Cease To Exist: The firsthand account of the journey to becoming a killer for Charles Manson

I have read numerous book on the Manson family including Helter Skelter and books by Susan Adkins and Diane Lake; this was a great addition. The first part of the book discusses in great detail how Charles Watson became Tex Watson of the Manson family. He discusses how he became part of the family and how the family changed from love to murder. Tex takes responsibility for his actions of August 9th and 10th 1969. I was a little disappointed that so little was spent discussing the murders. I hoped to learn information about those nights that I hadn't already read about; thoughts, feelings, little details. Tex wrote basically the same rendition of those two nights as what was written in Helter Skelter. I wasn't looking for gory details but maybe some insight into the man who wielded the knife. Last half of the book is divided between the trial and prison life. The trial information was insightful as this wasn't really covered in Helter Skelter. The last section of the book is about his rebirth as a Christian and the prison ministry he became involved in. I honestly was not that interested in this as the stories of prison "rebirth" are a dime a dozen. Overall it was a very easy book to read and it was a good addition to the other Manson family books out there.

I had read Charles Watson's book many, many years ago. I re-read it recently and was much more impressed with it this time around. Of all the books about the Manson case, his, I think, is probably the most accurate. Watson was an All-American boy back in Texas, good student, top athlete. But he lacked any real direction in his life, made it to California and then found it was easier to party and sell drugs than it was to get a job.He crossed paths with Charles Manson and immediately fell under Manson's domination, eventually becoming Manson's chief lieutenant. It was a great time as long as it involved drugs, sex, women waiting on the men hand and foot. But we know how it turned out.Watson's account of what happened at the Tate and LaBianca homes is horrifying now matter how much he tries to soften it, not to avoid his culpability, but to spare the reader's feelings.While in prison Watson became a Christian and he's devoted his life to ministry ever since. In that respect, his book is a witness of how Christ can redeem even someone who was as lost as Charles Watson was.

Charles Watson is proof. He has gone from drugged out, groupie murderer to true follower of Christ. He proved that even with all the bad in his life, even living in prison for the rest of his life, he could change himself and become a better person. He will continue to help fellow inmates in learning how to change their own lives, no matter what their crimes ,and bring about love where before there was nothing but blackness and pain.I will continue to pray that he remains true to this path. Through his experience and his book, perhaps it will awaken others before it is too late.

The books written surrounding the Tate/LaBianca murders have been mostly focused on Manson and the women. This time Tex Watson has given his voice to the incident and it is very different from the others. From the way he was introduced to the Family by none other than Dennis Wilson himself, to his separation from the Family and his own trial. Both of which are always stated as an afterthought, because his trial was months later than the "big show" with Manson. Ok yes, his rediscovery of religion is cookie cutter, but not vital to his story. He is still in prison and will be there until he dies, which he has accepted.

I was very fortunate to meet Tex in Prison. Visiting with my Brother. He is a Great and Real Christian. I had Prayed for many years that he would get out and expose the evil that he happened upon. No excuse for what he did. But many live`s could have been saved if he could have been given a chance to help others. His book is a great read! Thank You Tex for writing it.

Fascinating book until all the 'i love Jesus now' bull bird. I skimmed through the ending quickly because that's all it was but the rest of the book was quite a page turner!

I found Mr. Watson's account of the Tate/LaBianca murders fairly straightforward. He didn't avoid difficult subjects which was honest of him. He openly admits his own mistakes while showing how he and several others were manipulated by drugs, mind control techniques and their own bad judgment. The book ends on a positive note with him sharing his own spiritual epiphany and letting people know that no one is beyond the grace and forgiveness of God.

The book was a compelling read and tries to answer the question we all have about this case: how could an Manson have built a group of followers so loyal and so blindly obedient to the point of being willing to kill for him and do it in such a gruesome manner per his instruction. The book is compact and hard-hitting. Mr Watson's writing is vivid and fast-moving. There's never a dull moment as he describes his gradual entanglement in Manson's web of hallucinogenics, free "love", his manipulative philosophy(cease to exist), his fantastical pseudo-prophecy(helter-skelter) and calculated lies. A must read for all interested in the Manson case.

Interesting to hear the how the shocking events of that night went down from the actual person who perpetrated all the murders. He doesn't shy away from the gory details and it's still hard to believe how someone could be convinced by anyone, even Manson, to carry out this carnage. Still hard to feel sympathy for him.

Interesting book. Mr Watson seems to lay the blame for those horrific murders at Manson's door. I do believe Manson was manipulative and evil but I can't get my head around how anyone would murder innocent people, one a pregnant woman cos someone told them to. Why not walk away? Was it a case of a group of evil people coming together at that one time? Was it drugs? I just don't know. I don't suppose anyone will ever understand why these senseless atrocities happened.

Very interesting account of the Manson murders by Tex Watson who was the person who actually did the murders. The story of his path from an all-american college student to murderer was riveting, although it was unclear whether he wrote the book or his prison priest. Still, very interesting account.

Tex just exchanged one leader for another. He tells us what he did but there’s no why. The why is because he wanted to. With or without Charlie, at some point in his life he would have just found someone else. This book is a snore and he blames everyone and everything else rather than take accountability for understanding what he had done.

Uno dei pochi libri, se non l'unico, che descrive nei minimi dettagli la parte di lavaggio psicologico che Manson ha fatto sui suoi addepti.