Member of the Family: Manson, Murder and Me

(Paperback)

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Following the recent death of Charles Manson the leader of the sinister 60s cult Dianne Lake reveals the true story of life with Manson and his family, who became notorious for a series of shocking murders during the summer of 1969.
In this poignant and disturbing memoir of lost innocence, coercion, survival, and healing, Dianne Lake chronicles her years with Charles Manson, revealing for the first time how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the twentieth centurys most notorious criminals and life as one of his girls.

At age fourteen, Dianne Lakewith little more than a note in her pocket from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave thembecame one of Charlies girls, a devoted acolyte of cult leader Charles Manson. Over the course of two years, the impressionable teenager endured manipulation, psychological control, and physical abuse as the harsh realities and looming darkness of Charles Mansons true nature revealed itself. From Spahn ranch and the group acid trips, to the Beatles White Album and Mansons dangerous messiah-complex, Dianne tells the riveting story of the groups descent into madness as she lived it.

Though she never participated in any of the groups gruesome crimes and was purposely insulated from them, Dianne was arrested with the rest of the Manson Family, and eventually learned enough to join the prosecutions case against them. With the help of good Samaritans, including the cop who first arrested her and later adopted her, the courageous young woman eventually found redemption and grew up to lead an ordinary life.

While much has been written about Charles Manson, this riveting account from an actual Family member is a chilling portrait that recreates in vivid detail one of the most horrifying and fascinating chapters in modern American history.

Author Bio

Dianne Lake is a retired special education teacher and mother of three.

Deborah Levine Herman is the author of twelve books, an attorney and journalist. She resides in the Berkshires of Massachusetts with her family.