The myth of Charles Manson is not likely to survive the impact of his own words Nuel Emmons writes in the introduction to Manson In His Own Words the shocking true confessions that lay bare the life and mind of the cult leader and notorious criminal. His story provides an enormous amount of new information about his life and how it led to the Tate-LaBianca murders and reminds us of the complexity of the human condition. Born in the middle of the Great Depression to an unmarried fifteen-year-old Manson lived through a succession of changing homes and substitute parents until his mother finally asked the state authorities to assume his care when he was twelve. Regimented and often brutalized in juvenile homes Manson became immersed in a life of petty theft pimping jail terms and court appearances that culminated in seven years of prison. Released in 1967 he suddenly found himself in the world of hippies and flower children a world that not only accepted him but even glorified his anti-establishment values. It was a combination that led for reasons only Charles Manson can fully explain to tragedy. Manson s story distilled from seven years of interviews and examinations of his correspondence provides sobering insight into the making of a criminal mind and a fascinating picture of the last years of the sixties. No one who wants to understand that time and the man who helped to bring it to a horrifying conclusion can miss reading this book. Author: Nuel Emmons Charles Manson Publisher: Grove Press Published: 01/11/1994 Pages: 232 Binding Type: Paperback Weight: 0.80lbs Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 0.70d ISBN: 9780802130242 About the Author Nuel Emmons (1927-2002) first met Charles Manson briefly when he was imprisoned for auto theft in 1956 and again under similar circumstances in 1960. After that Mr. Emmons began a career as a photojournalist and he has contributed to a number of magazines both in the United States and Europe. In 1979 he contacted Manson and began the extensive interviews that resulted in this book.