Helter Skelter (book) Helter Skelter (book) Helter Skelter (1974) is a book by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. Bugliosi had served as the prosecutor in the 1970 trial of Charles Manson. The book presents his firsthand account of the cases of Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and other members of the self-described Manson Family. It is the best-selling true crime book in history. The book recounts and assesses the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of Charles Manson and his followers for the notorious 1969 murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, actress Sharon Tate, and several others. The book takes its title from the apocalyptic
Charles Manson "Man of the Year". In June 1970, he was the subject of a "Rolling Stone" cover story, "Charles Manson: The Incredible Story of the Most Dangerous Man Alive". When a "Rolling Stone" writer visited the Los Angeles District Attorney's office in preparing that story, he was shocked by a photograph of the bloody "Healter Skelter" that would bind Manson to popular culture. Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi pointed out the dispute in the underground press over whether Manson was "Christ returned" or "a sick symbol of our times" to his "Helter Skelter" co-author, Curt Gentry. Bernardine Dohrn, a leader of the Weather