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jessiewolf's reviews
472 reviews
Sociopath by Patric Gagne
To me, SOCIOPATH reads like a love letter to neurodiversity. In this memoir, Patric Gagne traces her sociopathy from childhood exploits through her adult diagnosis to her decision to get a PhD in order to provide the therapeutic resources for other sociopaths that she needed but were not available. Gagne positions sociopathy as a spectrum not unlike the autism spectrum, and as a series of compulsions not unlike those experienced by people with OCD. She argues that the stigma connected to sociopathy has prevented clinicians from researching the subject, and has definitely made it near impossible for sociopaths to receive care or resources.
Gagnes aims to reduce the stigma around apathy in particular—this feeling is one she identifies as her default feeling in many situations, but the anxiety she felt around her socially unacceptable apathy led her to seek relief through high-risk behaviors like breaking into people’s houses and stalking people. This memoir follows Gagnes’s darkest impulses and doesn’t shy away from imploring the reader to identify with that darkness.
If you have any experience with neurodiversity, I think you will find a home in this memoir! Gagnes argues for acceptance of all ways of experiencing feelings and compulsions, and I found SOCIOPATH to be a candid and refreshing on contemporary psychology and therapy.
4.5
To me, SOCIOPATH reads like a love letter to neurodiversity. In this memoir, Patric Gagne traces her sociopathy from childhood exploits through her adult diagnosis to her decision to get a PhD in order to provide the therapeutic resources for other sociopaths that she needed but were not available. Gagne positions sociopathy as a spectrum not unlike the autism spectrum, and as a series of compulsions not unlike those experienced by people with OCD. She argues that the stigma connected to sociopathy has prevented clinicians from researching the subject, and has definitely made it near impossible for sociopaths to receive care or resources.
Gagnes aims to reduce the stigma around apathy in particular—this feeling is one she identifies as her default feeling in many situations, but the anxiety she felt around her socially unacceptable apathy led her to seek relief through high-risk behaviors like breaking into people’s houses and stalking people. This memoir follows Gagnes’s darkest impulses and doesn’t shy away from imploring the reader to identify with that darkness.
If you have any experience with neurodiversity, I think you will find a home in this memoir! Gagnes argues for acceptance of all ways of experiencing feelings and compulsions, and I found SOCIOPATH to be a candid and refreshing on contemporary psychology and therapy.
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
4.0
FLOATING HOTEL is Curtis's sophomore novel, and fans of her FRONTIER will be thrilled with her newest work. FLOATING HOTEL does what it says on the tin--it's about a hotel floating in space where humans can expect entertainment, warm meals, movie nights, and...the occasional murder. This one is a slow-paced mystery that unravels over the course of the novel in vignettes told from different characters' perspectives. There are spies, contraband, code-breaking competitions, and one cozy pet rat!
Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas
4.25
CASCADE FAILURE is about deep betrayals and long-sought redemption. We meet Jal who has been running from The Guild for years after being branded a deserter. He accidentally lands on a Guild-owned ship and of course runs smack dab into the exact person he most wants to avoid, Saint. When tensions inevitably come to a head, I was worried that this might just be a story about untrustworthy people all looking out for themselves, but then everyone....hugs it out??? And I was hooked. Every character is flawed, and their quest to just do the right thing often feel impossible, and in these ways Sagas reminds us of the importance of trying to remain human in catastrophic situations. CASCADE FAILURE is the first in a new series by a debut author, so get it while it's hot!