Member of the Family

My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties

By: Dianne Lake, Deborah Herman

Narrated by: Dianne Lake

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

In this poignant and disturbing memoir of lost innocence, coercion, survival, and healing, Dianne Lake chronicles her years with Charles Manson, revealing for the first time how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the 20th century's most notorious criminals and life as one of his "girls".

At age 14, Dianne Lake - with little more than a note in her pocket from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave them - became one of "Charlie's girls", a devoted acolyte of cult leader Charles Manson. Over the course of two years, the impressionable teenager endured manipulation, psychological control, and physical abuse as the harsh realities and looming darkness of Charles Manson's true nature revealed itself. From Spahn ranch and the group acid trips to The Beatles' White Album and Manson's dangerous messiah complex, Dianne tells the riveting story of the group's descent into madness as she lived it.

Though she never participated in any of the group's gruesome crimes and was purposely insulated from them, Dianne was arrested with the rest of the Manson Family and eventually learned enough to join the prosecution's case against them. With the help of good Samaritans, including the cop who first arrested her and later adopted her, the courageous young woman eventually found redemption and grew up to lead an ordinary life.

While much has been written about Charles Manson, this riveting account from an actual Family member is a chilling portrait that recreates in vivid detail one of the most horrifying and fascinating chapters in modern American history.

©2017 Dianne Lake (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Amazingly strong woman, a story of overcoming and finding hope

Amazingly strong woman, a story of overcoming and finding hope. I wasn’t born until 1967 and didn’t know much about the Family or Manson, she brought it to life in a way I could understand. What an amazing woman.

interning

Awesome! Gave me a better understanding of how and why Charlie could captivate people. Great

GODS PRESENCE AND HIS GOODNESS ABOUNDS

I lived through the story of Charles Manson and the family. It was difficult to imagine that anything as horrific as this could have happened to so many people then and yet, not more did not parish at his hands. If you do not believe there is a God in this world, what were the odds of this lady surviving all that she did. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. (David White 2017 ). I am a survivor of the war in Europe and thought back many times myself how God watched over me and brought me to America. My life had some miraculous turns to it as well. May Charles Manson rest in peace and may he be forgiven for what he has done to some innocent young people. With all due respect; Wolfgang M. Schwartzenweintraub

Captivating story of the family, not the murders.

So well told, I was riveted for the entire reading. And I'm *very* grateful to Dianne Lake for doing the recording. It would not have been so captivating if read by a person with no relationship to the story. I know a moderate amount (from reading and watching archived film) about the Manson Family's story, and Ms Lake's book has done a lot to fill it in and tie it together. But just as much, it's a story of the heartbreak and challenges surmounted by a young girl in that time and place in America. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Manson Family and not simply the murders and subsequent trial.

Wow

What an amazing testimony to overcome such unbelievable evil! This had to be such a hard story to share

Cult Experience

Dianne Lane gives us a look inside the Manson family that is poignant, chilling and very real. Thanks. for sharing your story, Dianne.

Fascinating inside look

This was a fascinating look at what like was like inside the Manson clan and how simple it was for an innocent girl to get caught up in it. Lake is not a professional narrator, but her inexperience was offset by the knowledge that she was telling her own story. It seems very authentic and not just someone's chance to create a version that made herself look good.

Compelling and Visceral

Dianne Lake's memoir of her time with one of the most notorious men in recent American history pulls no punches. She is unflinching in her look at what led to her joining with Manson and the time she spent as part of his world. Through her story, through her dedication to pulling up and dealing with unpleasant realities (and there are many), we get a whole picture. While this might not be for everyone (especially if descriptions of drug use, underage sex, and violence are offensive to you), this is a history without rose tint, and in its honesty, it is compelling.

So Much…a Survivor

To think the child she was endured so much is heartbreaking and maddening. I’m a few years younger than the author and I’m not sure how much of what I remember came from current events of the day or from reading about it later, but I hadn’t heard most details she provided.

She has overcome a great deal and has dug deep to provide us her story. I hope it’s not for our entertainment but for our education. This should be a cautionary tale for parents and anyone else responsible for children/teens. It’s big bad world if you’re not careful.

To note: it’s very sexually explicit in some places, but I don’t think there’s a way to tell the story without involving the sexual abuse she survived.

Extraordinary story

Dianne, thank you for sharing this story. You survived many extraordinary circumstances and I applaud your honesty. Thank you as well for reading it to us yourself. I’ve listened to this book several times and your strength inspires me. I think anyone curious about what happened in the late sixties should read this as a standard.