Customer Reviews

The Manson File

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Probably the only out and out pro-Manson book that has ever been published. Contributers range from Manson sympathizers to out and out "family" members in essays and art. The good bulk of this book however is straight from Charles Manson himself. Interviews, quotes, transcripts of court and parole hearings, poetry and fiction written by Charles Manson, even artwork by him. The Manson File is probably the best book you can get to learn anything about Manson and his philosophy.

This book is worth it mainly if you are a collector of Manson things. It is pretty much written as a pro Manson book, one to 'set the record straight', which it never really does though. The best part of this book is there are a ton of pictures and bits of interviews in it that you don't see in many other books. There is Manson's complete courtroom 'testimony' as well as transcripts to several of his parole hearings and various open letters he has written to various people. Many of the lyrics to his songs are printed here as well as some stories he has written and art work. There is a chapter with various quotes from him on his 'philosophy".
There are a few factual mistakes, as this book claims that John Lennon wrote the song "Helter Skelter", when it is well documented in any Beatles book that Paul McCartney wrote the song.
This book is a good compainion to the movie "Charles Manson Superstar", which in that movie Manson himself is reading this very book.

It is worth it to get simply for a veiw at the other take on the manson clan.

There's a thick air of unease about this book: about the people who put it together, the people who might want to read it, and then, of course, there's Charlie.
The editor claims the objectivity of the historian: "In this volume you will find for the first time the authentic voice of the media's favourite villain.., a portrait of Manson - the man and the ism - rescued from the caricatures drawn by the ever-churning Establishment information mill".
So: in the first part of the book what you get is: Philosophy ("pagan" says the editor); Testimony (as given by Charlie in court); Music; Art; Selected Writings (stories & assorted rants) and Poetry (like the lyrics but more so); all of which is by Charlie himself.
Alas, perhaps it is no surprise to find out that Manson's "authentic voice" is greatly predictable. There are a few themes only, and he lays them on with a trowel. The Establishment (or "straight society" as it used to be called) comes in for some sharp words:

"You eat meat with your teeth and you kill things that are better than you are, and in the same respect you say how bad and even killers your children are. You make your children what they are. I am just a reflection of every one of you."
He repeats over and again that society's standards have no relevance to him:
"I don't think in goods or bads, just ISs. What it is - not what I was, want or hope - Wherever life is, it is, and bad and good got nothing to do with it."
Right and wrong do not exist, and according to this egoless man, neither does time: "The truth is now, the truth is right here; the truth is this minute, and this minute we exist. Yesterday - you cannot prove yesterday happened today. It would take you all day and then it would be tomorrow" - which is a useful
way of dismissing courtroom "facts" and denying responsibility
for past action.
He is fond of insisting that his ideas have been formed by the very system he now rejects : "My father is the jailhouse. My father is your system" : which means that whatever society thinks he's guilty of is what society taught him to do. They make him do these things, then they nail him to the wall for it. It's a tough break, and all the way down the line, Charlie sees himself as The Scapegoat:
"You look for something to project it on and you pick a little old scroungy nobody who eats out of a garbage can, that nobody wants, that was kicked out of the penitentiary, that has been dragged through every hellhole you can think of, and you drag him up and you put him in a courtroom."
It's very notable that in all these maunderings the subject of the Tate/La Bianca murders is never directly addressed. He plays around the edges, but he never comes clean, truth-teller that he is. Me, I thought that Charlie thought that offing pigs was a far-out thing to do, but if so he diplomatically keeps it to himself. But he's not loath to unburden himself of some fairly controversial opinions, however. For example, on the sub-ject of feminism:
"You have lost sight of God. You sing your songs to a woman. You put woman in front of man. Woman is not God. Woman is but a reflection of her man"
On modern multicultural society:
"Anybody in my family is a white human being, because my family is of the white family. There is the black family, a yellow fam-ily, the red family, a cow family and a mule family."
And so, it follows that we find Charlie fascinated by the Nazis:
"I don't believe the Nazis will come back in SS hats and boots; they will probably be people living in peace and harmony"
Part two of "The Manson File" concentrates on writings about Charlie, from two main sources: James N. Mason, leader of The Universal Order, a splinter from the American Nazi Party,
for one, and for the other, Red and Blue, which are the mystical names of Sandra Good and Squeaky Fromme, two of Manson's original Family, and the two remaining hardliners, the others having "drifted apart or taken on the guise of repentant Christians" as the editor says. Ail of these characters are just as out to lunch as Charlie. The Nazis drivel about Charlie being "the MOST American, personally gifted, selfless, fearless" &c &c. The women emphasise Manson's ecological concerns, which are expressed by the formula ATWA : Air, Trees, Water, Animals. Throughout this book we have various cartoons and illustrations which seek to portray Manson as a Christ figure, unequivocally, unarguably. And finally this is where the ambivalence of this book topples over from objectivity to endorsement. Charlie is being described in the terms used by the Shangri-Las in their
1965 hit "Give Him a Great Big Kiss"-
Mary: Yeah? Well I hear he's bad.
Betty: Hmm, he's good-bad, but he's not evil.
But Mary was right.

I am very interested in Manson and the Family but this book was mostly just another book on the ramblings of Manson. I didnt find out anything new. There were alot of drawings of Manson and cartoons that were somewhat interesting but I expected more. Still it is a must have for a collector of Manson books, can be hard to find.

This book is a collection of Manson's entire testimony, drawings, lyrics, artwork, letters, articles, photos, poems and short stories by Manson. (If you're looking for details about the murders or Manson and his "family" l suggest 'Manson - in his own words'.) This book doesnt offer much detail about all that. It also has some interesting quotes from his philosophy, "Maybe you lost your real self and your real life for paper with pictures of dead people on them" "The news gives you 5% of whats going on, and even thats distorted" "l was convicted of witchcraft in the 20th century and my case made the prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi filthy rich behind the book and film he wrote - enough said". This book makes a good addition for someone who is already familiar with Charlie, the "family" and the crimes.

This book is a great compilation of the writings, are and philosopies of one of the most controversial figures of the century. I'm happy that Nikolas Schreck, decided to publish them in book form. If you have not read this book on and by Manson, then you are not well versed in the famous of the "Tate/LaBianco" muders. A Must for any library.

If your're interested in some sensationalist hack job in the "true" crime genre, go read Bugliosi's book, or Sanders'. If you want some entertaining and enlightening creations straight from the horse's mouth (the horse being Manson himself), this little gem is the place to look. It contains plenty of excellent material available nowhere else.

This is a very interesting book. It is a must read for any Mansonphile. I loved it.