Vincent Bugliosi (1934–2015)

highly suggest that everybody read this book. It is, without hesitation, a genuine masterpiece in real life horror.
The first page on the book reads: "The Story in Which You Are About to Read Will Scare the Hell Out of You". That is not an understatement.

looking down on an excruciating scene of human barbarity. Not ONE detail is left to the imagination.
You will feel like you are inside the investigation, working with Bugliosi to pinpoint these motives, journeying with the killers step by step as they act out there darkest fantasies. You will begin to second guess "The White Album" and be disturbed by Manson's seemingly psychotic interpretation of it. (Make a point to listen to this album afterwards, and you will feel transported back to the Spahn Ranch where the madness soon ensued) You will feel yourself singing crazy ballads with the Family, you will become ancy inside Susan Atkins' jail cell. You will be scared alongside Linda Kasabian on the long night ride to the Tate house. All these feelings and more will incorporate your senses whilst reading this horrifying story.… (more)

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.… (more)

I started this book and just had to grimace and toss it aside. Was Manson out of his mind? No. Manson was a con artist who was able to hold on to the minds gulliable fools. He knew exactly what he was doing and he knew the media was going to eat it up with a golden ladle. That made him very dangerous. Was he a serial Killer? By definition...No. The media along with this book is responsible for turning these criminals and criminals after them into celebrities. I can't help but see this book as a cash machine that turned a little guy with a big mouth into a celebrity which to this day has nursed an entire counter culture.… (more)