2021-X40 Confessions of a Sociopath

M. E. Thomas. 2013.

This is a troubling, troubling read.  Written by an attorney who is a sociopath, this memoir is supposedly an insight into the mind of someone whose thinking process is so devoid of the things I value that it was painful to read.  The way she treats people is shocking and at many times in the book, I found myself doubting if this was even legitimate because it is so awful.  But, of course, we all know people like this in real life and that makes it even worse--to think that this really might be how some people calculate and manipulate their way through life is distressing.

Many of the stories she tells are expected--shoplifting, deliberately targeting weak people and making their lives miserable, and constant self-promotion and interest.  But, one of the things that I found really interesting was her discussion (albeit in trans- and homophobic language) about her sexual orientation.  She explains that because of her lack of empathy and connection to other people, the attraction she feels to people is not related to their gender.  And because she really likes to toy with vulnerable people, she deliberately seeks out and targets people who are Queer because many are fragile.  This seems particularly true when she talk about ruining people who are trans.  Having seen this play out from the point of view of folks who were the target of this kind of behavior, it was both shocking to see that the motivation is indeed what it looked like from the outside looking in and reassuring that the motivation was indeed what it looked like from the outside looking in.

I did not enjoy this book at all. In fact, I found it almost entirely disturbing and upsetting. That is was recommended to me by another attorney in town when we were discussing another attorney we have difficulty with just made it worse (but also validated my experience with them, too).  But, given how much I have reflected on this book since finishing it -- and how many people I have talked to about it, I have to give it a Recommend.  But, maybe you could borrow it from someone instead of feeling the author's ego by buying a copy.

​Recommend.

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