For anyone who’s ever wondered (as I have) about what makes a sociopath tick, this book might just hold the answer. I know it was an eye-opener for me. Whether the author is a true sociopath or only a fauxciopath (her term for pretenders), her memoir gave me a tremendous amount of insight into sociopathic behaviors I’ve witnessed in the past, to the point that I actually felt a twinge of empathy. There isn’t anything dry or clinical about this at all, it reads like good contemporary fiction and parts of it could have come straight out of a gossip magazine. ( )

For anyone interested in sociopathy, this is an interesting way to get a better understanding at least through Gagne's first person POV.

What I think this book does well:

1) Those who are or think they might be sociopaths (or those with such a person in their life) may recognize themselves here. Gagne's goal is to help fellow sociopaths. This book may be a path to that.

2) I took a lot of college psych classes and agree with Gagne that sociopathy didn't seem especially well understood or at least clearly delineated. This gets in her head and makes it more personal, if not relatable to anyone looking to better understand what sociopathy is and isn't.

Things to keep in mind if/as you read and some bits I'm mulling further:

3) I'm not sure how generally applicable and projectable much of Gagne's life and expression of sociopathy is to other potential sociopaths. For example, Gagne spent a lot of years in LA, employed in the music industry. Some of those she was regularly around lived fast and free and weren't told no as long as the hits kept coming. TLDR: Her life and experiences are unique even outside her being a sociopath and I'm not so sure they're applicable to, say, people who live in suburban or rural areas, don't have access to therapy, work in more traditional jobs, etc. Maybe. But also, maybe not.

4) With only a couple of exceptions, Gagne repeatedly is drawn to people who don't have her best interests in mind and want to tap into her lack of remorse, or concern for consequences. It's unclear if/how she overcomes this as that could be said of some of the people she's closest to.

5) I would have liked more insight into how Gagne built (kept or re-established) healthy relationships with both of her parents, her sister, and her female friends. That's...unclear.

6) All of her childhood memories are recounted with the benefit of adult perspective. That doesn't make them untrue or less valuable, only that adult Gagne is able to self-analyze her childhood in a way that she (or anyone else) could not possibly have when she was a child. That life experience helps make meaning of her past, but it can also make for jarring reading because her POV is not formed or expressed from a child's perspective.

7) It's fascinating how despite Gagne's inability to access emotion and lack of concern for consequences, she seems to have a very high need for validation and acceptance of others. That seems discordant, but maybe it's not?

8) There are many, many, many times, Gagne will remind whomever she's speaking to in a recounted memory (and thus also the reader) that she's a sociopath. There's so much reminding of her sociopathy that it's almost a drinking game. Or a parody.

Mildly annoying and eyerolly, yes, but nothing more than that.

This is not a book I'd recommend to everyone, but it's a book I'd definitely recommend to the right someone. I'm glad I read it and if you're intrigued, you probably will be too. ( )