If anything, Charles Manson is a survivor. Bugliosi's book ("Helter Skelter") and the voluminous supply of subsequent books, documentaries, movies and news articles paint the same picture: most everyone who crossed paths with the filthy, little street-crawler Manson is either dead or ruined ... yet Manson (now, well into his seventies) thrives in the limelight he always craved. Jeff Guinn's MANSON finally digs deep into the history of America's best-known criminal before he became infamous. Guinn's book peels away the multiple layers of myth and legendary "appeal" that has enveloped Manson for decades and exposes the oft-described monster for what he truly is: an insecure little man with an innate and learned ability to masterfully manipulate others to compensate for his shortcomings.
Arguably, if not for Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter", Charles Manson would likely be "just another murderer" rotting away in the penitentiary instead of the macabre "celebrity" he is today ... an indelible stain in American history comparable to Britain's "Jack the Ripper". Unfortunately, many of the works covering Manson, his "family" and the crimes they committed are incomplete, focus on the more sensational aspects of the subject and tend to generate and/or perpetuate myths (often generated by Manson himself). MANSON finally examines aspects of Charles Manson's early life, sifts through the garbage/lore to provide a much clearer understanding of how the man transpired from a petty criminal to a criminal "mastermind".
Guinn's work on Manson's family/background is stellar and truly revealing. Having read several books on the subject-matter, I felt Guinn's book providing much more insight on lesser known facts of Charles Manson's life. The book's first big step was breaking-down one of the more hardened myths, that Manson was a prostitute's illegitimate offspring. From that point forward, Guinn outlines a childhood that can be seen as difficult, but not destitute and overly abusive. What is clear, however, is that Manson's ability to manipulate people started at a very early age and he used it to get what he wanted and avoid blame. An incorrigible truant, Manson progresses to petty criminal behavior that leads to reform school where his diminutive appearance generates unwelcomed attention from more aggressive boys in the form of beatings and rapes. This period of victimization, more than anything, forces Manson to sharpen his manipulative skills as a means of adapting/surviving and laying the ground-work for what is to come years later. Guinn does not characterize the younger Manson as being particularly violent, but more adept at using a perceived threat of violence to instill fear as a manipulative supplement. I found the book's coverage of Manson's early life to be quite interesting and eye-opening (I wasn't previously aware of Manson's two prior marriages that each produced a legitimate son). Guinn does a good job in generating a sense of storm clouds gathering as Manson's life progresses from troubled youth to a run-of-the-mill criminal who used incarceration as a means to be a better criminal and become a master manipulator. The image of the dirty, uneducated troll that Manson likes to perpetuate is debunked ... far from stupid, Manson actually took Dale Carnegie courses and even delved into the mind-controlling aspects of Scientology in his early prison days ... the "Crazy Charlie" act is shown to be nothing more than another tool in Manson's deep bag-of-tricks to fool/control people.
One aspect of the book I particularly liked was how Guinn gives readers a clear understanding of the environment surrounding Manson at each facet of his life. For example, we get a vivid picture of the "vibe" exuded by the Haight-Ashbury scene when Manson is released from prison and begins to form his "family". By setting the stage like this, Guinn makes it much more understandable how the environment at that time (unadulterated sex and drug use) made it so easy for Manson to recruit, seduce and control the young, lost souls that would end-up following him to the bitter end. Guinn's descriptive manner of writing adds so much depth to the book and gives readers a fly-on-the-wall perspective that is missing in all the other books I've read on the subject. It isn't until page 241 that the Tate-Labianca murders are covered, so ample attention is given to the lead-up to the murders, much of it detailing Manson's use of fear and drugs to brainwash his "family". Guinn also spends a great deal of time examining the utter failure and embarrassment Manson faces trying to achieve fame as a musician, thus sowing the seeds of revenge and murder. While the crimes and subsequent trials cover old ground, the relationships between the family and the music elite (Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, Gregg Jacobson and Terry Melcher) is quite fascinating and quite creepy. If there is a void in the book, it is Manson's post-trial to present-day life. The final chapter ever-so-briefly covers a few newsworthy events (such as Manson being set on fire in 1984), but not much more. Granted, serving 40 years of a life-sentence is not great story-telling material, but one would think nearly four decades in general population of the nation's most brutal maximum security penitentiary would generate more than a few pages. Other than that particular issue, I found MANSON to be a compulsive page-turner that puts the reader on-site every step of the way.
There are plenty of books that focus on Manson, his family and their dreadful deeds. The tones of these books are quite varied and range from divulging outright sympathy to deeming the man as Satan. MANSON sits somewhere in the middle and takes a more even-handed approach in describing Manson's colorful life. The end-result is an engaging and readable tome that is hard to put down, especially for those with an interest in the crimes attributed to Manson or those stymied by the dirty pipsqueak's ability to command people to kill and die at his request.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry" | $36.39 | $18.80 |
Frequently bought together
- +
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
2:15
Click to play video
Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson
Publisher Video
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Goes into detail about his family how he was raised his jail time then getting out in the 60's to a whole new world new music new ideals everthing him getting his followers together the book is filled about what was going on in Manson's life sprinkled with a little history and pop culture of what was going on around him. Very well written could not put this book down.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
EagerReader
https://www.amazon.co.uk/May-Magic-Moonlight-first-moonlight-ebook/dp/B00Q8S7KZQ/ref=la_B00QA6KLZW_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=15322
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 22, 2018
EagerReader
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 22, 2018
[[ASIN:B00Q8S7KZQ May, Magic and Moonlight: the first in the moonlight series]]
Images in this review
PDexter
Fascinating tale of strange times
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 14, 2017Mr. J. Fraser
Some overlap with Helter Skelter but still essential.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 1, 2016
