Book Review: Member of the Family

Happy Halloween!!

I thought I would share my review of one of the "scariest" books I've read this year, Member of the Family by former Manson Family member, Dianne Lake.

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: October 24, 2017

Genre: Autobiography

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 century’s most notorious criminals and life as one of his "girls."

At age fourteen Dianne Lake—with little more than a note in her pocket from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave them—became one of "Charlie’s 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 Manson’s true nature revealed itself. From Spahn ranch and the group acid trips, to the Beatles’ White Album and Manson’s dangerous messiah-complex, Dianne tells the riveting story of the group’s descent into madness as she lived it.

Though she never participated in any of the group’s 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 prosecution’s 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.

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My Review ♥️

There is something about mind control that is utterly fascinating to me, which is why I've always been intrigued by Charles Manson and the Manson Family. Cults in general have always been a repulsion to many, which also makes them alluring, many of us trying to answer the why's and how's. How do these cult leaders become so powerful in the first place and why do they do what they do when they have that power and control?

Member of the Family is Dianne Lake's life story, mainly focused on her youth and time with the Manson Family. Also known as "Snake," Dianne was the youngest member of Charlie's inner circle in the Family and was there when the Tate-LaBianca murders took place. Though she wasn't present during the actual murders, Dianne was a witness to the gruesome details from the ones that were there and did take part, and was a key witness in the trails that put Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie van Houten, and Charles "Tex" Watson away for the rest of their lives.

The novel starts at the beginning of Dianne's life, including painful childhood experiences, and the transition her family took from being a normal suburban family, to "drop out" of normal society and join the hippie movement, living out of a bread truck in California. It is during this time, at the age of fourteen, that Dianne's parents relinquish their parental rights and Dianne is on her own, moving from commune to commune, until she meets Charles Manson and immediately becomes apart of the Family.

Dianne does not shy away from details about her experiences with drugs, particularly LSD, and sexual encounters, including group sex with multiple partners and Charlie himself.

There is also details about daily life, taking care of the children in the group, dumpster diving for food, and life in general in the hippie culture. Some of it was incredibly hard to read but luckily the details were just graphic enough to get the point across.

As I'm reading, and the story is drawing closer and closer to August 1969, I'm wondering what Dianne's particular role was in the murders, since I haven't read or seen too much about her in the past, and I found out that she was as close as you can be without actually witnessing the murders being committed. Dianne tells about the girls (Susan, Leslie, and Pat) being giddy, bragging about the murders and getting a taste for blood, so to speak. I had always been under the impression that the murders were committed out of obligation and obedience to Charlie and that there was no joy in the fulfillment but I was clearly wrong, and that sickens me to my core. How can a person find pleasure in doing something so heinous? That right there is evil in the purest form but evil personified will forever lie with Charles Manson.

I hate how Dianne was treated by Charlie in the final months both before and after the crimes were committed and how the Family as a whole went from being a peaceful hippie collective to paranoid murderers in training. I am so thankful that Dianne was able to escape that life and move past it all to live a normal and happy life. I spent a lot of time angry while reading her narrative, knowing Dianne wouldn't have went through all she did if it weren't for her selfish father, and hope that in writing her story that she was able to put a lot of feelings to rest.

I truly felt Dianne on these pages, that little girl that didn't truly understand the why's of everything that happened, and this was evident up until the very end. Though not eloquently written, it was raw, real, and 100% authentic, gripping your mind and imagination. I can't say that I enjoyed reading this novel, due to the material it entails, but I did find it utterly engrossing and commend Dianne for having the courage to finally tell her story.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Photo Credit:
(1) Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwenkel, and Leslie Van Houten: Keeping Faith with Women of the Manson Family (2) Charles Manson: 5 Frightening Facts About Charles Manson and the Manson Family (3) Charles "Tex" Watson: The Manson Family in Photos: Portraits of Murder (4) Manson Girls: Dianne Lake