Today a new book went on sale called, Confessions of a Sociopath: A life spent hiding in plain sight. The author is a woman writing under the pseudonym of M.E. Thomas. Although she doesn’t want people to know her real name gee, I wonder why? Thomas claims that she is a successful lawyer and a Mormon Sunday school teacher. Oh, and she enjoys ruining people’s lives.
Thomas runs a website written by sociopaths, for sociopaths. I don’t want to mention the name of it, because I don’t want to give it any publicity. (If you really want to know, send me an email.) On this website, people who say they are sociopaths swap stories about how they get over on the rest of us stupid sheep who are burdened with hearts and consciences.
Anyway, the book publisher, the Crown Publishing Group, an imprint of Random House, has apparently put its marketing muscle behind this memoir. An article by Thomas is featured as the cover story of this month’s Psychology Today
Tomorrow, M. E. Thomas is appearing on the Dr. Phil Show.
The publisher has sent out many advance reader copies. Amazon.com already has 35 reviews of the book. Another big review by Julia M. Klein appears on BostonGlobe.com. Her first paragraphs are:
Talk about an unreliable narrator: Just what are we to make of a book by a diagnosed sociopath that functions alternately as a warning against sociopathy, an apologia for it, and an embodiment of its worst manipulative tendencies?
This intermittently fascinating, if rather disjointed, account is part memoir, part psychological treatise, and entirely not to be trusted. Its pseudonymous author, M.E. Thomas, describes herself as a law professor and a Mormon who tithes and teaches Sunday school. Even more surprisingly, she claims to have “a close circle of family and friends whom I love and who very much love me.”
That last statement is ludicrous, of course, because the core of sociopathy is an inability to love. But as we all well very know, sociopaths are exceptionally good at talking about love and convincing us that their feelings are real.
At least this book, and the marketing dollars behind it, is drawing attention to the fact that millions of sociopaths live among us, and they aren’t all deranged serial killers. All of us here at Lovefraud have already learned that lesson the hard way.
After the money I lost to my own personal sociopath, the last thing I want to do is give money to another one by buying this book. I already know what they are.
Tea Light
The Simpson book was commissioned by Harper Collins not Random House in fact
fightforwhatsright
Thank you for the warning Donna. It helps to be prepared to turn the channel whenever necessary. Tea Light: Thank you for letting us know about the questionable publishing company. It sounds like the National Enquirer book by a Narcissistic person who wants lots of attention. It also looks like a troll was chased out and glad to see it. This site is wonderful and I am glad to see it is kept safe.
Tea Light
What Harper Collins did in commissioning that book was DISGUSTING. The lowest of the low. Thankfully the victims families got a court order to prevent them profiting from publication. I see OJ is trying to get free from jail this week. Good luck with that, OJ.
lost everything
Her book; we have all heard the audio book authored by a sociopath and paid dearly for the ‘privilege’. I am sure that I am not the only one that has read the words written by a sociopath. Different spaths, identical premise. Same old, same old.
Stargazer
Wow, I just came back from the store where I saw that article on the cover of Psychology Today. I thought about this site. I come here, and here is the discussion already in progress…….without reading the article or the book (and no desire to), my guess is that no matter how honestly or dishonestly she writes, the effect will be to glamorize sociopathic behavior, unfortunately. After all, here is someone who is getting rich writing about how she “puts one over on everyone.” Perhaps this would be a good time for a sequel, “Confessions of One Who Was Ruined by a Sociopath.”
At least people will be talking about it and blogging about it. Some antisocial personalities will come out of the closet to talk about their antisocial tendencies, glamorized by the book. Could be a positive thing if the topic is brought into public awareness.
I am now going to return to the book I’m reading…50 Shades of Grey. Anyone who’s read it think that Grey guy is a sociopath? I’m halfway through the book and I’m voting “yes”.
fightforwhatsright
The next book on my list to buy is Donna’s. This site is a lifesaver and I’m sure her book does justice for what victims go through. It’s too bad her book about being the “victim” isn’t getting attention. But, we are the quiet ones who get sick. The sociopaths never seem to run out of energy to promote themselves, do they?
stronger
Donna’s book is mentioned appreciatively in many of the most popular survivor sites I have seen… regarding the book by this self-proclaimed psychopath, Thomas, there is no need to spend a minute or a cent on it because most of us here already know everything there is to know, and those who have not been with a psychopath have to just imagine a slithery, slimy snake, maybe a python that engulfs its victims, wrapping itself slowly but firmly around its target, gradually sucking/ squeezing out all life from its victim, but in such a deceptive manner that the victim does not even know what is happening until almost too late….that’s about all in a nutshell folks..
scout
While I wouldn’t purchase this book and make a sociopath wealthier, I do not share the collective disapproval about this book’s existence. And yes, I would definitely read it.
Lovefraud does an excellent job educating people and unsuspecting victims about sociopaths. Their behavior is so charming that it becomes difficult for us to convince others that such evil predators exist. Sociopaths sabotage our efforts with their smear campaigns, preempting our examples of their destruction by projecting their behavior on us!
So here is a self described, diagnosed sociopath boasting in her book just how she manipulates us lesser plebes, while describing the satisfaction (s)he derives in doing so. Seems to me, the author is exhibiting the exact characteristics that Lovefraud seeks to educate others about, and if the objective is to spare even one person from being sucked into their web, the sociopath is illustrating to others just how they do it. Win-win. And yes, I’d endure reading the website to learn more of their tactics that I already know about all too well, because education is power and forewarned is forearmed. The more that we and others know of their manipulative, controlling, self serving tactics, the more we can identify red flags and flee.
Will their be the usual grandiose attitudes, platitudes and lies in this book? Why yes! But I like to test my knowledge and unfortunate life experience encountering spaths, by testing my skills and seeing if I can identify the characteristics/behaviors/examples thereby increasing my ability to dodge future encounters with spaths. Sociopaths are everywhere; they can be very charming, intelligent, engaging. While I may have difficulty convincing others about what the sociopath is doing, I will try to educate them. It rarely works. But I’m jumping ship and sparing myself the ensuing BS of the sociopath that all of us here know is coming.
Donna Andersen
I do agree that there is value in the existence of the book. Reading the reviews has been interesting. Some have said the book is fascinating in a macabre sort of way. Others readers grew tired of the BS. But at least people may get the idea that sociopaths are not all serial killers.
Tl_9136
Spaths almost always seem to be good writer or poets just another
Way they can glorify themselves, tealight mine liked
To abuse men! oh so often here the female spath
Is hidden or not acknowledged it is not a single gender
Disease
Read snakes in suits by paul babiak phd he sheds a true light on the male and female spath
He’s in the top 5 in the world for studying spaths and he never singles it out to male or female
fightforwhatsright
I think it would be upsetting to read this book. If people here began to post that it was helpful in some way, I might get it at the library. But, I would not want any sociopath or anyone using “shock value” to make money off of a book about sociopaths. I prefer both clinical and self-help for the victims. I think those books do a good enough job of describing them for me.
Donna Andersen
Identity revealed – a Lovefraud reader sends a link about who the author may really be:
http://abovethelaw.com/2013/05/sources-and-dr-phil-offer-insights-author-of-confessions-of-a-sociopath-who-might-be-this-law-professor/#more-245263