't know how to review it. I'm in so deep. At one point while reading last night, my jaw literally dropped. I put the book down, sitting in stunned silence for a moment before I went back to re-read that section. I had to be sure that I had actually read it correctly. For all the reading I've done about "the Family" and the murders, there are still moments that shock me; things so bizarre that I have to keep reminding myself that it's all very real...
~ I'm really glad I read Dianne Lake's memoir before this. Her book is the perfect precursor to this, given that she describes the formation and inner workings of the Family. It gives you a good reference for the basis of the prosecution's arguments and the killers' state of mind.
~ The most fascinating thing to me about this case is the way Charlie was able to warp the minds of and subsequently control "the family". It's such an important thing to understand, especially in a time when we see political figures using these same tactics on their own people. In fact, in the book, during the trial when Bugliosi compares Charlie's rule to a dictatorship, Charlie just smiles broadly.
~ I once had such compassion for "the girls". I understood how Charlie had taken these broken women and hid his psychological abuse under the guise of love. Of course many women endure abusive relationships, just not on this scale. After reading this book (the description of stabbings so brutal that knives scratched bones, the behaviour of the girls at the trial, the prideful boasting of Susan Atkins), it's really testing my morality to remain compassionate.
~ I almost don't want it to end. How do you just close the cover on something so substantial, so monumental? This isn't just a book: these are people's lives, deaths, tragedies, nightmares. It's both humanist and monstrous; a mess of contradictions... Just like Charlie.
~ I have so much respect for Vincent Bugliosi. I know he's been criticized for being self indulgent or self congratulatory, but in my opinion, he is absolutely entitled to it. The insane amount of work and ingenuity required to handle this case is astounding. My only hesitation with regards to him is his insistence on the death penalty. I agree with his legal reasoning, but I morally object to the death penalty. Other than that, Bugliosi has my utmost respect. This book, as with his work on the Tate/LaBianca case, is thorough and immensely important.
This book was fascinating and I absolutely believe I will read it again.
More about the trial, than the psychology of Charles Manson.
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced