Child of Satan, Child of God

I read all of the reviews, including the horrible ones, prior to reading the book, yet I still found it an interesting account of a truly lost soul. It was gut wrenching, banal, fun, desperate, amusing, mundane, tragic, deceptive,and spooky all in one story. The emphasis placed on the events prior to and after the August 1969-March 1972 was good. Little can be said of the crimes and the trial that has not been said already, so I was glad that she did not dwell on them. It was, however, chilling to read about the events of the Sharon Tate murders from a participant's point of view. I DO think Susan Atkins had more of a role in this than she states. The events of that night are probably blurred in her mind. One the lighter side, the stories of the San Francisco hippie scene, the communes and the bus travels of 1967-1968 were fun to read about. Her teenage dream about the hallway,with it's locked doors and the horrible, screeching black sheet engulfing her was something to behold. Her first day at the CIW in the SSU might seem banal to some, but it described a person who had truly hit rock bottom. All these years I wondered how she had coped with the mess she created for other lives as well as her own. The isolation was obvious to her, and as time passes, the reality of her actions of August 1969 seem to finally sink in. Many have commented on her lack of remorse.An apology will not bring back the dead. I think the remorse IS there. It shows itself in her gradual meltdown. Susan srikes me as one who puts up a front of "Look at me, I'm a bad ____!", but I do think inside she is a small, very insecure, little girl. I do think she has a few loose screws, and she may not know that the best of intentions will not tighten these screws. Overall, I liked the book. It's not a great work of literature, but it is one of a kind.

I had been wanting to read this book for many years, but it has been out of print for many years. I had read many books covering this fascinating case. I just didn't get it how these all-american girls could become knife wielding maniacs. I finally bought the book on e-bay(you can also buy it here used) I have to say this is just one of the more fascinating books on the case, it's a first hand account of what happened august 9-10 and living with Charlie. Though the book does leave some questions unanswered it is very informative. I don't think this was a self serving book like some people seem to think, she would have painted herself in a much prettier light, but when I finished the book I remember thinkin "man ! she really doesn't know why this all happened. I liked reading the part before she met Charlie, very touching when her mother was diyng of cancer and that time dancing on the strip and with Anton LaVey, also after the trial how she was alienated from her codefendents (labelled a snitch)and thought they would kill her, I really felt simpathy for her, she was not prison wise and did a pretty hard time in the beginning. I also found interesting the chapter when Gipsy and Mary werw trying to escape and Susan was planning to go with them. Her biggest victory was when she descided not follow them and said to Gipsy taht she did not want to be on her trip she needed her own. I was surprised at how lost she was and dissatisfied with everything she did. I belive she did not stab Sharon Tate nor Hinman, all that confession was just her being "the filthiest person alive" trying to impress her jailmates and being tough, but Susan Atkins was far from being tough, she was just a lost girl and scared to death, probpably an alcoholic and very disfunktional. All this is no defense to her, she deserves to be in prison, i think she should eventully be released but that's very unlikely I recomend this book to everybody esp those interested in esp the Manson women,,,,I found Susan's story very toutching, disturbing and often comical,,,,,,

Wow! I was very skeptical when I first began reading this book. We've all heard the 'inmate gets converted' stories, and as a Christian, there is nothing I would like to hear more. Often though, the story proves false. Not so with "Child of Satan, Child of God". I think Atkins did a risky thing, opening up the very darkness of her past for all to see. And if one knows anything about cults, shaking the grip of a leader is the hardest part: Something Atkins explores in detail.

I was sixteen years old when I read this book. I had seen Helter Skelter and was interested in the story. I read this book after doing a term paper on twentieth century killers. I have read other reviews saying that this was a self-serving book. If that were so, Susan Adkins would have painted herself in a much better light. I found this book to be a real eye opener, especially for a girl who lived in a small central Texas town and was born after the Charles Manson family's spree. I am now a psychologist, and am good at reading people. I read this book again, and read it with the eye and mind of a psycholigist. I found this to be a truthful, heartfelt story, of a woman who after slipping through the cracks of society and hitting rock bottom with Charles Manson, found God. Now, she lives in the knowledge that even if society can never forgive her for what she's done, that God has. She now works ministering to other women in prison. I was touched by this book as a teenager, and it still touches me now.

This book is perhaps more important now, in this age of youth violence, gangs, and broken homes, than when it was written. More than merely an inner view of the Charles Manson Family and those crimes, this book offers an insight into how otherwise ordinary youth, from middle class backgrounds, were allowed to slip through society's fingers. To that extent, it shows us the pressures that effect youth even today. More importantly, it shows how such lost souls can and are reborn. That such an oppressive series of crimes could provide the background for such an uplifting, encouraging book, is a testiment in itself.