Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Massachusetts resident Paul Rogers for our 52nd installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Paul and I met together via zoom on the podcast "Frivolous Dreams," which is hosted and operated by his son, Kyle Rogers, here in Cathlamet.

Paul and Kyle had recently begun reading the book "Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties" by Tom O'Neill. Beginning our conversation, Paul said, "I'm not big on character books [or] nonfiction. I mostly read fantasy fiction. I've read the first 60-70 pages of 'Chaos.' What I find interesting is how these people became convinced to commit these crimes; how they wanted to be a part of this counter-culture of the 60s. But I don't get how they wanted to commit these murders. I read the book 'Helter Skelter' by Bugliosi and Gentry when it first came out in the 70s, so I had this background about the crimes. The first pages of 'Chaos' paint the picture well. They're very descriptive; a vivid picture of what the author wants to articulate."

Paul went on by describing the lawyer, Bugliosi, who, 30 years later, was still living in the past with the trial. "I find it difficult to still live 30 years later in the past," said Paul. "In the early part of 'Chaos,' it shows that a lot of info didn't come out in the trial. There were disagreements. Manson had lived in a home next to the one where they committed murder, but that didn't come out in the trial. I don't recall in 'Helter Skelter' the authors having a desire to figure out the psychology of Manson, who was very manipulative of young women, and would get them to consider him like a father and follow him in committing murder. Manson was a cult leader, in my opinion. Today, we're not sure how many people he may have murdered in other cases. In 'Chaos,' the authors talk about a music deal, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and how Manson was rejected for a record deal. Then you have the drug scene in the 60s, getting high as a kite, and our own government practicing psychological drug tests on people without them even knowing. I find that amazing. I like the book, but I don't know how much is speculation. The whole story is made for TV. It's newsworthy, it's so powerful. Manson inscribed this X on his forehead right before incarceration. I think he had a motive for the murders. It was revenge on the rejection of a record deal he wanted. It was his plan - the murders - he was the mastermind behind it all. I do recommend the book; it's intriguing to me. I will read it completely."

Noting the reading that he had done during his youth was "none," Paul said, "We moved a lot, and I went to 11 different schools and eight different school districts. My mom was busy with eight kids, not a lot of time. I did the school book reports, the required assignments only. I read about 10 books until my early 20s. I encourage parents to keep their kids in the same school and district. It's too distracting for the kid's education they need."

May you wonderful Wahkiakum readers find a book, maybe not your favorite genre, but one you still enjoy reading, and sharing it with another.