Manson in His Own Words

Charles Manson

Dec 2007 · Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

About this ebook

“Gives us a portrait close to the truth” of the man responsible for the Tate-LaBianca murders that changed Hollywood and ended the sixties (The New York Times Book Review).

This astonishing book lays bare the life and the mind of a man whose acts have left us horrified. His story provides an enormous amount of new information about his life and how it led to the Tate-LaBianca murders and reminds us of the complexity of the human condition.
 
Born in the middle of the Depression to an unmarried fifteen-year-old, Manson lived through a bewildering succession of changing homes and substitute parents, until his mother finally asked the state authorities to assume his care when he was twelve. Regimented and often brutalized in juvenile homes, Manson became immersed in a life of petty theft, pimping, jail terms, and court appearances that culminated in seven years of prison. Released in 1967, he suddenly found himself in the world of hippies and flower children, a world that not only accepted him, but even glorified his anti-establishment values. It was a combination that led, for reasons only Charles Manson can fully explain, to tragedy. Manson’s story, distilled from seven years of interviews and examinations of his correspondence, provides sobering insight into the making of a criminal mind, and a fascinating picture of the last years of the sixties.
 
“A glimpse of part of the American experience that is rarely described from the inside . . . It compels both interest and horror.”—The Washington Post

“Provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a truly dangerous human being.”—Los Angeles Herald Examiner

Ratings and reviews

Although years of child abuse and neglect by both family and system weren't all full reason for the outcome in 69, Charlie did his best with what he was given...not much. I'm not so sure I could have done any better. Abuse and neglect certainly had their role though. Wonderful book and insight.

This book gives insight into who Charles Manson really was. In his own words he describes every detail of every situation he went through. The life of Charles Manson has been a controversy for years and what he did was surely wrong. The point of this book is to open the eyes to society that even though Manson might have been a "monster", the media glorified his life and made him who he was. This book was great and very interesting. I couldn't stop reading it when I started. I suggest reading this book if you are really interested in "the most dangerous man" as he was labeled by the media.

Emmons words, not Manson. ..no use of recorders or written notes allowed...

About the author

Nuel Emmons (1927-2002) first met Charles Manson briefly when he was imprisoned for auto theft in 1956, and again under similar circumstances in 1960. After that, Mr. Emmons began a career as a photojournalist, and he has contributed to a number of magazines both in the United States and Europe. In 1979, he contacted Manson and began the extensive interviews that resulted in this book.