“What’s New” for this week are books that are ripped from the headlines!
- Member of the Family : My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness that Ended the Sixties / by Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman – “In this poignant and disturbing memoir, Dianne shares the full story of her time with Manson, revealing how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the twentieth century’s most notorious criminals. While much has been written about Charles Manson, ‘Member of the Family’ re-creates in vivid detail the firsthand experience of someone who survived his wrath, returning to a time and place that changed America forever–a moment when anything seemed possible and the horrors to come unthinkable.”–Publisher description.
- Manson : the Life and Times of Charles Manson / by Jeff Guinn – “More than forty years ago Charles Manson and his mostly female commune killed nine people, among them the pregnant actress Sharon Tate. It was the culmination of a criminal career that author Jeff Guinn traces back to Manson’s childhood. Guinn interviewed Manson’s sister and cousin, neither of whom had ever previously cooperated with an author. Childhood friends, cellmates, and even some members of the Manson family have provided new information about Manson’s life. Guinn has made discoveries about the night of the Tate murders, answering unresolved questions, such as why one person near the scene of the crime was spared. ‘Manson’ puts the killer in the context of the turbulent late sixties, an era of race riots and street protests when authority in all its forms was under siege. Guinn shows us how Manson created and refined his message to fit the times, persuading confused young women (and a few men) that he had the solutions to their problems. At the same time he used them to pursue his long-standing musical ambitions. His frustrated ambitions, combined with his bizarre race-war obsession, would have lethal consequences.”–Publisher description.
- The Family Next Door : the Heartbreaking Imprisonment of the Thirteen Turpin Siblings and their Extraordinary Rescue / by John Glatt – “On January 14, 2018, a seventeen-year-old girl climbed out of the window of her Perris, California, home and dialed 911 on a borrowed cell phone. Struggling to stay calm, she told the operator that she and her twelve siblings–ranging in age from two to twenty-nine–were being abused by their parents. When the dispatcher asked for her address, the girl hesitated. ‘I’ve never been out,’ she stammered. To their family, neighbors, and online friends, Louise and David Turpin presented a picture of domestic bliss: dressing their thirteen children in matching outfits and buying them expensive gifts. But what police discovered when they entered the Turpin family home would eclipse the most shocking child abuse cases in history. For years, David and Louise had kept their children in increasing isolation, trapping them in a sinister world of torture, fear, and near starvation. In the first major account of the case, investigative journalist John Glatt delves into the disturbing details and recounts the bravery of the thirteen siblings in the face of unimaginable horror.”–Publisher description.
This week’s picks are located among the “New Arrivals” in the Library Lounge. If you need help locating them, or would like to put any on hold, don’t hesitate to “Ask a Librarian” for help.