Manson

The Life and Times of Charles Manson

De: Jeff Guinn

Narrado por: Jim Frangione

The New York Times bestselling, authoritative account of the life of Charles Manson, filled with surprising new information and previously unpublished photographs: “A riveting, almost Dickensian narrative…four stars” (People).

More than forty years ago Charles Manson and his mostly female commune killed nine people during thin 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, among them the pregnant actress Sharon Tate. It was the culmination of a criminal career that author Jeff Guinn traces back to Manson’s childhood. Guinn interviewed Manson’s sister and cousin, neither of whom had ever previously cooperated with an author. Childhood friends, cellmates, and even some members of the Manson family have provided new information about Manson’s life. Guinn has made discoveries about the night of the Tate murders, answering unresolved questions, such as why one person near the scene of the crime was spared.

Manson puts the killer in the context of the turbulent late sixties, an era of race riots and street protests when authority in all its forms was under siege. Guinn shows us how Manson created and refined his message to fit the times, persuading confused young women (and a few men) that he had the solutions to their problems. At the same time he used them to pursue his long-standing musical ambitions. His frustrated ambitions, combined with his bizarre race-war obsession, would have lethal consequences.

Guinn’s book is a “tour de force of a biography…Manson stands as a definitive work: important for students of criminology, human behavior, popular culture, music, psychopathology, and sociopathology…and compulsively readable” (Ann Rule, The New York Times Book Review).

Excellent!

Awesome well written book! Great narrator! Learned a lot! Thanks you for writing such a great book!

Good listen, nice background facts

I enjoyed the information on the background players, i.e. the Golden Penetrators. The book mostly follows along the lines of Helter Skelter and follows the motives outlined in that book. Not much new here.

AMAZING

I absolutely loved this book. I have listened to quite a few Charles Manson books, and this one has been my favorite 100% Even over Helter Skelter (which is also amazing) I loved the real in-depth dive into the life of Charles Manson and what could've made such an evil man.

More than Just a murder story

Great job of story telling. The tale moves from moment to moment with an engaging pace. The Narration is excellent with direct compelling force. I have listened to this multiple times and learn each time. Cannot miss if even if you are slightly interested in the 60's the subject matter or just in human nature..

Cult Figureheads.

In the years following the Manson killings society has witnessed a string of cults led by charismatic figures. Jim Jones and David Koresh spring to mind although there have been 10 or more suicidal, dynamic personalities who have created a following of gullible groups of unhinged, crazy people willing to throw all reason and logic aside to "enjoy" a life bereft of personal truth. We've seen Scientology, Heaven's Gate cult. The Satanic Panic of the 80's lead to the current QAnon and many of today's Republicans hold strongly believing they are surrounded by pedophile Satanists. This sort of mass hysteria has been a feature of Tea Party advocates leading to the most dangerous cult of all: Trumpism and the complete willingness to accept anything as truth whenever one of these bromides are spoken by Trump. Manson reminds me that he was only one person in the continuum leading to the Fox News attack on truth. As the rock group Procol Harum sang: “Still There’ll Be More”.