''Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders'' is a 1974 book by
Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent T. Bugliosi Jr. (; August 18, 1934 – June 6, 2015) was an American prosecutor and author who served as Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office between 1964 and 1972.
He became best known for s ...
and
Curt Gentry
Curtis Marsena "Curt" Gentry (June 13, 1931 – July 10, 2014) was an American writer, born in Lamar, Colorado.
He is best known for co-authoring, with Vincent Bugliosi, the 1974 book '' Helter Skelter'', which detailed the Charles Manson murder ...
. Bugliosi had served as the prosecutor in the 1970 trial of
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
. The book presents his firsthand account of the cases of Manson,
Susan Atkins
Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a perio ...
,
Patricia Krenwinkel
Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel (born December 3, 1947) is an American murderer and a former member of the Manson Family. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by various aliases such as Big Patty, Yellow, Marnie Reeves and Mary Ann Sco ...
, and other members of the self-described
Manson Family. It is the best-selling true crime book in history.
Description
The book recounts and assesses the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
and his followers for the notorious 1969 murders of
Leno and Rosemary LaBianca
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
, actress
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...
, and several others.
The book takes its title from the
apocalyptic race war that Manson allegedly believed would occur, which in turn took its name from the song "
Helter Skelter" by
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
.
Manson had allegedly been particularly fascinated by the Beatles' ''
White Album'', from which the song came.
Reception and legacy
''Helter Skelter'' was first published in the United States in 1974 and became a bestseller. The book won the 1975
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for Best Fact Crime book, and was the basis for two
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
s, released in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
and
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
. At the time of Bugliosi's death in 2015, it had sold over seven million copies, making it the best-selling true crime book in history.
[ The book was also the primary influence for the story line of the 2008 film '' The Strangers''.]
Since its initial hardcover edition, the book has had several printings as a mass market paperback. A 25th anniversary edition (since the crimes) was published in 1994 with an update added by Bugliosi. Bugliosi himself narrated the Talking Books unabridged audiobook at the time of the book's original release, and read an abridged version of his update for the 25th anniversary edition abridged audiobook read by Robert Foxworth
Robert Heath Foxworth (born November 1, 1941) is an American film, stage, and television actor.
Early life
Foxworth was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Erna Beth (née Seamman), a writer, and John Howard Foxworth, a roofing contractor. He at ...
. Audible.com commissioned Scott Brick to read an unabridged version of the 25th anniversary edition in 2011.
The book also makes an appearance in the Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
TV series '' Mindhunter'' in season 2, episode 5.
See also
* 1974 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1974.
Events
*February – Novelist Juan Carlos Onetti is one of a group arrested by the Uruguayan dictatorship for selecting as a competition prizewinner and publ ...
* Tate–LaBianca murders
The TateLaBianca murders were a series of murders perpetrated by members of the Manson Family during August 810, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, United States, under the direction of Tex Watson and Charles Manson. The perpetrators killed five ...
* CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties
References
External links
Partial trial testimony regarding "Helter Skelter"
{{Authority control
1974 non-fiction books
Edgar Award-winning works
Manson Family
Non-fiction books about murders in the United States
Books by Vincent Bugliosi
W. W. Norton & Company books
Non-fiction books about criminals
Non-fiction books adapted into films
Collaborative non-fiction books
Books about trials