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A review by minheeshock
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi
5.0
This has got to be one of the best true crime books ever written. The shocking details of the crime make the book a page turner, but the excellent writing elevates it. This is really three books in one. The first book is a thriller, as the book puts you in the center of the action at 10050 Cielo Drive, the site of the Tate Murders. The second book is a police procedural, and the third book is a gripping courtroom drama.
The implicit question of this book is - Could this happen to me? I know this book haunted me long before I read it just now.
I first encountered this book when I was about 13 or so. My sister had gone off to college, and I moved into her room. I found a copy on her bookshelf and flipped through it greedily, both repelled and fascinated by the story. The pictures section was especially effective on selling the book, with pictures of beautiful Sharon Tate before and after the murder. The book also contains transcripts from questioning and courtroom testimony, making you feel like you're getting the inside scoop. Later I became a Beatles fan and became interested in the book because of the motive behind the murders. I found every mention of the Beatles in the index and read about the bizarre motive of the crimes.
Why is the book so fascinating? Because a beautiful actress married to a successful and brilliant director was murdered. Because the magnitude of the crime was so extreme. Because it was so random and hence so senseless. And because it was downright bizarre.
My new bedroom was on a separate floor from my parents' room. It had it's own separate door to the outside, and a big window low to the ground gave any determined person easy access to my bedroom. I pictured crazed madmen coming to attack me. Scenarios ran through my head, and I wondered if my parents would hear my screams. Or if my parents were attacked would I hear their screams? Would I help them or make my escape? These heavy thoughts weighed on my mind.
The book, and the copy, stayed with me. I picked it up when I decided I needed a page turner. One night, as I was reading it, someone buzzed our apartment. I was alone, and it was late. No one said anything when I asked who it was. Minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I inched toward the door, approaching the eye hole but too scared to look through it. I imagined looking through the hole and my mind's eye saw a strange man with knife raised. I did look through the hole and saw a figure lurking there.
It was the UPS guy, dropping off a package. So is the power of this book!
The implicit question of this book is - Could this happen to me? I know this book haunted me long before I read it just now.
I first encountered this book when I was about 13 or so. My sister had gone off to college, and I moved into her room. I found a copy on her bookshelf and flipped through it greedily, both repelled and fascinated by the story. The pictures section was especially effective on selling the book, with pictures of beautiful Sharon Tate before and after the murder. The book also contains transcripts from questioning and courtroom testimony, making you feel like you're getting the inside scoop. Later I became a Beatles fan and became interested in the book because of the motive behind the murders. I found every mention of the Beatles in the index and read about the bizarre motive of the crimes.
Why is the book so fascinating? Because a beautiful actress married to a successful and brilliant director was murdered. Because the magnitude of the crime was so extreme. Because it was so random and hence so senseless. And because it was downright bizarre.
My new bedroom was on a separate floor from my parents' room. It had it's own separate door to the outside, and a big window low to the ground gave any determined person easy access to my bedroom. I pictured crazed madmen coming to attack me. Scenarios ran through my head, and I wondered if my parents would hear my screams. Or if my parents were attacked would I hear their screams? Would I help them or make my escape? These heavy thoughts weighed on my mind.
The book, and the copy, stayed with me. I picked it up when I decided I needed a page turner. One night, as I was reading it, someone buzzed our apartment. I was alone, and it was late. No one said anything when I asked who it was. Minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I inched toward the door, approaching the eye hole but too scared to look through it. I imagined looking through the hole and my mind's eye saw a strange man with knife raised. I did look through the hole and saw a figure lurking there.
It was the UPS guy, dropping off a package. So is the power of this book!