An outstanding and provocative book. Perhaps it is because the author is so careful that some sloppy readers missed her points. I was amazed to see one reviewer claim she was slapping at our current President. The author's discussions included sociopaths who become leaders of countries, but it was a generic discussion. If the reader made the leap that she was talking about George Bush, then it was in the reader's mind, not the author's.
Another reviewer complains that the author did not discuss the relative contribution of heredity, environmental factors, and family rearing. Did this reviewer read the same book I did? I thought the author gave these topics very thorough treatment.
But ultimately, I gave the book 5 stars because the book not only thoroughly informed me about a topic I was essentially ignorant in, and also provided much provocative thought about how this psychological disorder has and will continue to impact our society, and what we can do to help minimize it.
Not only is the author an expert, she is an extremely good communicator and provokes one to much further thought on the issues. Those who have reviewed it less favorably so far need to go back and really read the book. It deserves much more than a late-night skim.
Most people find the idea that some people lack the capacity to love inconcievable. We want to believe that everyone is born with the ability to love, to empathize, to feel remorse, the qualities that make us human. We take our conscience for granted and assume everyone has one. It is due to this wishful thinking that the large numbers of sociopaths are underestimated. The author places great confidence in her 4% figure but never explains how it was arrived at. This 4% figure is higher than most estimates but due to most sociopaths skill at mimicking a conscience is probably much lower than their actual numbers.
Sociopaths are not mentally ill, they are ordinary people. Through the study of sociopathy one may come to a greater appreciation of its amazing opposite. This book is a useful introduction.
