ktcarlston's review against another edition
2.0
A friend of a friend was reading this book and I thought it looked interesting. It was interesting but by the end of it all - I found myself really really disliking the author and her attempt to explain why being a sociopath isn't that bad. It was the worst when she explained a few situations when she really just ended up behaving like a cat toying with a mouse. Her actions throughout her life are just mean. She would say to that "spoken like a true empath." But really don't waste your time on this. The only reason this is *.5 stars is because I did learn some about what a sociopath is. Sweet.
gigawattember's review against another edition
4.0
Very eye-opening and I'm definitely glad I read this book. It was interesting and only had a few parts that felt slow/repetitive. I loved the scientific studies! Overall it felt authentic. I have a very different brain than someone who identifies as a sociopath and I enjoyed seeing things from a different perspective. I cry a lot. It's helpful to know that crying can be painful and confusing for others. (for example) Our brains are so fascinating! I have a new found compassion for sociopaths.
unsurepeach's review against another edition
4.0
Disappointing. mostly I felt that the blurb oversold this book. There were very few actual confessions, the author mentions repeatedly that they enjoy ruining people but then admits that no real harm was actually done and the descriptions given are vague and don't actually come across as manipulative as the author claims to be. The book is very repetitive and quite rambling.
wethefoxen's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly this is more a 4.5 star read. I probably won't reread it but it was very enjoyable. This memoir was quite an insightful look into a group in our society that I hadn't really thought about. It's a delightful mix of salacious memoir and clinical evidence. All the negative reviews I feel like they either forgot who it was writing this book or just grew annoyed by the personality that seemed so foreign to them. I feel like Thomas is as compassionate and socially responsible as a sociopath can be and it was quite eye opening. I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious.
filemanager's review against another edition
DNF @ 78% - The first 60% or so was interesting, but I lost interest after that. Might revisit it later.
kalkie's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting read - although it does get repetitive in places which becomes more noticeable towards the end. She is certainly a chilling character but I’ve no doubt if I were to meet her IRL then she would be engaging and charming.
The bit about having children did make my blood run cold a little and did raise some questions for me. Especially as she tires of things quickly - including relationships - so where would that leave a child? However I did think that if she were to adopt a child who had sociopath tendencies she could probably massively enrich their life in a way that very few other people could relate to.
The bit about having children did make my blood run cold a little and did raise some questions for me. Especially as she tires of things quickly - including relationships - so where would that leave a child? However I did think that if she were to adopt a child who had sociopath tendencies she could probably massively enrich their life in a way that very few other people could relate to.