Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Helter Skelter


From Goodreads:
 
Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the twentieth century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Here is the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime. 50 pages of b/w photographs.
 
From Me:
I did an audio re-read for this one.  
That's right---25 hours of investigation into this creepy, puzzling, cult killing.
I have always found Charles Manson--intriguing, in a weird way.
I just don't 'get it'--why people would follow him and that makes me want to read more to find out.
I still don't get it.
Helter Skelter is a disturbing look into the Tate-LaBianca murders.
It's very thorough and interesting.
It amazes me how the prosecuting attorneys  were able to piece this all together and get a conviction.
I loved this book when I read it 30 years ago.
 
Listening to it again?
It became a bit of  a chore. 
I'm not sure why.
Maybe it was the 25+ hours.
 
Still, if you are interested in Charles Manson, how attorneys make their cases and courtroom procedures-- it's a great read. 
It is the #1 True Crime Bestseller of all time.
3 Stars.
 
******************
The reason I thought to re-read this is because  on Thursday, NBC is premiering a new show, called Aquarius, which is based on a runaway girl, who joins the Manson Family, 2 years before the murders took place.
 
 




5 comments:

Susan Lindquist said...

I read that book as a teenager right after it came out in paperback ... it definitely left my mark on me. For a young impressionable hippie chick, it made me rethink the idea of 'communal living' and the motives of some commune leaders. What a horrible crime ... the sight of Charles Manson leaves me completely cold to this day.

bermudaonion said...

Yeah, I'm the same way - fascinated by them in some weird way. I don't get it either. It's been years since I read that book.

Kathy Walker said...

I remember reading it for a college class. It was so creepy.

Ti said...

Fascinated with it all but cannot read the book. I was a young kid when all that was going on and it terrified me.

Karen said...

I read this years ago. I've always been fascinated with the Manson case. It was one of the first stories of its kind that was so widely publicized and I think that's why people remember it so vividly. (Now it seems like it's every other day that we hear of something so bizarre happening). Manson is a weird little man. The only time we hear about him these days is when he's up for parole, which will never happen.

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