“I dont care what other people think. Im not interested in morals. Im not interested, period. Rules do not factor into my decision-making. Im capable of almost anything.”
Summary - Sociopath: A Memoir is at once a jaw-dropping tale of a life lived on the edge of the law, and a moving account of one woman’s battle to gain a deeper understanding of people who, like her, are sociopaths.
The first hmm maybe half I was all in, I loved learning about how non-existent the term sociopath is/was when Patric Gagne was researching and attempting to learn more about sociopathy and psychopathy. Learning about Gagne’s upbringing and childhood was also fascinating.
Sounds like a really fascinating book, doesn’t it? Well, this was when it started to piss me off. She made extremely immoral and dangerous choices, never once being afraid of any consequences (sociopaths lack empathy so I understand the ‘why’) BUT what if every person with a mental illness acted on every single one of their impulses? I also recognize that she did not come of age in a time that recognized mental illness but the woman was in therapy and was clearly not trying to “get better” but rather, just learn more about herself. She never once used the word narcissist but she seems to be a pretty big one. Towards the end she even mentions used physical violence against a child to “teach the kid a lesson.” I truly hope that she has found some stregth to actually find the right set of doctors to actually calm her mind.
Have you read this one? It is very interesting so I think I still may recommend it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Find Sociopath at the publisher →
Toni Rocchetti is a copy editor helping authors strengthen their narratives, deepen character arcs, and find the story that is already in the draft. She reads 80+ books a year across literary fiction, memoir, and nonfiction — and writes about what she is learning along the way. Work with Toni →
