Review: Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders

Coming up on the 50th anniversary of the Tate-Labianca murders there seems to be an explosion in the media of things related to this case. From Manson Girls specials on Oxygen to it being hinted at in the new Tarantino film, this crime has not been forgotten. I did not really know who Sharon Tate was. Just that she was an actress and that she had been murdered due to a plot conspired by the Manson Family. Most Baby Boomers I'm sure remembered who she was, but this was my parent's generation and not mine. I only knew her because of how well known this true crime case was. I wanted to learn more about this case so I decided to read this book about it. Written by Greg King and reprinted with updated information. I found this to be an intriguing read.

First off Kudos to King for humanizing the victims of this terrible tragedy. This book starts by introducing Sharon Tate. It's basically a biography of her very short life. From her early years as an Army brat to the start of her film career. While I thought it was good to share that Sharon was a good person and that she had potential as an actress I found the descriptions of some of the films she was in to be too much detail that was not really needed. The detail of whole scenes and plots of films was very unnecessary. I did however appreciated the timeline listing of events from and about all parties involved in these events. Once you get past the listing of Tate's film career the book really starts to get interesting. The details into her marriage with Polanski, and the way her friends were with drugs and lifestyle, etc. I thought it was interesting to learn about Abigail Folger and how she was a humanitarian who donated her time by volunteering at a welfare office and even raised money for charities as well. It was said she felt guilty of her wealth, and I wonder what she would have accomplished if she had lived. 

I also found his information into the Manson Family to be intriguing as well. I learned details about them that I didn't know and about the events of this crime which I also did not know. Especially the updated info regarding the parole hearings and where are they now type info about the criminals who committed the crimes. I can see why he has updated the book over the years. Doris Tate (Sharon's mother) became an advocate for victims rights and really pushed for legislation that has greatly made a difference to the legal system. I recommend this book to anyone interested in this case or someone interested in true crime. Like I mentioned before Greg King did a very good job in putting a face to the victims and showing the lost potential of what could have been. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com. I will have links down below to purchase this book. The UK and Canada get your copy here - Sharon Tate 

All others from the world can shop through my link here - Manson Murders.