Hadar Aviram, Yesterday’s Monsters: The Manson Family Cases and the Illusion of Parole
| Author | Chrysanthi S. Leon,Maggie Buckridge |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14624745211053598 |
| Published date | 01 April 2023 |
| Date | 01 April 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this
article.
ORCID iD
Jason S Sexton https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8408-5034
References
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Jason S Sexton
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Hadar Aviram, Yesterday’s Monsters: The Manson Family Cases and the
Illusion of Parole, University of California Press: Oakland, CA, 2020; 277
+xiv pp. (including index), ISBN: 9780520291553, $29.95 (pbk)
Yesterday’s Monsters provides a rich, detailed and provocative examination of parole
through the lens of an infamous case, yet without sensationalism or voyeurism.
Aviram has a unique voice which magnifies the readability of the text. Chapters are of
typical length for a scholarly book but are easily digestible, making the book truly suit-
able for undergraduate and broader audiences, which is often stated and less often true.
Readers interested in criminal justice as well as students in other disciplines like media
studies, sociology, and psychology would be captivated by the book. Aviram’s book
will also appeal to true crime fanatics and may even provide an avenue for building
empathy for people in prison.
Aviram situates her book within the landscape of punishment in the US in the 20th
century using parole board transcripts supplemented with interviews. She effectively jus-
tifies her selection of the Manson family murders and provides a detailed account of the
benefits and limitations. She incorporates transcripts seamlessly into the analysis.
Book Reviews 559
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