The gruesome murders of the beautiful and talented actress Sharon Tate, her unborn child and four others that same night at the hands of the notorious âManson familyâ rocked the nation. As one of the most horrific crimes in modern history, these atrocities, the trial and the subsequent conviction of Charles Manson and his followers caused a media sensation, spawning movies, documentaries and bestselling books, including the classic Helter Skelter. A defining moment in an era otherwise associated with radical peace, love and understanding, this incident is one that still resonates with millions today.
Yet while this crime left an indelible mark on societyâs consciousness, it was, first and foremost, a shattering personal tragedy for those closest to Sharonâthe loving family left to cope with the emotional devastation of her loss. Now, after nearly forty years, their story is finally revealed.
Compiled by close family friend Alisa Statman and Sharonâs niece Brie Tate, Restless Souls draws on a wealth of material including interviews with the Tates, personal letters, tape recordings, home movies, public interviews, private journals, and official documents to provide a powerful, poignant, and affecting four-decade, three-generation memoir of crime and punishment, anguish and hope, rage and love, that is both a chronicle of death and a celebration of life.
Extending beyond all previous accounts, Restless Souls is the most revealing, riveting, and emotionally raw account not just of these heinous murders, the hunt and capture of the killers and the behind-the-scenes drama of their trials, but of the torment victims familiesâ endure for years in the wake of such senseless violence.
Tate family members set the record straight, correcting media misinformation and delving well beyond the official storyline to provide information, much of it available for the first time. Intimate, honest, and heartfelt, Restless Souls remarkable details, including :
the dramatic role Sharonâs father, P. J., a retired army intelligence officer, played in finding his daughterâs murderers the reaction P. J. had when he came face to faceâaloneâwith Sharonâs convicted killer in a holding room during a parole hearing the threats and menace that extended beyond prison walls, haunting the victimâs family for generations later the fight Sharonâs mother, Doris, mounted to insure the rights of victimsâ loved ones, particularly the right to make an âimpact statementâ at parole hearingsâa legacy that has helped keep dangerous criminals behind bars the battles Sharonâs sister, Patti, waged with the entertainment industry as she tirelessly worked to prevent artists from glorifying her sisterâs killers in music, art, and films Told from the Tateâs extraordinary perspective Restless Souls offers a rare glimpse at the post-trauma survival of a family and their journey to find justice and ultimately, peaceâa glimpse that couldnât be more timely as Charles Manson comes up for parole again in 2012.