In her memoir Confessions of a Sociopath, M.E. Thomas describes sociopaths as “different from the average person, often in very dangerous or scary ways.” Other traits of sociopaths, according to the Hare Psychopathy checklist, include narcissism, juvenile delinquency, and a lack of empathy. In other words, qualities that make for a terrible friend…but an awesome fictional character. […]
Much has been written about absentee, oblivious, or dead parents in YA lit. But what about the parents who are flat-out criminal? I’m talking serial killers, mobsters, con artists, thieves, and general psychopaths. What’s it like to grow up in a house where Mom and Dad are villains? For starters, the angst factor is beyond the norm and legit terrifying, […]