A review by r_j_setser
Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door: How to Protect Yourself Against a Ruthless Manipulator by Martha Stout

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

Very heavy read, but informative. It's difficult to rate the book because I didn't exactly "enjoy" the read, but I found some things helpful. Bottom line, to quote the author, the best course of action is "avoidance". I found the book helpful in recognizing sociopathic tendencies and appreciated the author's reiterance of how a persistent pattern is needed to identify a "sociopath" and not just one or two occurrences. The most beneficial chapter to me was recognizing the difference between a "narcissist" and a "sociopath", especially in today's society where every person's mistake seems to result in them being labeled a "narcissist".