Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties

I really enjoy Mr. Oneill's writing style. The subject matter is heavy, but the conversational type writing keeps the story and information flowing.

I finally finished the book last night, and my head is spinning. If a random individual told me that Charles Manson was possibly entangled with the CIA, the JFK assassination, AND a rogue psychiatrist experimentally injecting unwitting people and elephants with LSD, I would probably say they're off their rocker! Granted, before reading this book, I only knew the very basics of the Manson Family murders since it was before my time. I have a B.S. in Criminal Justice, and I'm fascinated with true crime, but this isn't one that I ever knew a ton of details about. I never read Helter Skelter (I do believe I still have my mom's old copy), and maybe that's a good thing now? I don't know that I could read it at this point and not be thoroughly confused! Bugliosi was quite the character, to say the least. Not that I don't think outside the box, but I've never been very susceptible to conspiracy theories. But Tom O'Neill is one hell of an investigative journalist, and he'll get the gears turning. The revelations in this book are WILD and will send you down approximately 354 rabbit holes (that sometimes intersect)! I was so hopeful to get the end of the book and see that the murders are wrapped up in a neat bow...you won't get that gift, lol. I will NOT claim that this book is easy to read, for more than one reason. I struggled specifically through the trial bits because some of it was extremely tedious, and there are an incredible amount of names to keep straight...I needed Tom's whiteboard! But things got a lot more interesting soon after that, with Manson's San Francisco adventures, Dr. Jolly West, and Tenerelli's death. I would actually rate it 4.5, but I've rounded up due to the sheer amount of research and dedication. Weird fact: I realized that my grandpa arrived at Lackland AFB for orientation exactly 1 month after Chere Jo Horton's murder. He was only there for a few weeks before being deployed to other bases, so it's possible that he was there at the same time as West. My grandpa wrote an autobiography, and there are a few stories from his 3 years in the Air Force, but nothing wild or weird enough to be associated with West's activities. Also, I have photocopies of several letters (or possibly one really looooong letter) from Manson. I took a serial killer class (study of, not how to become one) in college, and our professor was a prison pen pal of cuckoo Charlie. I half-heartedly tried to decipher his ramblings back then (the letters were before 2008), but I'm going to dig them out and look again. If I find anything juicy (especially after having read CHAOS), Tom should be expecting a packet in the mail! I truly hope that the full truth presents itself. I don't expect we will hear it from law enforcement, since it seems like everyone who knew Manson has something to hide (or was purposely kept from the truth). Maybe a vital witness will finally want to break their silence. However, I think Tom and his research will be the key...sorry to put on more pressure! I really didn't know what I was getting into before starting this book, and I DEFINITELY didn't expect these levels of craziness, but I'm glad I read it all the way through.

This book was extremely well-written, and the thoroughness of the author's reporting and research went above and beyond pretty much anything I've ever heard of. The book becomes just as much a story of his own experience of having the Manson case consume his life as it is about the substance of the case itself. I know that might sound off-putting, but it's actually great. Tom O'Neill does not succumb to the temptation to fill in the blanks with some neat, overconfident answers. He doesn't over-state what he has, just to tie up loose ends in the plot in a tidy bow. He is always very clear about what is merely speculation or circumstantial evidence. He honestly admits that he could not come up with "the solution" that fills in all the missing pieces of the crime. However, the book is still a satisfying read for two reasons: one, because he unearths one startling, never-before-known detail after another, which ends up being far, far more than one would ever expect could ever be revealed so many years later. The reader doesn't feel cheated out of new revelations, because there are plenty. A shocking amount. Secondly, the book satisfies because the author's honest self-reflection about his personal struggle to solve the case prove that he gave a superhuman effort and really did all that anyone could have ever done, and more than anyone else would have done. Yet, many answers remain elusive, and life can be like that. It usually is. The frustration is shared and very relatable. This author risked his whole career and his reputation as a writer just to continue digging. It struck me how he made himself vulnerable by admitting to his missed deadlines and breech of contract with his first publisher, his depression, and at times total hopelessness that he would ever be able to put his book together. In the end, he delivers and at last proves to the world that he really did the most extensive and thorough reporting on this that anyone could have ever dreamed of, and while late, published a book that is so well-written, and expertly edited and proofread with a thick section of citations in the back. Many of the books I read these days are riddled with typos, bad syntax, and other errors. This is an actual professionally written book, like you used to expect to always get when you paid money for a book. I would have given it five stars, but I'm stingy with stars, and only give five stars if I feel like it's the best book I've ever read. This is more than just a book for entertainment. This book does nothing less than correct a huge piece of American social history that was just WILDLY WRONG. The events around the Manson murders, because of what they reveal about the far-reaching corruption in our justice system, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies, and how that has colored our cultural lens for decades since, are monumentally significant. If we don't correct our perceptions of that time, we are pretty much living a lie. It's like everything we know is wrong if we don't wake up to how things really work. Events like this are carefully curated, scripted and choreographed for our consumption. This book goes a long way toward bringing this awareness into the mainstream. This guy really sacrificed to make the truth known to the world. It was a huge service to the world. I'm sorry this is a wall of text, I am not very good at writing anymore.

Molto sodisfatta perche al momento del ordine il prodotto doveva arrivare verso fine dicembre, invece e arrivato proprio il giorno prima di Natale così ho potuto regalarlo in tempo. Proprio felice e contenta della bellissima sorpresa. Grazie

Well researched, answers a lot of areas of the time, and gives a good indication of what was happening with Manson, the family and why.

This book was a real shocker for me about the psyop run on the boomer & war babies age groups. Most boomers are aware of the Manson story - I was - read Bugliosi's Helter Skelter several times, (even gave it a great review here many years ago) also watched the made for TV series much later. As it turns out the whole story was a narrative constructed for the public consumption. The only "true" thing was that the people accused of killings were the ones actually doing the stabbing. However, everything else, the motive, who ordered the killings, who was involved, is not. The killings were not random, and the victims not completely innocent. Even Bugliosi himself, a very comprised man, was parachuted in as prosecution lawyer, and got a great book deal. But only the first part of Chaos is about the Manson murders. The rest of the book was, for me, my introduction to the organization known as MK Ultra. There was a massive psyop run on youth during the 60's involving drugs, purposely intended to undermine the family and society. Unlike what I had believed for 50 yrs. about the "sexual revolution" arising spontaneously from a freedom loving group of youth, the whole thing was orchestrated. Excellent read for anyone interested in the 60’s and how so much changed during that period, also true crime stories & celebrity culture. There is so much in this book of interest.

Book came torn after waiting a whole month

Great book! Couldn't stop reading.