Deborah Herman

Dianne Lake

In this poignant and disturbing memoir of lost innocence, coercion, survival, and healing, Dianne Lake chronicles her years with Charles Manson, revealing for the first time how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the twentieth century’s most notorious criminals and life as one of his "girls." At age fourteen Dianne Lake—with little more than a note in her pocket from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave them—became one of "Charlie’s girls," a devoted acolyte of cult leader Charles Manson. Over the course of two years, the impressionable teenager endured manipulation, psychological control, and physical abuse as the harsh realities and looming darkness of Charles Manson’s true nature revealed itself. From Spahn ranch and the group acid trips, to the Beatles’ White Album and Manson’s dangerous messiah-complex, Dianne tells the riveting story of the group’s descent into madness as she lived it. Though she never participated in any of the group’s gruesome crimes and was purposely insulated from them, Dianne was arrested with the rest of the Manson Family, and eventually learned enough to join the prosecution’s case against them. With the help of good Samaritans, including the cop who first arrested her and later took her into his home, the courageous young woman eventually found redemption and grew up to lead an ordinary life. While much has been written about Charles Manson, this riveting account from an actual Family member is a chilling portrait that recreates in vivid detail one of the most horrifying and fascinating chapters in modern American history. Member of the Family includes 16 pages of photographs.

My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness that Ended the Sixties

Member of the Family

Although the first half of Spiritual Writing: From Inspiration to Publication is a well-written guide to nursing one's spiritual muse, it is the book's forthright and sensible second half that makes it a must-read. Here, Deborah Levine Herman gives readers the skinny on finding "spirit-friendly" literary agents and publishers, crafting a strong book proposal and navigating the publication process.She paints a realistic picture of the publishing world, which is increasingly open to spiritual books but also, as ever, concerned about the bottom line. PW feels that the author deserves an award simply for warning, "Never say, in your proposal, `God told me to write this' or `My psychic told me it would be a best-seller.' " (PW has seen this and worse.) The book is quite comprehensive, addressing the evangelical Christian market almost as well as it deals with the New Age. It should be on the desk of every spiritual writer. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Inspiration to Publication

Spiritual Writing

Jeff Herman

Presents ten successful book proposals and explains how and why they sold; offers tips on writing an effective outline, query letter, and sample chapter; and tells how to evaluate the market and the competition.

Deborah Herman

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