Reply #33: I just read the customer reviews on that book..incl. this interesting one

[FizzFuzz]

woa.

I might have to buy it. Don't have any kids, much less at risk ones; I'm just interested in the subject. I've had too many experiences with psychopaths (milder cases on the spectrum, thank god)--brrr, scary.

On Edit: I just had to add this review from the Amazon site--does this describe Smirky??

<snip>
Excellent, frightening stuff, June 14, 1996
Reviewer: A reader
I stumbled across this book when it was first issued in 1987 and have found the information contained in it to be extraordinarily useful and accurate. It is a book about how sociopaths are made. When you consider that many of the 20th century's most prominent personalities have been sociopaths (Mao, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot), it becomes clear that this is not a trivial subject. That said, it is amazing how little good information is available on sociopathy (now called "Antisocial Personality Disorder," once called "Psychopathy"). Dr. Magid really nails it. One of the perverse pleasures of reading this book is that he describes the typical childhood of the sociopath so well that every time you read about the life history of a tyrant or serial killer, you can basically predict what will be said: Abandonment & rejection by the parents, brutal physical punishment, and frequently a history of head injury and torturing animals. This book is essential reading for anyone who must deal with personality disordered individuals, which is to say, for everyone on the planet (they often rise to positions of considerable power -- ever wonder about your boss?)