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xsBusiness - Helter Skelter
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List Price: $16.50
Our Price: $9.78
Your Save: $ 6.72 ( 41% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Arrow Books Ltd
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 364
EAN: 9780099975007
ISBN: 0099975009
Label: Arrow Books Ltd
Manufacturer: Arrow Books Ltd
Number Of Pages: 682
Publication Date: 1992-11-05
Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
Studio: Arrow Books Ltd
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not Just For Adults
Comment: I suggested to my 14-year old son, who wanted to read a non-fiction crime/courtroom book that he try "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi. He not only read the entire 400 page book, he was mesmerized and wrote the following review for his fellow teenagers:
From Douglas:
"Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi is about a madman, a cult, gruesome murders, and a spellbinding criminal trial. I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in true crime or suspence thrillers. This book is about a man named Charles Manson and a string of muders he and people he called his "family" committed. I am recommending this book to all teenagers who have never herd the name, Manson. I am also recommending this book for adults, for it is a hair-raising and gruesome experience that will leave you begging for more.
The book is written by Vincent Bugliosi, who was the Los Angeles County District Attorney, who prosecuted Charles Manson and his followers. He documents , in the book, how he became totally consumed by this extraordinary case. He writes about how Manson actually "played mind games" with him during the trial. Although these murders took place almost forty years ago, I believe that it is important for us to know about this case because Manson and his followers are still in prison and still come up for parole. It is also important for us to see how one man managed to control the minds and actions of so many, so that maybe we can prevent it from happening again.
This bokk is written in a very readable style; you won't be able to put it down. I highly recommend it to all teenagers, who enjoy crime stories - fiction or non-fiction. It's hard to believe it really happened!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Real Life Horror Story
Comment: This book is not for everyone. It is extremely scary and disturbing. At the same time, it is a fascinating look at the police work and prosecution that brought the murderous Manson Family to justice. The book is hard to put down; the in depth discussion on presenting a criminal case in court and developing evidence to support the case is outstanding. The main complaint is that the book is a few hundred pages too long. The author seems a little too self-promoting, but then again he did get a prosecution on one of the biggest murders in history.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Best Book Bar None on Manson and his Followers
Comment: Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry paint a riveting portrait of the Manson murders and the Manson "family". Being the lead and, later, sole prosecutor
of the Manson gang for those vicious murders puts Bugliosi in the ideal position to tell the real story in all its gory detail, and he does it in such a spellbinding fashion. I could hardly put it down. If you truly want to know this horrible and tragic story inside out, this is the ONLY book to read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Heltewr Skelter
Comment: I bet Vincent never thought people would one day have home computers and be able to read the police reports and see the blood evidence because once you do that, you quickly find the book is complete B.S. The crimes could have never taken place as described by Vince. Manson was railroaded and believe me when I tell you I'm no fan of Charlie's but it is true, he was railroaded. Manson is doing life in prison from a story that is a complete lie. Man, what a country we live in when a person can become a millionaire by using the vicious murders of 7 people and no one challenges him. You should be ashamed of yourself Bugliosi. Only in America.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Insightful and Informative Book on one of the most sensational murders ever
Comment: I initially read this book as a 14 year old and due to the recent publicity regarding Susan Atkins, decided to read it again.
The book chronicles the true story of the murders of the LaBianca's as well as the murders commonly referred to the "Tate" murders. It also touches on the murders of Gary Hinman and Shorty Shea, who are often forgotten victims of the Manson Family.
Essentially, the murders begin with Charles Manson, a career criminal with a poor childhood who was practically raised in youth homes and detention facilities, etc. Despite his poor upbringing and limited education, Charlie was a bright man who had the ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in other people.
Upon his latest release from prison, Manson begins to attract a group of followers, mainly comprised of young girls, and a few young men, whom all seem to have dropped out of society and are experimenting heavily and frequently with drugs. Manson sees their dissatisfaction with society and using that, as well as sex and drugs further breaks down their morals and values until ultimately they look at him as Jesus Christ and look to him to make their every decision for them.
Manson, disillusioned with his failure as a musician, begins to envision a new future for himself and his Family, in part guided by the Beatles musics, which he believes is full of secret messages. Manson believes that there will ultimately be a race war with the black man being victorious. In the meantime Manson and his family will retreat to the desert where they will find a hole leading to the bottomless pit where they will live until the black man realizes that he is incapable of ruling/running society as a whole. At that time, Manson will emerge and become leader of the country, if the world. Charlie calls this chain of events "Helter Skelter".
When Helter Skelter fails to come to fruition in a timely manner, he decides to incite it himself, by murdering rich or upper class white people. His theory is that white society will believe the murders were committed by the black man, and will turn on the black man, thereby getting the race war rolling.
The book further goes on the describe the investigation (or lack thereof on the part of some officers) and ultimate arrest and conviction, as well as an epilogue and afterward in the book with updates.
I have read some of the reviews, and have to agree that in some instances, Vincent Bugliosi was perhaps too wordy and a lot of stuff could have been cut out.
I also noticed that many of the reviews accuse Bugliosi of manufacturing the Helter Skelter motive for his own purposes. While I have not read the other Manson books, I am not inclined to believe this. First of all, he got the idea from many of the family members, many of whom got on the witness stand and testified to Manson's belief system as well as his many statements that "the time for Helter Skelter is now", etc. I also noted that many of those reviewers expressed support for Manson with the oft repeated phrase "he wasn't there", "he didn't kill them", blah blah blah. For the record, he was an active participant in the Hinman murders, slicing his ear off. He was present and aware of what was occurring and ultimately was the one who ordered the kill. He was also present at the Shorty Shea murder, for at least a portion of it. Again, it was at his behest that Shorty was murdered. Further, he is the one who sent the murderers to the Tate residence that night, he is the one who told them to get their knives, he is the one who told Tex to murder everyone and make it gruesome. As if that weren't enough, the next evening, it was he who entered the LaBianca home first and tied them up and left them there with full knowledge of what would happen to them. For anyone who is aware of the law, if someone is killed at your request, if you participate in a felony (i.e., cutting someone's ear off, or say breaking into their home and tying them up), and ultimately those people die in conjunction with those some events in which you particiated, you are responsible as if you killed them yourself.
If anyone is in doubt as to Manson's control over the female defendant's in this case, one only need to read the vast material available regarding the trial and how he conrolled them in court, and how he attempted to control the trial. If they were unable, while their freedom and very lives were on the line, to exercise their own free will and make their own decisions, it's not a stretch to imagine that he was able to control their day to day actions, as well as order them to kill with the expectation that it be carried out.
Additionally, the former Manson Family members who were involved, many of whom are still incarcerated, to this day state that was the motive/theory behind the killings. If it was not Manson's true motive, then he failed to share that with other family members.
Further, in an interview with Charles "Tex" Watson, a reporter asked him if he had read Helter Skelter, to which Watson replied that he had and it was pretty accurate.
Either way, it is a very informative book, and while on the wordy side, provides a detailed and inside look at the trial and what was going on behind the scenes. Whether the reader chooses to believe in the Helter Skelter theory or not is up to them.
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Editorial Reviews:
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On August 9th 1969, seven people were found shot, stabbed and bludgeoned to death in Los Angeles. The nation watched in fascinated horror as the killers were tried and convicted. But the real questions went unanswered. How did Manson make his "family" kill for him? How could these young men and women kill again and again without remorse? And did the murders go on even after Manson was in jail? Here Vincent Bugliosi, D.A. on the case, reveals the true story behind the most famous mass murder case ever - the orgies, the willing murders, the brainwashing and the retaliation slayings.
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