Specials thanks to NetGalley for this ARC (advanced readers copy)! This one comes out in a month, and if you love a good memoir, you won't be disappointed. This one intrigued me and got in my head. If you can believe the writings of a sociopath and the journey she takes to understand her diagnosis, then you'll be fascinated. For me, the journey through her life seemed authentic and bravely told. I hope her experience will be able to shed some hope for those in a position like hers.

3.5 - This was a very unique memoir. I enjoyed it, but also was left confused, and I feel like I still don’t fully understand sociopathic traits. Some of the characteristics seem like they might be relevant to anyone, whereas others seemed like they applied to a broad list of personality disorders and illnesses. I was very drawn into the beginning and the stories of her early life, but felt like the middle dragged a bit. I enjoyed reading about the author’s life and relationships with others, but found it interesting that she seems to immediately announce her diagnosis to every person she comes in contact with. I also found it almost unbelievable that she was never caught or in serious trouble despite repeated bad behavior - was she never even suspended from or kicked out of a school, let alone caught breaking into a house? Overall, a really intriguing memoir on a topic I’ve never read anything about before, but I was left with some questions.

(Rounded up to 4 stars because I saw on the author’s instagram that she watches VPR/Bravo lol)

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

An interesting view into the mind of a sociopath. The writing style was quite engaging and, at times, this read like a novel.

I’m not usually a non-fiction reader but this book was very interesting to me. I found the subject matter very interesting and I loved reading about the author’s wins and struggles throughout her life. Not always an easy read, but definitely recommend.

What the heck?!? I love looking into and learning from the minds of mentally ill people. It's so rare that people admit to certain extreme illnesses. Because of that, parts of the book felt like they could not be true. In the years of cancellation, I commend the courage it took to share this with us. However, the author doesn't care one way or another.
I hope more people feel safe enough to share topics like this. Help remove the stereotype of all people who have mental illness.

“Sociopath” is a remarkable true story about a young girl/woman who uses the power of her mind and common sense to try to overcome an inherent, non-typical ,way of thinking and feeling. Gagne realizes at an early age that she is different from other people, and uses her skills of observation and deep thinking to overcome her obstacles, though not without trips and falls along the way. Her amazing story is honestly and thoughtfully laid out for us in a way that draws empathy with her struggles, and a feeling of rejoicing when she overcomes them. I would highly recommend this well-written, open, and honest record of her struggles to anyone who struggles with anything (and that would be all of us). Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

This story was a vivid and honest account of what it is like to grow up with a different way of sensing the world. The writer focused on key points in her childhood and how hard it was for her mom to understand her, and the fall out from their arguments was scary, but mom hung in there. Her younger sister knew her well enough to give her a superhero name: Captain Apathy.
The escapades during college had me reading late into the night. Somehow, Patric had the knack of not getting caught. The details of her odd choices and desire for authentic relationships despite everything kept me riveted. I appreciate the honest scenes with her therapist and what couples counseling is supposed to be like. Her determination to pursue psychology and find out everything she could on sociopathy was impressive. I loved the book and the happiness of the final chapter.

I loved the premise and was excited to read the book. It was deeply moving and informative. However, I found parts of it to be a bit confusing, especially towards the end. The pacing was a bit slow at times and felt like the book could have used a bit more editing. Overall, I enjoyed the story and writing.

It's so hard to write reviews on memoirs.

This one was dark but it had humour as well. The author goes through their childhood and into teen years/adulthood explaining their quest to find out why they are the way they are.
It is very insightful and it shows just how tough mental health and getting a diagnosis can be.

This book is a first-person account that shares the experience of someone living with a sociopathic personality disorder. The book is straightforward and the author tells her story without much embellishment or over-editorializing. This method helps readers understand the author's worldview, but it doesn't necessarily draw them in or help them connect with her and invest in the story. There is an inauthentic quality to the book, and the reader is left to feel that it has perhaps been either sanitized or embellished, but regardless, the reader is not getting the real, complete story or the real voice of the writer.

Sociopathy always has been and continues to be one of the most misunderstood psychiatric diagnoses. Often lumped in with psychopathy and antisocial personality, sociopathy has been largely disregarded in the world of psychiatry and there is very little understanding of how to treat and support those diagnosed as sociopaths. Much of what is known about sociopaths has been developed and generalized over decades of studying only those who have crossed the line and committed heinous crimes but, as Dr. Patric Gagne's book suggests (and proves), there are plenty of sociopathic personalities living marginally normal lives and looking for treatment and support.

Diagnosed as a sociopath in early adulthood, Patric had always known she was different. She didn't feel things the way other children seemed to or how her parents expected her to. She engaged in behavior she knew wasn't "normal" but it helped to ease an internal tension that she couldn't explain and didn't know how to cope with. When she got older, having a diagnosis did little to help her settle into the adult world as she encountered people who didn't truly understand what it was like to live without emotion, people who thought being a sociopath was "cool" and hung out with her in order to live vicariously through her behavior. Though she was able to find a long-term therapist, there was still little the world of psychiatry and psychology could do for her so she decided to do it for herself. After years of working in the music industry where hedonism and loose morals were not only accepted but highly encouraged, Patric decided to get her doctorate, focusing her research on sociopaths who were simply trying to live their lives. By telling her story, she hoped that she might help other sociopaths to see themselves in another and be able to come out of the shadows and get support.

This book was a phenomenal read. As a mental health historian, I deeply appreciated Dr. Gagne's approach to the topic of sociopathy, giving the diagnosis a human face and helping readers to understand that there is indeed a spectrum to most mental health diagnoses. As well, she brings focus to the fact that no diagnosis should be brushed aside just because it can't be fully understood, nor should it be "bundled" with something else just because it's vaguely similar. Pushing for appropriate clinical measures and treatments is imperative.

This was an interesting story and I absolutely loved the concept of a clinically trained sociopath telling their own story , because if the statistics are to be believed there are an awful lot of sociopaths out there and they can't possibly all be completely antisocial.. it felt like a story that was a long time in being told, and for that I definitely applaud the author. It did at times feel a little retrospectively polished, as far as the self-awareness and insights of the younger version of the author, but I absolutely acknowledge that this is based on my outsider views and would never question her right to tell her own story in her own voice. I found it engaging and interesting and definitely worth the read.

4.5 Stars

Absolutely fascinating and eye-opening read. I thought I had a grasp of what it meant to be a sociopath, but Gagne totally disrupted that with her keen storytelling that blended psychological analysis with personal narrative. Other than the slightly erratic pacing in the final 100 or so pages (it felt like it jumped from rushed to drawn out and back again), I loved this book.

The premise is good, the story is interesting, but the narrative is WAY too repetitive. This book could have been more successful with the help of a good editor; without it, I feel like she tells the same details over and over again.

Patric Gagne’s memoir was incredible. When I hear the word ‘sociopath,’ like many, it triggers a number of negative connotations. In this memoir, Patric endeavors to demonstrate the humanity of sociopaths, her experience of both discovering and researching diagnosis, and how her diagnosis is perceived by everyone she interacts with. This book was so readable; I didn’t want to put it down. And it’s enlightening. For example, did you know the word sociopath isn’t in most dictionaries? That the diagnosis was scrubbed from the DSM and replaced with something that’s not at all the same? That there are very few accurate ways to diagnose sociopathy (even if it were still a verified medical diagnosis)?

I loved reading about Patric’s life, her relationships, and how she has built a world for herself that plays to her strengths and fosters connections with others. Highly recommended. This would make for an excellent book club discussion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite quote:
My feelings for David, albeit strong, were hard for me to understand at first. Granted, most of the knowledge I had of young love was what I’d gleaned from V.C. Andrews novels. And though I was pleasantly surprised to find that my emotions were neither incestuous nor tumultuous, I also found them difficult to fully internalize.

This was such a fascinating and wild ride of a read, and I'm so glad Patric Gagne wrote it. I feel like I'd definitely bought into the stereotype of what a sociopath is and hearing her story gave me so much more empathy for people with this personality trait. While some of the things she did were too unbelievable for me to relate to, there was a lot that resonated in terms of feeling lonely and how people ultimately want to connect with others. This is definitely a book I hope gets read widely when it comes out.

Everyone has a story, not every story should be a book. This simply didn't work for me. I didn't find it interesting and frankly it was almost a DNF.

I was familiar with the author from an op-ed she wrote about her relationship with her husband and I found that story fascinating. The author really shares the details of coming to understand who she is as a sociopath and a desire to help others. Not only is the author's personal story mesmerizing but the research done on the topic was also interesting. Fantastic book; was recommending it to social workers (and everyone) before I finished.

Who wouldn't want to read memoir with the title of Sociopath? Of course I wanted to read it! What follows was a fascinating account of a woman's life as a sociopath but certainly not the way in which it is portrayed in the media. It was definitely eye-opening in terms of the clinical definition of the condition. I hadn't considered what it truly meant to be a sociopath. We throw that term around loosely when we want to insult someone or if we think they are being irrational or indifferent. This memoir brought a more human approach to the term.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

A fascinating and educational memoir by a diagnosed sociopath. The writing is excellent in the way she weaves personal experiences and psychological information together; the reader is brought along on her journey of understanding. Why? What? Should I? What’s right? What’s bad?
She has an extreme amount of persistence, curiosity, and inner strength. Like with many memoirs I’ve read, I am in awe of the courage it took to share.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an inkling that they might be a sociopath as I think it will give them hope. I also recommend it to anyone interested in psychology and personality types so as to clear up mislabeling that often occurs.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the early e-book.