The Family

no one understands these events or this universe like ed sanders. his writing style, "investigative poetry" is revelatory and lines from this book will stay in my head for the rest of my life. the skelterettes. the sleazo inputs. the racist harem girl from the pit.if you're interested in the conspiratorial angles of the manson story, forget chaos, start with the family. blood drinking, devil worship, human sacrifice and a certain english satanic group cast long shadows over charlie and the family in the sanders telling.great reprint. looks great, have had several friends buy a copy after i recommended it and showed them my copy.

Recently did a deep dive on the 60’s, particularly the topics of Manson Family and the Kennedy Assassination. This book was actually referenced by authors of other works and contains a surprising amount of detail! Initially, I was a little put off by some of the phrasing, like the author was trying to be cute or whatever, but just the sheer body of info presented here makes this well worth the investment.

Kindle version only: Lost count of number of words such as de vil, Eu ro pe, mov ed, peppered throughout. No spell check? Makes the author seem less than cool. But I am sure they are not his goofs. But that aside, this book is jam packed with details. Remember this book is about the family and not the trials. I particularly enjoyed the last section covering the protracted denouement of this dizzy crowd. Also, his visits to former members of the right side of the law were cool.

In high school we called it 'term paper'. In college we called it a 'thesis'. In everyday life we call it 'knowledge'. So to learn the full story of any subject one must study every source they can find. "The Family" by Ed Sanders is one such book that qualifies. It's so jammed with researched and verified material that it's hard to keep up with at times. Not only facts and figures of all known Manson activities, but very suggestive (yet verified) related crimes. And the plethora of information isn't something Sanders forgot. He continued updating the story until this version of the book was published in 2002, which no other book has done. It is also the only book that gives an accurate timeline of seemingly endless events. Tracking that many arrests, traffic tickets, and police observations would normally need a small staff to research, but Sanders did it alone. During the trial he even spent considerable time at Spahn Ranch with 'Family' members to get a first-hand look at them instead of second-hand descriptions. Which in turn reveals a new understanding of the entire story. While Vince Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter" is generally considered the final word, "The Family" radically changes that premise. Manson wasn't a master super-villain, he was a despicable loser of the first order who gained fame not just from such heinous crimes, but from badly over-zealous media. And with Sanders' off-beat, jocular writing style you'll find this book as absorbing and entertaining as any. "The Family" is one to keep.

Sanders was part if the generation, culture of the late 60s. A a result, he has an interesting view about the who's why's & where's of a lot of the actors in these crimes. It's a different take than the book Helter Skelter which readers are well aware of. The only issues I had reading it: 1- Use of M instead of Manson (personal nit pick), 2- dialect/slang of the late 60s being read in the 2020s ... many readers may have to look some terms up, 3- the updates are often brief, disjointed, and don't necessarily add to the story. Overall, I did enjoy it & would recommend as a counter-point/addition to Bugliosi's Helter Skelter.

This is the best book on Manson, the whole Helter Skleter story, period.. Not sure if it's all factual or not. I have read many different things saying it is, it isn't. It's a great book. And incredible story and my favorite on the subject of Manson. I have a top 5 Manson book list that I think gives you a better picture of the whole story if you read them all. This is may favorite. A must read if you're a fan of this subject and story. This subject has so many twists, turns and side stories happening. It's just an incredible story. My picks in order on this subject are - 1) The Family, 2) Shadow Over Santasusana, 3) Manson: In His Own Words, 4) Will You Die For Me?, 5) Helter Skelter.

Obsessively readable book that goes much deeper than Bugliosi's book (Helter Skelter) into the twisted dimensions of these grisly murders and the named celebrities featured on its pages. Must read for fans of true crime and criminal psychology. I never knew this former member of the music group The Fugs was such a good writer.

The Family is book that has me torn. Obviously a lot of this book is exaggerated and a lot of it proven to be erroneous, but it is still a dang good read with (still) a lot of valuable information. The book gives a very good description of what happened leading up to the Tate and LaBianca killings, and how the Family as a whole were out of control.The book also describes the people that Manson met that may have influenced his behavior and contributed to the madness in the Family.However, people who have researched this case knows of the problems with this book (e.g. a chapter having to be removed due to its fabrication) and the problems continue to surface.I personally like this book better than Helter Skelter (more factual), but the book still takes the author's opinions and visions of what may have happened and puts them down as fact and WHAT DID happen.

Awesome book! Quick shooing! Worth the money!

A horrible part of SA history, this is not for faint of heart.

The best book on the Family Manson. Ed Sanders prose makes this fascinating reading with plenty of OOOEEEOOO's. If you want to read about Manson and the Family this book is required reading. A masterpiece of nonfiction writing.

This one gets down in the gutters and pulls you along for the ride. Helter Skelter might be the true crime King, but this one's my favourite.

Great writing, Cannot put it down, I am already half through the book. Sorry, take away tonight.Topic hard but enlightning on what a true monster is like and how people can be manipulated.