jbrown_leo's review against another edition
4.0
An interestingly enough read...I was going to give it 3 stars because too much of it felt more boastful than insightful and at times I was even questioning the truthfulness of the author, but at the very end there was an added essay that was printed after the initial publication which seemed more real than anything else she wrote, and, not being a sociopath (lol) I emphasized
raven_morgan's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know if I can say I enjoyed this book.
The author, who has chosen to use a pseudonym, is a diagnosed sociopath who has decided to step out of the closet. She started a blog, and then a forum for sociopaths, which led to this book deal.
The book is well written, for what it is. It could have done with some heavy editing, because some sections do tend to get repetitive (though one wonders how much control Thomas would have actually elected to hand over to an editor - I can't imagine much).
Thomas herself is an interesting person. She is a law professor and a Mormon, and it's pretty fascinating to see how she's managed to achieve balance between these things and her sociopathy (until she gets bored, of course). She has friends, and laments at times of her inability to maintain a relationship for more than eight months. At times it can be difficult to read her thoughts, mostly because she is so forthright about her ideas about her own intelligence, appeal and power (and lets face it, believing these things is a huge step in actually having them). She certainly presents enough evidence of these traits and of her own successes - but of course, the whole thing is subjective, so who knows if any of it actually real, or if she's just playing an elaborate game?
Either way, no matter what's true or not, it's an interesting read if you have any interest in human psychology or sociopathy.
The author, who has chosen to use a pseudonym, is a diagnosed sociopath who has decided to step out of the closet. She started a blog, and then a forum for sociopaths, which led to this book deal.
The book is well written, for what it is. It could have done with some heavy editing, because some sections do tend to get repetitive (though one wonders how much control Thomas would have actually elected to hand over to an editor - I can't imagine much).
Thomas herself is an interesting person. She is a law professor and a Mormon, and it's pretty fascinating to see how she's managed to achieve balance between these things and her sociopathy (until she gets bored, of course). She has friends, and laments at times of her inability to maintain a relationship for more than eight months. At times it can be difficult to read her thoughts, mostly because she is so forthright about her ideas about her own intelligence, appeal and power (and lets face it, believing these things is a huge step in actually having them). She certainly presents enough evidence of these traits and of her own successes - but of course, the whole thing is subjective, so who knows if any of it actually real, or if she's just playing an elaborate game?
Either way, no matter what's true or not, it's an interesting read if you have any interest in human psychology or sociopathy.
al07734's review against another edition
She is so obsessed with herself it's really unpleasant to read. Like below is a real passage, you can't make this shit up
The pleasant ordinariness of my hair brushing lightly against my eyelashes functions to neutralize the intensity of my eyes, which are shiny and flecked by jagged-edged shards of amber, as if something shattered when they first opened to the world. They are probing and merciless.
vurmin's review against another edition
4.5
This inspired me in so many ways, and I think I understand myself and others better because of it. Really a great read.
kaleighhh's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars... maybe (sometimes a 2, depending on the moment)
So here are my thoughts...
This book is pretty interesting at first. I like getting a different perspective of the world and contemplating questions of morality. I don’t love the author, but I think that’s to be expected given the title. She does bring up some good points that made me contemplate my biases, the justice system, what right and wrong mean, etc. I also really like how at the end she brings up the prejudices people have against sociopaths and when she talk about sociopaths being more complex than the evil label they often get. Now the good things out of the way, I actually did not enjoy this book at all. The writing was just not good. The whole book felt so repetitive that I often had to set it down to take a break. The narrative also jumps around in a completely illogical way, that makes the narrative somewhat awkward and less engaging to read. Also though the author is a self proclaimed sociopath, I don’t think that excuses blatant ignorance. She often makes remarks about race and metal health that make her seem quite prejudice herself and ignorant, despite her self proclaimed genius. Some examples: her romanticization and sexualization of Spanish people, her capitalizing on her “being darker than most with people, but not in a way that would clearly indicate otherness”, regarding a boy who had a crush on her as “the Mexican boy” though she gave others fake names, her “training herself” to be able to date both genders, and “I guess I had hoped that the trade-off to dating an Aspie was that his feelings would not be the veritable minefield that empath’s emotions are.” So all in all, though this book brings up some thought provoking insights it is mostly just repetitive, slightly offensive, bad writing. If you really want to read it I recommend the first three chapters and the last one, and not much else.
So here are my thoughts...
This book is pretty interesting at first. I like getting a different perspective of the world and contemplating questions of morality. I don’t love the author, but I think that’s to be expected given the title. She does bring up some good points that made me contemplate my biases, the justice system, what right and wrong mean, etc. I also really like how at the end she brings up the prejudices people have against sociopaths and when she talk about sociopaths being more complex than the evil label they often get. Now the good things out of the way, I actually did not enjoy this book at all. The writing was just not good. The whole book felt so repetitive that I often had to set it down to take a break. The narrative also jumps around in a completely illogical way, that makes the narrative somewhat awkward and less engaging to read. Also though the author is a self proclaimed sociopath, I don’t think that excuses blatant ignorance. She often makes remarks about race and metal health that make her seem quite prejudice herself and ignorant, despite her self proclaimed genius. Some examples: her romanticization and sexualization of Spanish people, her capitalizing on her “being darker than most with people, but not in a way that would clearly indicate otherness”, regarding a boy who had a crush on her as “the Mexican boy” though she gave others fake names, her “training herself” to be able to date both genders, and “I guess I had hoped that the trade-off to dating an Aspie was that his feelings would not be the veritable minefield that empath’s emotions are.” So all in all, though this book brings up some thought provoking insights it is mostly just repetitive, slightly offensive, bad writing. If you really want to read it I recommend the first three chapters and the last one, and not much else.
niniane's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting insight into the mind of a sociopath. This helped me get a clearer sense of the difference between a narcissist vs. a sociopath.
The book makes interesting points about how sociopaths didn't choose to be this way, and some of them have to constantly pretend not to be a sociopath.
The book makes interesting points about how sociopaths didn't choose to be this way, and some of them have to constantly pretend not to be a sociopath.
extraextrareadallaboutit's review against another edition
2.0
This book was an extremely easy read which is why I initially selected it.
At first I found it quite interesting because before this book I didn't know a lot about sociopaths but it became extremely repetitive and ended up feeling like the author was trying new ways to say the same things, to flex her muscles.
There is also something untrustworthy about learning about sociopathy from an actual sociopath who by definition is probably lying.
At first I found it quite interesting because before this book I didn't know a lot about sociopaths but it became extremely repetitive and ended up feeling like the author was trying new ways to say the same things, to flex her muscles.
There is also something untrustworthy about learning about sociopathy from an actual sociopath who by definition is probably lying.
readhikerepeat's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting and entertaining. For my review, visit The Book Wheel.