My Life with Charles Manson

By Paul Watkins

279 pages. Once, Charles Manson's #2 man, Paul Watkins, believed in the Family and trusted Manson with his life. That was before the Tate/LaBianca murders, before the bizarre warning signals that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553127888
• ISBN13: 9780553127881
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

One True and Authentic Voice!

I have just finished reading this book for the second time. Simply put, anybody who wants to know the truth behind life with the Manson Family should forget about everything that's been released and get a copy of this book. Paul Watkins got very close to Charlie. He is an unbiased author because while he was deeply tied to Manson and others for a while, he never allowed himself to be completely dominated by Charlie. Thank God for this book, because in interviews throughout the 80s, Charlie does a really good job conning the public about what happened. Paul's writing is filled with beautiful imagery and descriptive writing. His memory is sharp and his ability to recall dialogue is astounding. This book really allowed me to understand everything that went down, and I think Paul is the only writer to bring clarity to a chaotic and often distorted set of events. This book will provide you with everything you ever wanted to know about Manson and the so-called Family. It is also very difficult to put this book down. It is written in complete honesty and abundant detail and Paul leaves nothing out. This book is a true gem, and I recommend it to everybody!

EXTREMELY DETAILED - BUT SO PRICEY

The price of this book is unreal- you're better off having your library order it for you to borrow- it cost me ten dollars and l finally got to read it. Its very, very detailed, the nights at spahn's ranch and barker's ranch- you get the feeling of actually being there. Paul recalls alot of the experiences which we are all so curious about. what you have to keep in mind is that this is only HIS drug influenced perspective and not necessarily the facts as they were in reality. When he starts talking about helter skelter and hiding out in fear of the race war - this was actually when charlie had shot -in self defense-who he thought was a black panther member (crowe)..it was over tex watson ripping the guy off. Only a few of the family members were aware of the shooting of crowe (who actually lived although manson didnt find this out till much later). So when charlie was in fear of retaliation from the panthers, the "family" was hiding out but not knowing the REAL reason why, they were under the 'helter skelter' idea which was just "tripping talk" among all of them and NOT some race war plan that charlie was trying to execute. Thats a bunch of junk the prosecutor was pushing. Watkins doesnt even mention the shooting of crowe, telling me he wasnt even aware. l suggest reading 'manson in his own words', there is a line throughout the book which gives a clearer image of manson. He isnt completely innocent but he certainly is not the monster the media has portrayed him as.

bookaholic

This is a gritty, honest look at people who have been glorified in the media. Watkins' book is an honest look at himself & others while focusing on the philosophy behind the cult rather than focusing on the murders,which he was not a part of. Watkins is honest to a fault about himself & others. The 60's were a timeof great upheaval and awakening & this book reflects this. Great read!!! Warns parents & kids alike about following a guru.

great read

I found this book interesting. Watkins tells the story from his perspective and gives a clear picture of how life within the family slowly changed from a peaceful existance into a paranoid,delusional band of killers. One of the best books on Manson and his ability to influence other minds. Not just his "followers", he conned many influential business people as well.