Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson

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bestselling, authoritative account of the life of Charles Manson, filled with surprising new information and previously unpublished photographs: "A riveting, almost Dickensian narrative...four stars" (People).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, 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).

About the Author :
Jeff Guinn is the bestselling author of several books of fiction and nonfiction, including The Last Gunfight and Go Down Together, which was a finalist for an Edgar Award in 2010. Formerly an award-winning investigative journalist and now a frequent guest on national radio and television programs, Guinn lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Review :
""Manson" is not simply a biography of a killer and a cultist. It's a history of American culture from the Great Depression to the close of the 20th century. It's the dirty boogie in four-four time, a fascinating study of greed, mind control, celebriphilia, sex, narcotics, racism, and the misuse of power. I lived in South Los Angeles when many of the events in this book took place. No one has told the story as accurately as Jeff Guinn. It's the story of Nixon and Johnson, Martin Luther King, Vietnam, the SDS, the Black Panthers, the acid culture, and a nation coming apart at the seams. From the first page to the last, I could hardly put it down. Hang on, reader. This is a rip-roaring ride you won't forget."--James Lee Burke "Brilliant. Written with deep insight and in seamless, fluid prose, Guinn's "Manson "expands the story of the cult leader into something far beyond the shocking story we're used to. The best book about Manson that I've read . . . and I think I've read them all."--Jeffrey Deaver "Jeff Guinn takes the reader on a fascinating, chilling visit to a dark and decadent time in American history, all the while maintaining a laser focus on the era's most recognizable face of evil. A gifted writer and master researcher, Guinn explores the depths of Charles Manson's twisted psyche in a brilliant effort that dramatically raises the bar on the true crime genre."--Carlton Stowers, two-time Edgar winner for Best Fact Crime