"Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson" by Jeff Guinn - Book Review

When you hear the name Charles Manson, what does it conjure in your mind? A menacing serial killer, a degenerate 60s hippie, or maybe a crazy jailed convict? Guinn takes readers on a journey through Manson's life in ways never before seen.

Based on new interviews with previously undiscovered relatives and filled with revelations and unpublished photographs, this is the most authoritative account of the life of Charles Manson. More than forty years ago Charles Manson and his mostly female commune killed nine people, 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 on the property where the murders occurred was spared. Manson puts the killer in the context of his times, 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, relocating to Los Angeles in search of a recording contract. His frustrated ambitions, combined with his bizarre race-war obsession, would have lethal consequences as he convinced his followers to commit heinous murders on successive nights (Goodreads).

Manson is known as one of America's most infamous serial killers without actually having killed anyone himself. Manson was able to convince his followers that these people needed to die and that they were the ones chosen to do it. This meant that Manson never had to be anywhere near the crimes, making him feel untouchable.

Guinn spends a good portion of the book discussing Manson's life before he became the self-proclaimed guru he's known as. Manson was incarcerated in one form or another for most of his early life and came from an overly religious family. This look at Manson's early life isn't necessarily meant to create sympathy for his actions, but instead to explain how he became such a religious zealot by twisting religions, teachings, and life to fit his own ideals.

There were times when I found my mind wandering a bit as I tried to finish the final chapters about what the Manson Family members have been up to since their incarcerations. Personally, I didn't think it was necessary to give so much detail on who was still in prison, who got married, etc. The Family was charged for their crimes and served their time. That's what matters.

Overall, a four out of five for the clearly well researched facts and the intriguing way Guinn manages to keep readers' interested for over three hundred pages.

If you want to get your Manson fix without reading 300+ pages or want to learn more after reading, check out some of these films about or inspired by Manson and his Family.

1. The Other Side Of Madness aka The Helter Skelter Murders (1971)
2. Helter Skelter (1976)
3. Manson Family Movies (1984)
4. Summer Dreams: The Story Of The Beach Boys (1990)
5. The Manson Family (1997)
6. Helter Skelter (2004)
7. House Of Manson aka Manson (2014)
8. Manson’s Lost Girls (2016)
9. Charlie Says (2018)
10. Life After Manson (2014)
11. Charles Manson Superstar (1989)
12. The Book of Manson (1989)
13. The Manson Family Massacre (2019)
14. The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter (2009)
15. The Manson Massacre aka The Cult (1971)
16. Live Freaky! Die Freaky! (2006)
17. Manson, My Name Is Evil (2009)
18. Haunting Charles Manson (2014)
19. Manson Family Vacation (2015)
20. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2021)
21. The Haunting of Sharon Tate (2019)
22. Aquarius (2015-2016)
23. Wolves at the Door (2016)
24. The Strangers (2008)
25. Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
26. I Drink Your Blood (1971)