Beyond Helter Skelter
The Life And Times Of Charles Manson - Jeff Guin 5/5 stars
The Life And Times Of Charles Manson sounds like quite a whimsical little book doesn't it? Almost sounds like a feel good story that will pull at your heart strings a little and make you weep with joy. This isn't that kind of book. I have read a few books on Manson and the Family but most are terrible. They don't offer any new insight or even tell us who Manson really is. How was he able to convince these people to kill for him? The only book that came close was Helter Skelter. That was a fascinating glimpse of the Family and the Tate/Labianca it was the Holy Grail of Manson And The Family. Now we have The Life And Times Of Charles Manson which gives us an even deeper glimpse who Manson really is.
The book not only gives us the full Manson story but also ties in the historical events of the sixties. We learn how Manson was able to manipulate his followers and yes even get them to kill for him This is the perfect companion piece to Helter Skelter and offers deeper insight into just who Manson really is. Once you begin reading Guinn's book it's impossible to put down. Guinn has clearly done his homework and it shows. You aren't getting rehashed moments copied from the same sources. You get the idea behind Helter Skelter and how Manson felt that his hold over his followers was slipping so he had to do something drastic to keep them from moving on.
It doesn't make you want to like Manson or his followers. It merely explains who he is and how he came to be one of those people that we continue to be fascinated by forty years later. If you want to understand just how vile, or maybe even desperate Manson is to be accepted then this book provides a lot interesting facts that expose Manson and shows us that he's manipulated us all. He wanted to be famous and he's done a bit more than that. He's become infamous. That;'s what he wanted all along and we gave it to him and keep giving it to him.
The Life And Times Of Charles Manson is the follow up to Helter Skelter and actually edges it out to become the best book on Manson. You learn the truth and sometimes it's truly stranger than fiction. If you've ever wanted the true story of Manson and his Family this is the book to read. Shocking and riveting it's probably the one book Manson himself doesn't want you to read.
The Life And Times Of Charles Manson sounds like quite a whimsical little book doesn't it? Almost sounds like a feel good story that will pull at your heart strings a little and make you weep with joy. This isn't that kind of book. I have read a few books on Manson and the Family but most are terrible. They don't offer any new insight or even tell us who Manson really is. How was he able to convince these people to kill for him? The only book that came close was Helter Skelter. That was a fascinating glimpse of the Family and the Tate/Labianca it was the Holy Grail of Manson And The Family. Now we have The Life And Times Of Charles Manson which gives us an even deeper glimpse who Manson really is.
The book not only gives us the full Manson story but also ties in the historical events of the sixties. We learn how Manson was able to manipulate his followers and yes even get them to kill for him This is the perfect companion piece to Helter Skelter and offers deeper insight into just who Manson really is. Once you begin reading Guinn's book it's impossible to put down. Guinn has clearly done his homework and it shows. You aren't getting rehashed moments copied from the same sources. You get the idea behind Helter Skelter and how Manson felt that his hold over his followers was slipping so he had to do something drastic to keep them from moving on.
It doesn't make you want to like Manson or his followers. It merely explains who he is and how he came to be one of those people that we continue to be fascinated by forty years later. If you want to understand just how vile, or maybe even desperate Manson is to be accepted then this book provides a lot interesting facts that expose Manson and shows us that he's manipulated us all. He wanted to be famous and he's done a bit more than that. He's become infamous. That;'s what he wanted all along and we gave it to him and keep giving it to him.
The Life And Times Of Charles Manson is the follow up to Helter Skelter and actually edges it out to become the best book on Manson. You learn the truth and sometimes it's truly stranger than fiction. If you've ever wanted the true story of Manson and his Family this is the book to read. Shocking and riveting it's probably the one book Manson himself doesn't want you to read.
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