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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The horse's mouth - kind of...,
By
This review is from: Child of Satan, Child of God: Her Own Story (Paperback)
I got to this book after reading Helter Skelter, The Family, The Shadow Over Santa Susannah, The Garbage People and Manson In His Own Words. Having heard Manson's take I was curious to read what the others involved in the murders would have to say for themselves, and dug up a second-hand copy of Child Of Satan, Child Of God.
It's somewhat interesting, and seemed to me quite honest about Susan Atkins' (fairly horrible) early life, but generally it's quite hard to decode what's going on behind the words. It's written in a flat, detached style that might be the consequence of having a ghost writer or might also reveal the affectlessness of a psychopathic personality. Some reviews of this book have focussed on the sincerity (or otherwise) of Susan Atkins' conversion to Christianity as the key to evaluating its worth. I'm not religious, so have no stake in whether she's sincere or not. Truman Capote was once asked if any mass murderers were religious and he replied, 'They all are.' If you're in prison for life, then having God and the Devil fight over your soul is something to do that makes your imprisonment seem meaningful, even epic. Susan Atkins showed in her belief in Manson a predisposition to fall for epic belief systems bolstered by divine revelations. The miracle would have been if, once in jail, she had evinced scepticism about the evidence of things not seen. One reviewer (at least) slates Susan Atkins for denying that she stabbed Sharon Tate, having previously bragged about it to all and sundry, including a grand jury. Well, I don't know what really went down then, but what I do know is that in his own autobiography Charles Watson confessed that he, in fact, stabbed Sharon. One thing that comes across strongly in Helter Skelter is how Susan Atkins got caught up in enjoying shocking anyone she met - witness the ludicrous celebrity murder list she came up with while in Sybil Brand (flaying Frank Sinatra; sending Liz Taylor's eyes to Eddie Fisher etc), which had nothing to do with Manson's plans, (tho Vince Bugliosi didn't think Susan Atkins was 'smart enough to dream it up on her own'). Where I found this book most lacking was in Atkins' description of her life and relationship with Manson. While it's interesting to hear her account of how bitchy and competitive the girls got with each other, and how bored everyone got, and how Manson had constantly to come up with new dramas to hold the group together, Susan Atkins writes sceptically, as if she was never really under Manson's spell. Reading her account of life in The Family prior to the murders one would take her for a peripheral member, someone who was never taken in by Charlie. This inevitably creates a great hole in her story, because if she saw through Manson as, by her own account, she seemed to, then why on earth did she take part in murders at his command? After all Linda Kasabian said, 'I'm not you, Charlie, I can't kill.' Juan Flynn refused to murder the sheriff of Shoshone when Manson asked him to, and plenty of other people pulled back from crossing that line. Perhaps it's inevitable that the sort of person who could do what Susan Atkins did will be unable to really reveal the deep reasons behind it. Just possibly shame prevented her from being able to re-enter that state of belief in Manson that led her to become involved with the murders: there's an embarassment involved in recalling when one was fooled by somebody under any circumstances. Perhaps under Susan Atkins' circumstances the extremity of the embarassment would be massively magnified. Whatever the reason, this is a book that only takes the reader so far, and no further. As to whether Atkins could be said to be rehabilitated, I'm glad that's not a decision I have to make. It is, however, somewhat salutary to compare her with Squeaky Fromme, who was also, but passionately remains, a true believer in the cult of Manson.
42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Tempted to find a Copy? Don't bother.,
By Rob Kulbeth (Texas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Child of Satan, Child of God: Her Own Story (Paperback)
I'm sure it's been said but it bears repeating: Skip it and go ahead and get another copy of 'Helter Skelter'. I found this one in a used book shop and jumped on it. I was dissapointed. As someone who reads true crime constantly, and is as familiar with the Manson case as are most part-time enthusiasts, there wasn't anything to here to recommend to you that you should invest in it.There's nothing in it that you didn't already know. Atkins writes as if she's shrugging her shoulders the whole time, saying, "Uhmmm....well....you know how it was." Yes. We do. We've read all about it. Now what do you have as far as personal insight, Susan? You were there, after all. Nothing, unfortunately. Too bad. The opportunity for a great biography or personal history of the notorious case was here. She doesn't capitalize on it in the least. Or, even more of a let down, she simply may not have anything worth writing. Hard to believe, but there it is nonetheless. An empty, dissapointing read.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best taken with a few grains of salt and a full glass of water.,
By
This review is from: Child of Satan, Child of God (Paperback)
I read all of the reviews, including the horrible ones, prior to reading the book, yet I still found it an interesting account of a truly lost soul. It was gut wrenching, banal, fun, desperate, amusing, mundane, tragic, deceptive,and spooky all in one story.
The emphasis placed on the events prior to and after the August 1969-March 1972 was good. Little can be said of the crimes and the trial that has not been said already, so I was glad that she did not dwell on them. It was, however, chilling to read about the events of the Sharon Tate murders from a participant's point of view. I DO think Susan Atkins had more of a role in this than she states. The events of that night are probably blurred in her mind. One the lighter side, the stories of the San Francisco hippie scene, the communes and the bus travels of 1967-1968 were fun to read about. Her teenage dream about the hallway,with it's locked doors and the horrible, screeching black sheet engulfing her was something to behold. Her first day at the CIW in the SSU might seem banal to some, but it described a person who had truly hit rock bottom. All these years I wondered how she had coped with the mess she created for other lives as well as her own. The isolation was obvious to her, and as time passes, the reality of her actions of August 1969 seem to finally sink in. Many have commented on her lack of remorse.An apology will not bring back the dead. I think the remorse IS there. It shows itself in her gradual meltdown. Susan srikes me as one who puts up a front of "Look at me, I'm a bad ____!", but I do think inside she is a small, very insecure, little girl. I do think she has a few loose screws, and she may not know that the best of intentions will not tighten these screws. Overall, I liked the book. It's not a great work of literature, but it is one of a kind.
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