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Chaos
Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties | Tom O'Neill
A journalist's twenty-year obsession with the Manson murders brings shocking revelations about the most infamous crimes in American history: carelessness from police, misconduct by prosecutors, and even potential surveillance by intelligence agents. What really happened in 1969? In 1999, when Tom O'Neill was assigned a magazine piece about the thirtieth anniversary of the Manson murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Weren't the facts indisputable? Charles Manson had ordered his teenage followers to commit seven brutal murders, and in his thrall, they'd gladly complied. But when O'Neill began reporting the story, he kept finding holes in the prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's narrative, long enshrined in the best-selling Helter Skelter. Before long, O'Neill had questions about everything from the motive to the manhunt. Though he'd never considered himself a conspiracy theorist, the Manson murders swallowed the next two decades of his career. He was obsessed. Searching but never speculative, CHAOS follows O'Neill's twenty-year effort to rebut the "official" story behind Manson. Who were his real friends in Hollywood, and how far would they go to hide their ties? Why didn't law enforcement act on their many chances to stop him? And how did he turn a group of peaceful hippies into remorseless killers? O'Neill's hunt for answers leads him from reclusive celebrities to seasoned spies, from the Summer of Love to the shadowy sites of the CIA's mind-control experiments, on a trail rife with cover-ups and coincidences. Featuring hundreds of new interviews and dozens of never-before-seen documents from the LAPD, the FBI, and the CIA, CHAOS mounts an argument that could be, according to Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Stephen Kay, strong enough to overturn the verdicts on the Manson murders. In those two dark nights in Los Angeles, O'Neill finds the story of California in the sixties: when charlatans mixed with prodigies, free love was as possible as brainwashing, and utopia-or dystopia-was just an acid trip away.
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DeeLew
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The first true crime book I ever read was Helter Skelter. I read it in high school and I was both horrified and fascinated. I remember thinking that Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecuting attorney, was a hero. The case he laid out about the crazy motive seemed so far fetched it‘s hard to believe he got the convictions. This newer book, researched over twenty years casts some doubts on Bugliosi‘s case. There‘s no doubt of Manson‘s guilt but... wow!

19 likes3 stack adds
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Hestapleton
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Mehso-so

The concept is FASCINATING, but the story goes all over the place. I don‘t even think I could try to summarize his finding. O‘Neill proves that the Helter Skelter motivation for the Tate-LaBianace murders isn‘t true by positing a lot of other possible motivations. Nothing super solid, mostly hazy suggestions. Only for the truly Manson-obsessed (not me). ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ O‘Neill, a journalist who became obsessed with the Manson murders, lays out his decades of research and theories. There are a few tangents, but A LOT of interesting food for thought. If you‘ve read Helter Skelter, you‘ll probably want to check this out. He‘s certainly no fan of Bulgiosi and his well-spun story. This was a goddamned trip!

britt_brooke @Reviewsbylola Have you read this? Super interesting! 4y
vivastory I'm stuck halfway through Helter Skelter. Normally I think I could fly through it & I get why it's a true crime classic, but with what's going on in the world right now I just can't with Manson's motivations for the crimes...at least explained by Bugliosi 4y
britt_brooke @vivastory Helter Skelter is such a detailed chunkster of a book, but at the time I read it, I flew through it and loved it. Definitely different times, though. I thought it was the be all, end all. Not so. This book questions the motivations. (edited) 4y
See All 11 Comments
vivastory I'll definitely check this out down the road in less turbulent times. Also want to read Guin's account. 4y
britt_brooke @vivastory Guinn‘s book is fantastic. All 3 of these are good in their own way. 4y
LeslieO I‘ve read Helter Skelter twice. First time I was in 8th grade, second time recently. 4y
Cinfhen This sounds like an interesting companion to Helter Skelter 4y
britt_brooke @LeslieO I can‘t imagine reading it in 8th grade! I‘m a big chicken, though. 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen For sure! 4y
Reviewsbylola I‘ll have to get my hands on this one. I haven‘t read it. Bugliosi is a godlike figure to me though so . . . 😆 4y
britt_brooke @Reviewsbylola You might not like this then, lol. 4y
94 likes6 stack adds11 comments
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Kshakal
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OriginalCyn620 🙌🏻❤️ 4y
35 likes2 comments
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EadieB
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Day 25 - #Chaos #MagnificentMarch #ChaosCharlesMansonTheCIAAndTheHistoryOfTheSixties #TomONeill

I read Helter Skelter and now I need to read this!

Suet624 Oooh, interesting! 4y
Trashcanman He makes a great argument for why Vincent Bugliosi lied and covered up evidence. He convinced me that the idea of Helter Skelter as made up by him. 4y
EadieB @Trashcanman Oh, have you read this? 4y
Trashcanman @EadieB Yes, I really enjoyed it. He brings up some great points. It's a good read. 4y
EadieB @Trashcanman Great! I need to read it too! Thanks for your comment! 4y
49 likes5 comments
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Skygoddess1
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There‘s still an hour and a half til midnight here, but my eyes are heavy, so I‘m calling it. This is actually the best I‘ve done in a readathon. Coming in a little under two hours shy of the 24 hour mark. I managed to finish 3 books, 2 audio (Beartown and Chaos) and then A Queen in Hiding was my physical ARC. Loved A Queen in Hiding, need to write my review. Made progress in Kingdom of Souls. Happy with my stats for #24B4Monday

Andrew65 What a sensational time and weekend! 👏👏👏🙌🍾🥂 Thanks for taking part. 4y
15 likes1 comment
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Godpants
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I‘ll read pretty much any book that comes out about Manson, so hoping this one is good!

LauraJ Let us know what you think. 4y
9 likes1 comment
review
katcalvin
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Pickpick

Mind. Blown. Couldn‘t put it down. Everything we think we know is a lie. Of course. Must read.

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MMenefee
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🤣🤣This book is B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Unorganized, but highly readable.