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.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When we hear the word, "sociopath," more often than not, we assume such an individual is also a psychopath. In this riveting book, Patric Gagne describes her life as someone who is different and discovers that she fits the description of a sociopath. From there, the reader's preconceived notion of the term is challenged.
Initially, I found it difficult to sympathize with an individual who feels compelled to do "bad things" -- breaking into homes, stealing cars, or wanting to hurt others. Yet, Gagne brings her reader to that point of sympathy while educating her reader about the misconception of the term. That sociopathy, like many other mental disorders, lies on a spectrum, that there is little research into helping those with sociopathic tendencies, and that the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders) doesn't even have a definitive definition -- or provide much information about the condition.
Gagne provides the human side of a condition whose term we casually toss around in conversation. While I was initially pushed away from the description of her early life, I found myself cheering her on as she describes her journey to self-discovery and ultimately, a path to a "normal" life.

Outstanding memoir! One of the best I have ever read! Patric knows from a very early age that she is different. Others notice it too, and stay away from her, causing her to live a childhood without friends except for her younger sister who adores her. Over time Patric learns to mimic the emotions of others to cover up her lack of feeling, becoming so successful at this that, thanks to her father who hires her, she becomes well-known as a manager of music artists, a field reputed to be cutthroat in its fierce competitiveness. Patric has urges that build up inside her to break the apathy that is her default "emotion" so she lies, manipulates people. stalks them, breaks into houses, steals cars, and even has hurt people and an animal. She does most of this alone just to get a relief from apathy. Patric, after discovering that her personality disorder has a name, sociopathy, she tells a few people and describes the condition to them. Unfortunately, these people begin to use Patric's lack of remorse to their own ends, until Patric says enough! <p> She wants to know more about her condition, so she reads everything that she can find in the library, finds a therapist who will work with her, and eventually goes back to school. Her goal is to help others with sociopathy to understand their disorder; that they are not bad, just different, and that they, too, can live fulfilling lives. <p> This memoir is well written, easy to read, but intensely complex as Patric Gagne educates the reader about sociopathy, as she is learning about it herself. She doesn't hold back about her relationships and her mistakes. There seems to be a part of her that watches herself as she struggles to come to grips with what she is, does, and what she does-or-doesn't feel. Read this book. It is like no other to date. May there be many more.

ABSOLUTELY RIVETING!!! I enjoy all “things brain” and the fact that Patric started her journey to helping herself live a full and happy life because there was none really available at the time was gripping! This was a very open look into the loneliness and hopeless feelings that sociopaths deal with on not only a daily basis, but a minute by minute basis.
I wish her all the best as she continues on her journey to help others like herself function in a not so friendly world. Well done!!!!

I’ve been reading more memoirs lately, and when I saw this one on Netgalley I was excited to get my hands on it. I had never thought critically about sociopathy before, and now I have a whole new perspective and appreciation for the personality type. I really enjoyed reading this book, but parts of it did feel like an onslaught of psychological terminology. The ups and downs of her coping with her diagnosis throughout the years came off as a bit confusing for me at times. There’s a lot of repetition of explanations of sociopathy and explanations of her coping mechanisms. I am glad I read this book and I would recommend it to others, but I think it needed a bit more editing before publication. I’m glad this book is in the world for people with sociopathy diagnoses to relate to. This was an interesting and entertaining read, but one I did have to soldier through a bit.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting look at sociopathy from the perspective of an actual sociopath. While the memoir parts were interesting to me, the author delved fairly deeply into the psychology of it all, and it got a little slow and dry. 3 stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster, for allowing me to read Sociopath, by Patric Gagne. This is the author’s account of her life as a self-diagnosed sociopath, a person who doesn’t experience emotions the way most people do. I suspect most of us think sociopaths are so different from the rest of us that they’re easy to spot, prone to violence, angry outbursts and more. Gagne explains she feels a kind of basic happiness and anger but doesn’t really understand emotions like guilt and love. She describes doing compulsive acts, like stealing, manipulating people and lying.

As she grows up, Gagne works to understand her personality disorder and how to help herself in the absence of professional treatment. Eventually, she studies psychology and becomes a therapist.

I couldn’t really get into this book. The first half seemed slow and repetitive. It was eye-opening, however, because I thought sociopaths were like the characters in books and movies—obviously troubled people. The author says they’re not always easy to identify. But I think the book will help other readers who are dealing with sociopathy, whether it’s their own or others.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released April 2, 2024.

I would like to start this by saying that I have a hard time reviewing non-fiction, especially memoirs. It is always tough to feel like you are giving a star rating to someone's life story but I'll do my best.

I'll start with what I really liked. This book is incredibly well-written. The author has such an incredible way with words that really makes this book stand out. Honestly, at times this felt more like a novel than a memoir. Her writing is descriptive and elegant and the pacing was done well, even if at times it was hard to figure out how much time had passed between passages.

What I had a hard time with was the believability. I hate to question an author's integrity, especially when it comes to a memoir, but I felt like I was questioning a lot while reading this.. The book is mostly dialogue, and while she prefaces in the beginning that dialogue was reconstructed, it lost some credibility for me thinking about how crafted the conversations felt. I think she knows that she could be questioned about her writing because she includes several blurbs in the book about how people will assume she is lying about everything because she is a sociopath. Its almost a built in rebuttal to possible questions about the accuracy of her writing/story.

Also, when I tried to look up the author to see some of her research on sociopathy, nothing of her exists online outside the book, her instagram, and her NYT article that seemed to serve as a prelude to her memoir. It is possible she uses a pseudonym but I would have loved to see some of the research that she mentions in her book.

I would love to know what other people think when this title is released, especially from those in the psychology community. Overall, I think this is a well-written book but one I'm not sure that I will recommend to others.

DNFed at around 15%…. truly and honestly my fault, as i just was never in the mood for a memoir whenever i picked this up

This extraordinary memoir is well on its way to become my favorite read of the year.

Gagne describes an unshakable feeling of being different from other people from a young age, which sends her on a lifelong journey of self-discovery.

“My name is Patric Gagne and I am a sociopath. I am a passionate mother and wife. I am an engaging therapist. I am extremely charming and well-liked. I have lots of friends. [...] But guess what? I can’t stand your friends. I am a liar. I’m a thief. I’m emotionally shallow. I’m mostly immune to remorse and guilt. I’m highly manipulative. I don’t care what other people think.”

Gagne feels basic emotions like happiness and anger, while more complex emotions like guilt, empathy, remorse, and even love, are foreign to her. She describes the stress of not having natural access to these feelings as the cause of her compulsive acts of violence and destructive behavior such as stalking, stealing, hurting people and even animals. She gets to the root of her struggle when she reads about sociopathy in college.

“I am a criminal without a record. I am a master of disguise. I have never been caught. I have rarely been sorry. I am friendly. I am responsible. I am invisible. I blend right in. I am a twenty-first century sociopath. And I’ve written this book because I know I’m not alone.”

Throughout the book, Gagne grows emotionally from her childhood days where she builds awareness on her pressure to act out, to her adult self, developing an entire new treatment program for her sociopathy because, as she discovers, no such thing exists. Her willingness to learn about her condition and change her destiny is impressive to say the least.

Sociopathy is generally known to lead to criminal behavior, and ultimately, emprisonment. Gagne attempts to change this outlook for herself and others by digging deep into the subject matter, to the point of obtaining a PhD degree in psychology and becoming a therapist.

It made me really happy to read that Gagne realizes she is privileged to have the opportunity of unpacking this mystery of her condition. Had she been born into a different gender, race, or class, she might have ended up misunderstood and punished early on, hiding her self diagnosis and quest for betterment, just like most of her sociopath peers.

This is a book that I couldn’t put down, and I expect it to do very well. It is such a commendable effort to bring awareness to sociopathy, which isn’t even defined in the dictionary anymore, even though the word is casually used by society at large for people and their characteristics that don’t come close to what sociopaths really go through. For the first time, this book portrays the point of view of the sociopath and presents it as an illness that can be overcome.

I'm very grateful to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance reader's copy. It means the world.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this memoir. I was intrigued from the beginning. Like most people, my knowledge of sociopaths was limited and mainly stereotypes and nothing based on any facts. I appreciated this quick paced book that had me hoping and crossing fingers that would find Patric safe and understood. I appreciated the theme of being yourself and craving love and acceptance for being exactly who you are. I think that is a large theme that extends to all who would read this book. I appreciate the author’s raw insights and the ability to enlighten those of us outside of her diagnosis.

The memoir, Sociopath, by Patric Gagne was absolutely fascinating. She details her childhood, when she realized she was different, her time in college when she self-diagnosed as a sociopath, followed by her actual diagnosis. She talks about how it impacted her life and ultimately led her to go back to school to work as a therapist. I highly recommend picking up this memoir if it’s a genre you enjoy. The reflection and writing about living with a very misunderstood personality disorder is well worth your time.
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This book will be released on April 2, 2024 so get on your library holds list.

In this captivating read, the author masterfully weaves a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. Through a blend of richly developed characters and a meticulously crafted plot, the book offers a unique exploration of its central themes, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the story's depth and complexity. The narrative is paced perfectly, balancing moments of intense action with thoughtful reflection, ensuring that readers are hooked from the first page to the last. The author's ability to evoke emotion and create a vivid, immersive world is truly remarkable, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for an exceptional literary experience.

Beyond its compelling storyline, the book stands out for its insightful commentary on the human condition, weaving philosophical questions into the fabric of its narrative. The author's skillful use of language not only enriches the text but also elevates the reader's experience, offering new perspectives on familiar themes. Whether it's the intricate dynamics of relationships, the exploration of identity, or the confrontation with ethical dilemmas, this book tackles complex issues with sensitivity and intelligence. It's a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the nuances of life, making it a valuable addition to any book lover's collection. Regardless of genre, this is a work that resonates on multiple levels, affirming the enduring impact of well-crafted literature.

As a counselor, this book immediately caught my attention by the title: Sociopath. It is a pop culture buzzword, thrown around casually in everyday conversation, but what is sociopathy, really? This book, written by psychologist and diagnosed sociopath Patric Gagne, sets the bar straight and offers insight into how sociopaths struggle and deal with their lack of emotions. This book was insightful and so helpful (both as a counselor and as a human). Patric gives a first hand account of the differences between herself and everyone else, including her thought process, being taken advantage of, and the possible reasons why many sociopaths are imprisoned. I felt like I learned so much by reading this book and it has a lot of value.
I would highly recommend if you like psychology and/or memoirs!

This is a wild memoir about Gagne, who is a sociopath. Gagne appeals to our emotions (which she doesn't have) to better understand her experience living as functioning sociopath with a husband and kids. The first two parts felt really long and repetitive. The last section highlights what happens after Gagne writes a Modern Love essay. I wish more time was spent in this section, I had so many questions about what it was like to be a parent when also a sociopath and the impact that has on her family. This is definitely a perspective I haven't read before and was fascinating to see the inner mind of a sociopath.

3.5 stars but rounding down to 3

Thank you Netgalley & Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my review,