Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties

I purchased this book by accident. Dianne Lake was not the Member of the Family I was interested in researching.After a recent Facebook post explaining how the Manson Family squatted in Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s house for several months, (a fact I had never heard before) my curiosity got the best of me and I had to find out how this bizarre incident occurred. Of course I knew who Charles Manson was. Growing up in the sixties and seventies I had heard all about this cult and the murder of Sharon Tate. But the Beach Boy connection I was clueless about. My cluelessness was exposed for all to see when I shared the Manson/Beach Boys post on my Facebook page. Several people wrote me back questioning my whereabouts for the past forty years. One friend in particular said I simply must read Helter Skelter to understand the entire Manson family story.After my wife presented me with a copy of Helter Skelter, I placed the book face down so as not to see the evil blood red letters of the title. I was afraid to read it, not kidding. I chose to ignore and procrastinate reading this murderous tale of American History. Perhaps even let another forty years go by. I finally picked it up and began to read Vincent Bugliosi’s true crime story of his investigation, trial and conviction of the Tate/LaBianca Murders that paralyzed the LA area and the nation in 1969. I was flabbergasted and amazed at how this “little man” could not just control people but receive their love and devotion also. Forty plus years later Bugliosi’s story pulled me along, page by page. So I read on- a page turner for sure.After reading Helter Skelter, I needed to know more. I wanted to know why Charles “Tex” Watson could not be extradited to California and when, and if, he ever stood trial for the seven murders he had a major part in committing. And how could a star athlete from a small town in Texas get hooked up with the likes of Charles Manson? I had to know. A short Google search led me to discover that he is still incarcerated and leading a prison ministry in CA. Also learning that Susan Atkins had a ministry as well, and both she and Tex wrote books about their life inside the Family, how they got there, why they murdered because “Charlie told them to”, their conviction for the murders, subsequent imprisonment, and conversion to Jesus Christ.I purchased and read both Charles “Tex” Watson’s book “Will You Die for Me” and Susan Atkin’s book “Child of Satan, Child of God”. (Susan Atkins passed away in 2009). Both are out of print but was able to buy them on EBay. I devoured both books, and was simply amazed at their life stories, and how they each landed inside the notorious family.During my Manson online buying spree, I also purchased “Member of the Family” by Dianne Lake, not realizing the book was just recently published. I was not particularly curious about Dianne’s story. Wanting to take a break from all things Manson for a while, I put her book aside and ignored it. It was an impulsive purchase anyway. Picking it up one night just to read the jacket cover I discovered the book’s recent publication date and was hooked from page one.To make a really long story short, “Member of the Family,” by Dianne Lake is the best written, most complete story of the origins and formation of the Manson Family, as well as its demise. Dianne’s story begins in a small town in Minnesota with life experiences not un-common to many small town Americans in the 50’s and 60’s. She spells out her life with her parents as they went from a modest, happy middle class life to becoming Timothy Leary devotees who eventually “drop out” of society to live in a converted bread truck, ending up at the infamous Hog Farm Commune led by Wavy Gravy of Woodstock lore and into the arms of the Manson Cult. Dianne Lake tells us how her parents introduced her to pot and LSD at the age of fourteen and exposed her to the free love, no possessions (except for drugs) lifestyle that came along with dropping out of society. The famous Beach Boy story is finally spelled out in complete detail. Dianne’s book reveals many details not told in the other Manson family books I read. Dianne is totally honest about her drug use, sex life, feelings, and relationships she encountered during her tumultuous, and at times, harrowing childhood. She describes in vivid detail the decisions, mostly made by her counter-culture parents, which led her into the family led by Charles Manson. Her dislike of Susan Atkins is evident also, in my opinion.This book is a MUST READ for all those who want to learn about the beginning and ending of the Manson Cult, their journeys in the black bus, the houses and ranches they squatted in, and the lost souls who joined them along the way. But to her credit Dianne Lake opens the door into the minds of some of the characters that shaped the counter-culture forces which took root in 1960’s America and sheds some needed light on the era of sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll with its shallow promises and trail of broken dreams. Thankfully Dianne was a survivor of it all and has also turned her life over to Jesus Christ.Several lines towards the end of the book sum up her thoughts nicely when she finally discovers who Charles Manson really is. “…..a scruffy little man with an enormous ego who thought the rules didn’t apply to him. He was no god, he was no son of man. He was a fake, a fraud, a pimp, and a con artist.”

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 planning and 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.

Scary

If I could talk with this author I would ask her if she has read Chaos by Tom O'Neil.If she did I am sure it would put a different spin on her book.

A fabulous book from a different point of view. Scary, sad and encouraging all at once. To live through what the author lived through… words cannot express

I loved this book. Dianne had the courage to reveal details of her family life and later of the Manson Family that i’ve never read about. She was there.

How amazing for Dianne to find peace after her experience with the Manson family. Fascinating story. I can't believe her parents were not implicated more in her joining the cult.

I remember the reports about the murders vividly. Senseless, gruesome. The account here is well written, just a little tedious. The subjects are uninteresting people, apart from their incredible naivety. I feel pity for Dianne, an innocent young girl. Parents are to be totally condemned for casting her adrift.

As a shamefacedly admitted Manson anorak - simply because of a coincidence in dates - I've read lots of really poor, and a few very good books on this almost incredible moment in American history. This book - by one of the most victimised of Manson's Girls (she was only 14 when her newly-dropped-out parents happily waved her off with Charlie & Co) - is one of the few good ones. By definition, really, as it is written by someone who was on the inside of the tragedy, rather than a journalist: the same goes for the two other best books on the subject: Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, who investigated & prosecuted the case; and The Family by Ed Sanders, who was part of those heady, hippy times and wrote contemporaneously, giving a vivid, highly coloured and authentic account of the madness and the sadness of the end of the Peace & Love dream generation.Dianne Lake was raped (statutorily and literally), fed drugs, controlled, assaulted, beaten and brainwashed by Manson. But her account contains not a shred of self- pity; it is simply honest, fair-minded and open. She provides an excellent evocation of the times, her childhood, her feckless father and casual drift into danger. There's a selection of her own photographs, none for titllation or gruesome poring over the horrific details, but excellent for conjuring the atmosphere. Her rescue and adoption by one of the officers on the Manson case is moving and provides, exceptionally for this kind of memoir, a genuinely Happy Ending.

I have been a prolific reader about the Manson family for decades. Eventually, everything seems to meld into everything and you reach a point where nothing is new. Dianne' book changed all that. First of all, the book is amazingly well written. The pacing is great, the writing is very vivid, and I am coming away with a super big dose of love for this young lady who had to endure so much. It's really amazing to get a completely different picture in your mind than what you've had for 40 years, but with her expressive and compelling storytelling, Dianne gave me excatly that. If you're a bit of a Manson scholar like I am, please read this book to come away with fresh knowledge. Thank you Dianne for writing this, thank you for becoming who you have become. I wish you nothing but the absolute best in life and beyond!