Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

I ended up liking this much more than I thought I would.

It places a very heavy emphasis on the legal proceedings, which I thought were fascinating, but it's probably not for everyone. My biggest critique for this book is one that a lot of books in true crime are guilty of (especially older ones, like this): the focus on the victims is pretty slim. It's already a long book, but I wish we learned more about the victims' humanity, especially those in the second half of the book who weren't given much discussion at all.

Quite interesting. When it got to the testimonies of the defendants I started skimming because I figured it was all lies, and by the time we were in the closing statements I was heavily skimming because it got very repetitive. I skimmed basically everything after that until it came to the epilogue, which, along with the afterward, returned to new and interesting points.

Final thought: I was surprised and titillated at how much the author threw the cops under the bus, it must have been quite controversial at the time.

Exhaustive. Illuminating and fascinating.

The Manson Family slammed shut the door on the Summer of Love, The Age of Aquarius, and the ascendancy of Hippie culture, while not only not belonging to any of these groups, but openly disdaining them. The crimes they committed also ushered into the public arena the world of mass murderers and cults, which have become part & parcel of our everyday culture to the point of passing as entertainment.If you're interested in recent American History, cults, the upper echelons of human inhumanity to their fellow species, and IMO, human gullibility or susceptibility to manipulation, [a:Vincent Bugliosi 28828 Vincent Bugliosi https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299068352p2/28828.jpg] has written the only book you need to read on the subject. To make the horror easier to digest you can listen to it in small doses via [a:Scott Brick 44554 Scott Brick https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1377113754p2/44554.jpg]'s top notch audio. Also, to ease your heart, I'd recommend watching Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino's most recent revisionist treasure. At the very least the director gifts Sharon Tate, her baby, and her friends, the gift of life, and a possible HEA, that was denied them by fiends in the guise of humans.

Any true crime buff will tell you that you must read this book, but no one ever says why, at least in my experience. It's on every list as a true crime classic, and it definitely deserves that spot. Bugliosi goes into extreme detail of the Manson murders, the investigation, the formation and dynamics of the Manson family (which I find to be a fascinating study of human behavior), and the trials. There is basically no answerable question left unanswered. Bugliosi even provides an in-depth “Cast of Characters” and timeline at the start of the book, so you may refer to it at any time to help remember who anyone is or where you are in time, even if it's been a while since you last put down the book. The length can be daunting and is the biggest criticism I have, if you can call it that.

I'm not sure how to review this? I am not usually a true crime buff (I only like cults! Not murders!) but I started reading the new book [b:Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties 43015073 Chaos Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties Tom O'Neill https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543561687l/43015073.SY75.jpg 66837472] and the first chapter is basically “everything in Helter Skelter is wrong!!!” and I was like “OK seems like I should prob read Helter Skelter before I dig into this?” So...I did, IDK, it seems pretty compelling and like a wild story but now I gotta read Chaos to find out how it's all WRONG??? It did get a little overwhelming at times but again I am not usually a true crime fan so...not exactly my jam except like wow, what a weird collection of people.

The best book I've read, in a long time.

Short and Sweet: At a weighty 689 pages, Vincent Bugliosi leaves no stone unturned in the telling of the Manson Murders case, the following convictions, and aftermath. If there is one book you???re looking for to cover the entirety of this saga in clear ??? and often disturbing - detail, [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715] is it. Separated into 8 chronological parts, all labeled with dates, it begins with an outside view of the incident, stepping into the shoes of the neighbors and what they heard that night; a small snapshot of 10050 Cielo Drive, and the discovery the following morning by Winifred Chapman, the maid that worked the property. From there, it takes you along the journey of the investigation, the LaBianca murders, and how prosecuting the case was handed to Vincent Bugliosi. We go through, quite literally, every step ??? Bugliosi???s interviews, his notes, his tiny, often frustrating and well-fought steps forward in gathering every clue, no matter how big or small. [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715] also delves into the psychological aspect and backgrounds of all parties involved, including the victims. Their background descriptions are not long, nor short ??? just enough to give you a clear picture of the person. It's refreshing and even touching to see how Bugliosi insisted on illustrating the victims as more than just names, headlines, or reports. “Yet the victims had lived,” he writes, “and each had a past.”I know tone is a problem for Bugliosi???s other written works, but I feel this is not one of them. There is emotion where emotion is understandably warranted, but I found that a majority of the narration was factual and straight to the point. It didn???t have the ???clutter??? of emotionally charged writing that other true crime books may suffer from. [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715] truly shines with showing you what happened in stark black-and-white detail, and allowing you, as the reader, to conjure up the emotion on your own.The one downfall I found? The sheer amount of names. Due to the attention to detail, every person involved, whether it is Manson himself or the counselor who heard the screams on that August night ??? they all get first and last names. While this fits nicely into the detail-oriented narration, it can get overwhelmingly confusing. A ???Cast of Characters??? is listed at the beginning of the book, a type of reverse glossary, which does help immensely in following along. Would I recommend [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715]? Absolutely. It takes your hand and transports you to the scene, as if it happened yesterday, and walks with you through every aspect of the saga. An absolute star in it's genre and a must-read for any true crime fan.

Chopped stars off my rating after reading [b:Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties 43015073 Chaos Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties Tom O'Neill https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543561687l/43015073.SY75.jpg 66837472]. Bugliosi was not only a stalker and a woman beater, but he committed so many deliberate legal errors in the Manson trails that the defendants deserve new trials, and he should have been disbarred. What I read in [a:Tom O'Neill 623923 Tom O'Neill https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s book about his suppressed evidence and created motives, findings verified by attorney Stephen Kay, horrified me. No matter what the Manson defendants did–and what they did was horrible–they deserved fair trials. And they didn't receive them by half, thanks to Bugliosi. There are proven lies in Helter Skelter.Verily, I am shooketh. And disgusted.