A review by perusinghannah
Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn
3.0
(6.1/10) - ⭐⭐⭐
Just like the author’s biography of Jim Jones, Manson gives a very detailed account of the life and ‘rise’ of Charles Manson and his followers. My main complaint is that it was just so damn long. Guinn is a big fan of ‘setting the scene’, and while it does add to the story, he went way overboard on multiple occasions. It made it feel somewhat sensationalized in places, and, if I’m being brutally honest, like grandpa explaining counterculture while trying to make it sound hip for the teens. However, there is a lot of information in here that I hadn’t encountered anywhere else, and I had to study the guy for psych classes on multiple occasions. Had Guinn just gotten to the point faster from time to time, my rating would’ve easily shot up a star.
Just like the author’s biography of Jim Jones, Manson gives a very detailed account of the life and ‘rise’ of Charles Manson and his followers. My main complaint is that it was just so damn long. Guinn is a big fan of ‘setting the scene’, and while it does add to the story, he went way overboard on multiple occasions. It made it feel somewhat sensationalized in places, and, if I’m being brutally honest, like grandpa explaining counterculture while trying to make it sound hip for the teens. However, there is a lot of information in here that I hadn’t encountered anywhere else, and I had to study the guy for psych classes on multiple occasions. Had Guinn just gotten to the point faster from time to time, my rating would’ve easily shot up a star.