Manson in His Own Words: The Shocking Confessions of 'The Most Dangerous Man Alive' [Paperback]

Charles Manson (Author), Nuel Emmons (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1988

We have called him a devil and quarantined him behind such labels as "the most dangerous man alive." But Charles Manson remains a shocking reminder of our own humanity gone awry. This astonishing book lays bare the life and the mind of a man whose acts have left us horrified. His story provides an enormous amount of new information about his life and how it led to the Tate-LaBianca murders, and reminds us of the complexity of the human condition. Born in the middle of the Depression to an unmarried fifteen-year-old, Manson lived through a bewildering succession of changing homes and substitute parents, until his mother finally asked the state authorities to assume his care when he was twelve. Regimented and often brutalized in juvenile homes, Manson became immersed in a life of petty theft, pimping, jail terms, and court appearances that culminated in seven years of prison. Released in 1967, he suddenly found himself in the world of hippies and flower children, a world that not only accepted him, but even glorified his anti-establishment values. It was a combination that led, for reasons only Charles Manson can fully explain, to tragedy. Manson's story, distilled from seven years of interviews and examinations of his correspondence, provides sobering insight into the making of a criminal mind, and a fascinating picture of the last years of the sixties. No one who wants to understand that time, and the man who helped to bring it to a horrifying conclusion, can miss reading this book.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

The shocking confessions of “the most dangerous man alive.” –Rolling Stone

“Compelling and chilling.” —Baltimore Evening Sun

“I couldn’t put it down.” —Liz Smith

“Disturbingly hypnotic.” —Vogue

“Compulsively readable. . . . Manson can’t ever succeed in being paroled out of that cell, not as long as people with any sense at all can read this book.” —William S. Burroughs

“A glimpse of part of the American experience that is rarely described from the inside. . . . It compels both interest and horror.” —The Washington Post

“Gives us a portrait close to the truth.” —The New York Times Book Review

“The book finally diminishes the Manson mystique. For that, credit goes to the co-author Nuel Emmons, [who] gives Manson room to reveal himself without voodoo hype. The result is an explanation of Manson’s crimes that, for the first time, feels convincing.” —San Francisco Bay Guardian

“Provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a truly dangerous human being.” —Los Angeles Herald Examiner

“Reads like a sordid but often gripping picaresque novel.” —Louisville Courier-Journal

“These ‘words’ are the essence behind the horror of the tragedy: cold, calculated, hard facts told exactly the way it was from the beginning. . . . Effectively captures the disturbed mind of Manson and gives us a better understanding of the complexity of a violent criminal.” —Rave Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; 1st Grove Press. Ed edition (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802130240
• ISBN-13: 978-0802130242
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.6 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This Book Contains A Manson Bombshell March 19, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

If for no other reason, this book is an important Manson read
because of a startling revelation near the end. For readers who have read "Helter Skelter" or are familiar with the Tate murders on August 9, 1969; a couple of things don't add up. Several
witnesses in the benedict canyon area of Los Angeles that night heard men shouting and arguing in the vicinity of 10500 Cielo Drive. It reportedly occurred between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. This would have been several hours after the murders, but long before the bodies were discovered around 8:30 a.m. It was also known that in the course of this horrific crime, Sharon Tate never left the house once the killers arrived. She was murdered in the living room, having never made it outside. Her blood; however, was found on the front porch. Police and criminal experts also reported that her body had been completely smeared with blood. As if the body had been handled by someone at the scene, not too
long after the murders.

It is in this book that Manson proclaims that he and "one or two others," went back to the crime scene that night. He said he wanted to "see what my children had done." Manson even writes about what a risky operation that can be and that they were very cautious and unsettled by the whole experience. He refuses to name his accomplices, but goes into details about how he wiped down Steve Parent's car for prints and tried to move Sharon Tate's body. He also goes into sickening descriptions about what he wanted to do to her body in an effort to leave an
an even more horrifying discovery. This would explain the blood discrepency, the appearanced of a handled body (Tate), and the voices heard arguing from the residence.

This is not to say that because Manson said this, it is true. It would however, explain alot about the case that Mr. Bugliosi did not really cover in his book, "Helter Skelter." To add even more credibility to Manson's story, Tex Watson has said recently that he believed Manson reurned to the scene of the murders after he and the girls had retired for the night at Spohn Ranch. Adding a very creepy twist if true, to an already monstrously evil event in the annals of crime.

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars In His Own Words March 17, 2004

By JMack VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

As a fan of true crime, Charles Manson has long been one of my favorite subjects. "Helter Skelter" is perhaps the best true crime book ever written. Having read the prosecuting attorney's view of the events, I felt it would be interesting to read Manson's version. Keeping in mind that Manson is neither honest nor completely sane, I was able to gain a lot of insight into who Charles Manson really is.

The book contains admissions and other information that were not in "Helter Skelter". This being considered, there are some serious flaws in the book. Manson's lies are fairly obvious at times when he is contradicting the proven evidence that convicted him. One person can lie. But when several stories match up against that person, the lie falls apart.

Perhaps the most eye-opening information in this book is in regard to Manson's childhood. Manson details a brutal childhood in which he was neglected, abandon, and even traded for a pitcher of beer. Manson even details the times he was raped in the youth detention center. One has to be curious if these events really did create the leader of a muderous cult.

While there is little doubt that Manson is a danger to society and guilty of heinous crimes, a disturbing public fascination persists more than 30 years later. The author, Nuel Emmons, makes the best observations in the conclusions. While we may never know the truth or the real Charles Manson, we can certainly gain some valuable insight by reading his own words.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars His words are strangely compelling July 31, 2005

By Jennifer Lichtenfeld

Format:Paperback

Manson tells this tale from prison to former prison-mate Nuel Emmons. He begins with his childhood and explains how he was abandoned by his mother and never knew his father. He winds up in juvenile facilites at a young age and thus begins his life of incarceration. His story moves on to his release in 1967 and how he adapts to the changes in the world while he was imprisoned. It is at this time that he begins to attract young women and forms what becomes known as the "Manson Family." Finally, he concludes with his perspective of the murders that made him a household name.

What is oddly compelling is that Manson has a tendency to make a lot of sense - that is until you reread a particular paragraph and think about the inherent flaws in his logic. But at first you will think, ok, I can understand why he broke the law there.....wait a minute!! It is a fascinating look into the criminal mind and largely explains why criminals will continue to break the law and rationalize their behavior away. Ultimately, the effect he had and continues to have over others is chilling. He admits to at least some role in the murders, and through this admission shows how much control he had over the women that did his bidding. How much of this is actually directly from Manson is debatable since he has discredited Emmons since publication. However, strangely compelling, this book is a direct window into the brain of a very dangerous individual.