This is the story of the real Charles Mansion and who he was during his life behind bars, as told by his prison counselor.

Charles Manson died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83, his reputation as an unhinged cult leader largely intact. But to those who studied and "knew" Manson, there were always two sides to him: the wild-eyed leader of his eponymous "Family" who was convicted of directing a series of brutal and shocking murders, and the more controlled and rational person he became when no one was recording him. In Charles Manson: Conversations with a Killer, Edward George, Manson's longtime prison counselor, recounts his many behind-the-scenes conversations with Manson throughout his years at both San Quentin State Prison and the California Medical Facility. Originally published in 1998 under the title Taming the Beast: Charles Manson's Life Behind Bars, this revised edition includes a new foreword by the original authors that details all that has transpired--including Manson's death--since the initial publication of the book.