Your Children : Charles Manson 1973 [ Trial Statement ]

“Your Children” by Charles Manson is a rare and highly sought-after edition of Manson’s final statement at his conspiracy trial for the infamous Tate-LaBianca Murders of 1969. In this statement, Manson places ultimate responsibility on society for raising murderous children. Reprinted from original newspaper reporting “as a document of modern life that has been overlooked” by David Lee and the Vanishing Triangle Press, known for publishing the first two novels of Kathy Acker, as well as works by John Ashbery, Gerard Malanga, and Guy Debord. The text has been “slightly edited for clarity but not abridged” to maintain the integrity of Manson’s original statement.

The Tate-LaBianca trial, in which Manson and his followers were convicted for the gruesome murders of actress Sharon Tate and several others, was one of the most notorious criminal cases of the 20th century. Manson’s statement, in “Your Children,” offers a chilling and unique perspective on the events leading up to the murders and the societal factors that he believes led to their occurrence, placing ultimate responsibility on society for raising a lost generation of murderous children.

Founded in 1969, the Vanishing Rotating Triangle Press played an important role in the counterculture movement of the 1970s and has been associated with some of the most influential writers and thinkers of the era. The press folded in 1978, making this edition of “Your Children” all the more rare and valuable. The book also serves as an important cultural document, shedding light on the societal factors that may have contributed to the Tate-LaBianca murders and the rise of Manson’s “family.”