rigorousintuition.ca

Princess
VINE VOICE
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
July 1, 2019
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Kudos to researching a subject for twenty years, shameful that this is the result.
(Possible Spoilers)
I take umbrage with any authors using extravagant words when even a middling one will do. I found this irritating and distracting, even though the definition was easily evident though proper usage. The writing itself was at times brilliant, exhausting, and redundant.

People who wouldn’t, couldn’t, have never spoke to anyone about the case, spoke to the author, why? Even Manson.

The foundation of the book is solid, the Manson trial was fraudulent, speculative but O’Neil never gets there. It lacks cohesiveness. He has too many theories and the book becomes very scattered with conspiracies ( CIA involvement, mind control, celebrity involvement, JFKs assassination), it’s too much.

The conclusion was utterly horrible....if after 20 years this is the result, shocking and not in a good way.

2 people found this helpful

Laurel Perry
3.0 out of 5 stars Chaotic is apt
June 30, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Chaotic is an apt title. While fascinating, this meandering tome took me to the point where I entirely forgot I was reading about the author's subject, Manson. By the time I was reading about MKULTRA and the Kennedy assassination, my head hurt. To the author's credit, he admits being thoroughly obsessed and sucked down the rabbit holes of conspiracy theories. One gets a wandering tale of his investigation with its cast of thousands and without a clear summary of what the hell he's going on about. That having been said, if you want a romp through the quirky and lengthy Wonderland of theoretic babble regarding the whys behind the infamous murders, pick this up. It's a chaotic evil mind bender.

One person found this helpful

minime » Thu Jul 04, 2019 3:34 pm wrote:It's interesting that the reviewers seem unaware they're saying more about themselves than the book.

Elvis » Thu Jul 04, 2019 6:33 pm wrote:

minime » Thu Jul 04, 2019 3:34 pm wrote:It's interesting that the reviewers seem unaware they're saying more about themselves than the book.

Yes... "it's all just too much"

What You Think You Know About the Manson Family Murders May Be Wrong
Rich Juzwiak
6/20/19
https://jezebel.com/what-you-think-you- ... 1835688049

A Manson Murder Investigation 20 Years In the Making: ‘There Are Still Secrets’

Zan Romanoff | Longreads | June 2019

‘Everything that Manson did with his women was exactly what the CIA was trying to do with people without their knowledge, in the exact same time, at the exact same place.’

https://longreads.com/2019/06/27/a-mans ... l-secrets/

minime wrote:revelations re: Sidney Gottlieb

What You Think You Know About the Manson Family Murders May Be Wrong
Rich Juzwiak
6/20/19
https://jezebel.com/what-you-think-you- ... 1835688049

Is part of what makes this story so difficult to pin down that the man at the center of it was one of the most extraordinarily mentally ill people that the American public has ever been exposed to? So that when you talk about motive and rationale, those things, as we know them, don’t even necessarily apply?

That’s a misconception. [Manson was] never diagnosed as mentally ill. He never submitted himself to a true psychiatric examination. The few professionals who say they believe he’s schizophrenic do that once or twice removed from reading other reports. He was really clever. My best example of that is I interviewed him in 2000. He was in solitary and I think allowed out once a week to make phone calls. I had two or three phone calls with him. He was answering questions with riddles and stupid silly rhymes, and it was getting really frustrating and I was getting angry and then he got pissed off with me. It was a three-way call: He had a guy on the outside who handled all his business, Gray Wolf, and then he had a guy, Pin Cushion, on the inside who handled his business and was like his bodyguard.

After all that, Manson said he wasn’t going to speak to me, he said he was furious, and Gray Wolf called me and was explaining this to me, saying I upset the old man. Gray Wolf recorded all his calls with Manson so after I got off the phone with Manson, he started telling Gray Wolf what he was upset about with my questioning and it was an entirely different human being. Instead of all the craziness, I hear Manson’s voice telling Gray Wolf, “You know, Tom seems like a nice guy but I wish he wouldn’t ask me about Terry Melcher,” or this that and the other thing. I said, Gray Beard, “Where’s the coherent person I’m hearing now when I talk to him? You just kind of gave him away by pulling the curtain back. He’s playing crazy. That’s an act.”

You thought it was entirely an act? Maybe I’m naive, but I’ve watched so many interviews with him and to me it just seemed like unadulterated disturbance.

It’s another one of those things that I wouldn’t say for sure. I think I have that tape. I started a Facebook and Instagram for the book and all I’m putting on it are documents and videos and audio stuff that’s not in the book. I should look for that and put it up. It’s pretty fascinating to hear Manson talk like a logical, rational human being.