Thank you to NetGAlley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc for review.
I was so excited to get to this book. As someone who spent a good chunk of their life thinking they might be and the other half wishing to "not have feelings", this was a welcome read. I think I always understood that we (as society), don't really know what Sociopathy actually is or what it means for a persons behaviour. This book clarified and explained so many things that I previously only had a limited knowledge of. Not only this, but it was given from both the lived experience of, and the professional knowledge of. Never will I ever use the word sociopath to negatively label someone again. I understand that, like other personality disorders/types, and with the right support in place sociopathy is a perfectly manageable condition. However, because I have a personality disorder that is often negatively stereotyped (including at one point of this book... yes Patric Gagne threw me under the bus temporarily.... AITA?), I did come from a place of wanting to understand better... I worry that the built up fear will take more than this book to dispel. This is a pretty great start though... and I can see this book being one that helps a lot of people both with and without sociopathy to understand themselves and/or people around them better. I appreciated the raw honesty even with the things that could get the author in trouble and the things that people forget to try and understand the motivations of and maybe just see the resulting action. The writing was of a high standard too and it was a pleasure to read. I did also grab the audio version of this (which is read by the woman herself), and that was also well produced and read. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to understand better. I not only recommend this, but hope that this will be read by many. I am thinking about doing a dedicated video review on my channel @TheBookHerm on YouTube.

I don't normally read memoirs but this was on a subject that I was a little more interested in. It was a fascinating read.

I had high expectations for this memoir but was ultimately left quite disappointed. This is partially due to my own expectations for a comprehensive exploration of sociopathy not aligning with the book itself, which focused heavily on her romantic relationship. The stories used to demonstrate the impact of the author’s sociopathy on her relationships were all very similar and I did find myself zoning out as it got quite repetitive.

Not to accuse the author of lying (although she readily admits that it is something she has a tendency towards), but there were certain moments that just felt fabricated - most notably debates with her therapist/professors where she’d outsmart the other person with a cleverly composed monologue. I understand that no one remembers every conversation they’ve ever had in perfect detail but the frequency of these moments left me questioning the veracity of the entire memoir.

Review - Sociopath, A Memoir by Patric Gagne, PH.D

I had this as a kindle copy but instead listened to it on audiobook which is narrated by the author and would absolutely recommend.

“Your friends would probably describe me as nice. But guess what? I can’t stand your friends. I am a liar. I am a thief. I am highly manipulative. I dont care what other people think. I am capable of almost anything”

I’ve been trying to read more non fiction and this memoir sucks you in. Patric Gagne is so candid with her life as a sociopath sprinkling humor into less humorous parts of her reality. I found it so fascinating and informative and I don’t think i’ve read any memoirs as unflinchingly honest and candid which is why I think it will stick with me.

This memoir is about her life, but also about not being able to experience empathy and compassion for others, guilt as we know it. The vivid descriptions of anecdotes takes you on her own journey of self discovery and acceptance of her condition.

You learn from a young age Patric knew she was different. Her apathy was a common feeling throughout and when she caused harm to others she was internally rewarded and pressure in her mind relieved resulting in behaviors such as looking children in bathrooms stabbing someone with a pencil and breaking into peoples homes and stealing. In college she learned a name for her condition and after years of therapy and research she earned a PHD in clinical psychology writing about sociopathy.

I was mesmerized by her and binged this over a few days. What got me was how often the people in her life took advantage of her lack of feelings and got her to do bad things for them?! Listening to her perspective on everything was fascinating and she hopes to prove the statement that “sociopaths have no hope for a normal life” wrong.

If you’re looking for a new non-fic read this!!

A unique biography we follow Patric Gagne as she learns about herself & her emotions (or lack there of). Diagnosed as a sociopath she struggles to find her place in a world the both loves her sociopathic tendencies (as a manager in the music industry) & reviles her at the same time,

The writing can be stark, to the point & unapologetic, as Patric herself is. I really enjoyed reading about her life & how she navigates the scenarios we take for granted everyday.

This was a fascinating read! Patric Gagne writes with raw honesty about her personal experience and gives the reader an intimate insight into a topic which is so often viewed as taboo or negative.

Sociopath: A Memoir: A journey into the mind of a woman without remorse and her fight to understand her diagnosis by Patric Gagne does seem like a project in which the author tries to present her sociopathy as a superpower and i can't say i vibed with it.

Good idea and interesting topic for a memoire but very badly executed. The author - as a diagnosed sociopath - showed a lot of courage to tell her story, unfortunately poor writing makes it difficult to read.

I love medical memoirs and also psychological books of any kind, and found this book to be absolutely fascinating. Patric Gagne was diagnosed with sociopathy whilst at university, and she writes candidly of her journey through life while learning to manage her condition. Such an interesting and well written book.

This is a tricky one. On the one hand, I feel like this made me understand "sociopathy" in a new way. The part about her childhood felt particularly insightful and I felt for her. I didn't feel for her much as an adult, but I guess that proves her point that it's difficult to empathize with someone with her disorder when you don't understand the inner experience. On the other hand, some of the stories she shares feel off, as in extremely hard to believe. And it seems her credentials are questionable, so that makes me doubt what I learned, which SUCKS.

One of the things that stood out to me is that she tells us everything she's gotten away with and makes it sound like it's just because she was smart. manipulative, and able to adapt. Babe, I think you got away with shit because you have about every kind of privilege a person could possibly need to breeze through life no matter how appalling their behavior, whatever the reasons for that behavior may be. She recognizes she's luckier than most because she has people who love her as she is, but she doesn't recognize her privilege, and that's odd to me.

Also, this didn't need to be over 350 pages long. It drags a bit and gets repetitive with no payoff for that repetitiveness, so this could've easily been 100 pages shorter. Overall, I enjoyed it as a memoir. It was interesting for the most part, I just don't think I can trust the information that I thought was valuable now that I know her credentials are murky.

While parts of this book were absolutely fascinating, ultimately I found it a little longwinded and repetitive. I also never really came to understand Patric, nor what made her tick. The book is interesting, however, as it’s written by a well-adjusted sociopath who dissects sociopathy from both a personal and professional point of view. The accounts of her childhood were often shocking, and I’m delighted she found ways of coping with her disorder as she grew into adulthood. It was also wonderful to find out that she, and presumably other sociopaths, are capable of finding love and having happy partnerships.

“Everything I’d read indicated that I was a sociopath. I was lacking in empathy, I was fluent in
deceit, I was capable of violence without remorse. Manipulation came easy”.
“And yet, I knew I wasn’t the monster the media described”
Patric Gagne was not diagnosed as a sociopath until her twenties, she always knew
something about her was different; it wasn’t until she started a psychology degree that she
got a sense of what it could be: sociopathy, aka the disorder we associate with liars,
murderers and evil people. But Patric isn’t evil, though she isn’t afraid to admit to being a liar,
a manipulator, and a person who will often do things that are... well, sociopathic. But what
the book digs into is that, while she’s not “working with a full emotional deck”, she’s well
aware of her shortcomings. This self-awareness, she argues, is what prevents her from
going off the deep end, and the result is something closer to an emotional learning disability
to a full-blown disorder.
It really kicks off when she goes to college and starts learning about herself, but then the
book about-turns and for me fell apart a little. Patric’s difficulties in learning about herself
don’t take up as much time as I thought they would, instead, we hear a lot about her job and
relationship difficulties. I understand that these are essential parts of anyone’s life but I do
think I would have preferred to hear more about her discovery & understanding of her
diagnosis, instead. I’ve done some reading around and her PhD credentials are somewhat
fuzzy, which is a whole other story, so maybe that’s why the more technical elements are left
out.
The strongest moments in this memoir are the introspective explorations of Gagne’s
behaviour especially when she’s young - she talks about the pressure feeling she gets and
how her acting out relieves it, by acting in frightening and often illegal ways. But she’s a
slippery central character in this memoir. In the third section of the book, where she’s an
adult, many things just seem too convenient in how they unfold. Gagne’s enormous privilege
– her father is a music executive and her got her a job in this industry – is something that’s
never really considered in any great detail, either. Given the amount of illegality in the book,
too, it feels like an oversight.
Sources online have called this one untrustworthy; unhelpful towards people with personality
disorders, and skeptics have questioned Gagne’s academic record. I did find myself down
that rabbit hole, yes, but only because I was interested in the gossip around the book than
the book itself. Michael Lynch, writing in the Independent, sums it up nicely, describing it as
an “intriguing, provocative but ultimately frustrating memoir. “

A fascinating insight into Gagnes' experiences as a diagnosed sociopath, I agree with prior reviewers comments on her social position as a "well off white woman". However this is her story and it is well written and well narrated detailing her life and that of her family. Her descriptions of the symptoms of sociopathy were interesting and very surprising when one compares them to our own thought processes. Her explanation on lack of empathy struck me as fascinating. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of Sociopath: A Memoir

This is a very interesting memoir about Patric Gagne's life as a sociopath. For me, I have never really thought too much about what a sociopath is - or what traits a sociopath has. However, having read Gagne's book, I am now much more knowledgeable about what it entails.

Throughout, the writer explores her life - how she responded to things quite differently to others, how often emotional responses to situations were deadened, or at least significantly different to the convention. When Gagne starts having therapy and exploring her reactions, things improve - it is a great example of how knowledge can equate to power.

Writing a memoir like this was probably difficult but also, I would imagine, quite cathartic. Gagne is candid and explores things she did (such as driving people's cars, unknowingly to owners, in the middle of the night and breaking into derelict houses) as a way of managing her sociopathic tendencies. Some readers may think she is defending, perhaps excusing, outlandish and anti-social behaviour, but for the writer it is more a case of managing what she feels compelled to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

📚 review 📚
sociopath: a memoir - patric gagne

a memoir?
from a sociopath?
insert the "shut up and take my money" meme here.
i always struggle to rate non fiction books - especially memoirs, who am I to rate someone's life? this one though, this is a bit different. i am one of those basic white girls who loves a good true crime podcast, so I was naturally all over a book about sociopaths by a sociopath.

sociopathy is a hugely misunderstood mental health condition - there are likely millions of people living peaceful and pro social lives who also happen to be sociopaths and this unflinching tale of gagne's life and experiences was fascinating. however, early in the book, gagne says: "I am a liar, I am highly manipulative" so... pinch of salt?
it's a tricky one, personally I enjoyed reading this, it was a fascinating insight, but I understand much of the suspicious debate around the book and the author and it does have to be said that gagne is a middle class white woman who grow up in a privileged household, which obviously isn't everyone's experience.

if you're interested in psychology at all, this is a fascinating read and its out now!
thank you @netgalley for the early copy.

What a fascinating insight into the authors brain! This book makes you feel all the emotions which is ironic really. Patric has done a brilliant job of describing parts of her life to the reader and has created an educational, informative and at times, emotional memoir.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was very pleased to read such a frank memoir. The word sociopath has been used salaciously in the media to an extent that it’s probably a cult craze on TikTok.

Gagne manages to make this book human, the one thing we are told it is impossible for sociopaths to be. I enjoyed this and would recommend it to any one that has heard the word but never understood the reality.

'According to several studies, sociopaths comprise nearly five percent of the population, about the same percentage of those who have a panic disorder.'

Patric Gagne is a child when she first hears the word sociopath and instinctively knows that it applies to her and her complusions. Yet, finding accurate information about sociopathy is difficult. She cannot even find a definition in the dictionary. She checked multiple editions.

Gagne is upfront about who she is. Some of the ways she describes herself include 'a passionate mother and wife', 'an engaging therapist', 'a writer', 'a liar', 'a thief', 'highly manipulative', 'friendly', 'a criminal without a record', and 'a master of disguise'. Given this, the reader may question how reliable a narrator of her life Gagne is. For me, Gagne engages in self and critical reflection about her actions without excusing them.

Still lacking information and resources by the time she attends college, Gagne focuses her academic and clinical work on helping other sociopaths especially now that she has received a formal diagnosis. She seeks the diagnosis while being critical of psychiatric pathologisation. Not least because there are no specific diagnostic criteria for sociopathy. Sociopathy and psychopathy are assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which is used in a forensic mental health setting and focuses on criminality and violence. There is an adapted version called the PCL-SV (Screening Version) which removes the need for a criminal record that is used in clinical and research settings.

It's a minefield which doesn't do much to counter the misunderstandings, misinformation, and disinformation about sociopathy and psychopathy. Honestly, based on news media and pop culture portrayals of sociopaths and psychopaths most of us have little accurate understanding of either. This is where I think Gagne's memoir will have the most impact. It adds to the growing discussions around mental illness and psychiatric pathologisation. While Gagne doesn't mention neurodivergence by name, her exploration of the failings of the pathology model remind me of the ongoing discussions around what fits under the neurodivergent umbrella.

I underlined so many passages, but I will end my review with the one that has stuck with me most. 'Think you know a sociopath? I'll bet you're right. But I'll also bet it's the last person you suspect.'

Huh! What a wild ride! Not sure I’ve ever read anything like this before. I really appreciate Patric’s honesty - the parts about her early childhood and how she worked out that she wasn’t like other people were fascinating. To be that insightful about yourself is something special, and I’m glad the people around Patric persuaded her to write this book.

This was accepted and on the same day, archived. I did not notice in time to download.
Will try and buy once it comes out and update my review then.