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Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill

3.88 AVERAGE

puffleg's profile picture

puffleg's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 28%
Unfortunately not for me. The reporting is interesting enough if you find the subject interesting, but I was hoping for a lot more about the culture of the 60s and the CIA rather than just the Charles Manson case. I think the subtitle made me assume this was about more than just Manson, who I don't particularly care about (I actually confused him with Jim Jones...).

This is more "true crime" than "historical nonfiction" which is disappointing. 
lizzymariegonza's profile picture

lizzymariegonza's review against another edition

4.0
dark informative slow-paced

gambino's review against another edition

3.75
dark informative slow-paced
artborghese's profile picture

artborghese's review against another edition

3.0
Tom O'Neill's Chaos deconstructs the "story" we've been told about the Manson murders for decades. The widely popular Helter Skelter, written by the prosecutor of Manson and his family, omitted and misrepresented a lot of what happened in his case. O'Neill's investigation spans many years, and lacks a satisfying conclusion - because there truly isn't one. The book is well-written, but rambled on unnecessarily sometimes.
yjb1778's profile picture

yjb1778's review against another edition

5.0
challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced
This is one of those wonderful pieces of media where you can feel and are compelled by the indomitable spirit behind the work as much as its contents. Mind blowing, depressing, a page turner unlike anything I’ve read. 
jesspertine's profile picture

jesspertine's review against another edition

3.75
adventurous informative slow-paced

vdeutmeyer's review against another edition

3.0
dark informative mysterious medium-paced

boyfordinner's review against another edition

4.0
Actually insane what the hell

harvison's review against another edition

5.0
adventurous challenging dark informative medium-paced
cmcrockford's profile picture

cmcrockford's review against another edition

3.75
challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced
Sometimes feels half finished, sometimes it's exactly what it should be, a collection of Ellroyan real-life coincidences, lies, and truths, information that resists becoming a narrative...which is sort of the opposite of the 60s we know, as O'Neill finds out. Appreciate the sheer ambition of his 20-year search and what he may have uncovered. If even half of this shit is true, woo boy.
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