52 Books, Week 26: The Socipath Next Door

I believe this is the first "pop psychology" book to make the countdown this year. How could you not read a book called the socipath next door?

Stolen Blurb: We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people—one in twenty-five—has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience.

Why I read it: To ensure that I wasn't a socipath (i'm not), although I'm fairly certain that some part of the DSM IV applies to me (hint, hint).

Should You Read it: Honestly, this isn't really that good of a book. I suppose the phenomenon of socipaths is adequately described, but none of the stories really hook you, as you would expect. I kept waiting for some parts of the book to resemble a bad lifetime movie, but it never came. The notion of people who operate through society without a conscious, is a compelling enough topic, but it never quite makes the jump to being riveting reading material. Maybe i'll wait for the movie.

Bookslut Book Review

Motivation Number: 8/27/2006 .32%