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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Very compelling book! An important book for both Extroverts and Introverts and those who exhibit both tendencies or their personalities are somewhere in the middle. My favorite sections were the final chapters focusing on marriage relationships and children. I really enjoyed the chapter on children, and teaching and parenting introverted children.
I think it's a pretty well-established idea that the U.S.A. is an extroverted country with extroverted ideals and extroverted societal expectations. What role, then, do introverts have in this extroverted world? Many guides exist that claim they can coach introverts to participate less stressfully in extroverted activities, like networking or extensive socializing. A lot of these guides are nothing more than advice on how to act more extroverted. How to fake it. Susan Cain's Quiet is a refreshing and much needed account of how introverts can find their place in society while remaining true to themselves and without stretching their personalities and comfort zones in order to feel normal.
Quiet contains many stories of people struggling to fit together the knowledge of who they are and the knowledge of who they grew up believing they were supposed to be. It also contains stories of people who live in places with introverted ideals (I'm thinking of moving) and how their way of life and self view differs from introverts trapped in extroverted societies. In these stories, we can see how qualities often looked down on in this society (reservedness, preference for small social gatherings and more abstract conversations, caution) are valued and even sought after. We might see pieces of ourselves we've learned to hide celebrated as ideals.
This book makes me think about how eager everybody is to force their own values and expectations on others, with little empathy or regard for alternate perceptions or ways of life. It's sad, really. Books like Quiet and people like Susan Cain are steps in the direction of understanding and compromise between the different personality types, so I salute her for that. I recommend this book to introverts looking for some self reflection, self-validation, the strength to live on their terms and to extroverts looking to understand their introverted friends.
Quiet contains many stories of people struggling to fit together the knowledge of who they are and the knowledge of who they grew up believing they were supposed to be. It also contains stories of people who live in places with introverted ideals (I'm thinking of moving) and how their way of life and self view differs from introverts trapped in extroverted societies. In these stories, we can see how qualities often looked down on in this society (reservedness, preference for small social gatherings and more abstract conversations, caution) are valued and even sought after. We might see pieces of ourselves we've learned to hide celebrated as ideals.
This book makes me think about how eager everybody is to force their own values and expectations on others, with little empathy or regard for alternate perceptions or ways of life. It's sad, really. Books like Quiet and people like Susan Cain are steps in the direction of understanding and compromise between the different personality types, so I salute her for that. I recommend this book to introverts looking for some self reflection, self-validation, the strength to live on their terms and to extroverts looking to understand their introverted friends.
The audio book was a great companion to and from work. Because of this book, I am more mindful of how to work with the clients I see, while keeping in mind their introvert/extrovert ways. I am an extrovert who is surrounded by introverts. Quiet seemed to be a well balanced view of temperament. I especially liked the Harvard Business School section. This is a great read and a great resource for to return to in the future.
Preach, girl! Yes, all of this. I wish so much I had this resource when I was a kid (it would have spared me a lot of frustration, confusion and shame) but I’m so thankful that it’s here now.
Narrator: fine
Narrator: fine
informative
inspiring
reflective
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Key takeaways:
- I liked this book. It helped me understand my style, why I am the way I am, and how to use my personality to be successful.
- This book started out really well, then I feel like the back half lost a lot of steam. I think this is probably a consequence of publishers requiring books to be a certain length. I understand why they do this, as I would probably have a mental block against buying a book that was only 50 pages, yet it is unfortunate because this book would have been more powerful if it was only 50 pages and left out some of the other 'fluff'.
- The plane crash game seemed really powerful. 1. You have a list of 15 or so items recovered from a plane crash. You have to rank them in order of usefulness. 2. You get into groups to rank them. 3. Compare your individual and group rankings against the 'answer key' created by a wilderness survival expert. If any individual scores higher than the group, you lose! It helps teach the importance of getting everyone's ideas and making sure to include the quieter group members.
- Presentation skills vs ideas. It is easy to get swept up by a good presenter even if their ideas aren't good. At the same time it is easy to ignore someone has good ideas but bad presentation.
- Right Solutions is a tech company that has employees submit ideas through an online portal. This helps offset the good idea/good presenter problem.
- The bus to Abilene: If someone suggests an idea because they think it is what someone else wants, and everyone else agrees because they think it is what the first person wants, you are on the bus to Abilene. You don't want to go to Abilene.
- "I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job."
- When Jim Collins was writing Good to Great, he found all of the companies were led by a quiet, unassuming CEO. The people who worked with these CEOs described them as "quiet, humble modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effacing, understated." Collins says, "The lesson is clear. We don't need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos, but the institutions they run."
- Re-read 2:04:30 for about five minutes. Good conversation about CEOs.
- Open floor plan offices don't seem to work. They lead to lower productivity, impair memory, high staff turnover, sickness and hostility.
- Since reading Range, by David Epstein I have been a big believer in innovation and groups of people from diverse backgrounds working together to solve problems. I had always assumed doing that as a group was the answer. This book suggests that it would be far better to give people time to consider the problems ahead of time, then after they have had a chance to brainstorm privately, you should get them together in a group.
- I liked this book. It helped me understand my style, why I am the way I am, and how to use my personality to be successful.
- This book started out really well, then I feel like the back half lost a lot of steam. I think this is probably a consequence of publishers requiring books to be a certain length. I understand why they do this, as I would probably have a mental block against buying a book that was only 50 pages, yet it is unfortunate because this book would have been more powerful if it was only 50 pages and left out some of the other 'fluff'.
- The plane crash game seemed really powerful. 1. You have a list of 15 or so items recovered from a plane crash. You have to rank them in order of usefulness. 2. You get into groups to rank them. 3. Compare your individual and group rankings against the 'answer key' created by a wilderness survival expert. If any individual scores higher than the group, you lose! It helps teach the importance of getting everyone's ideas and making sure to include the quieter group members.
- Presentation skills vs ideas. It is easy to get swept up by a good presenter even if their ideas aren't good. At the same time it is easy to ignore someone has good ideas but bad presentation.
- Right Solutions is a tech company that has employees submit ideas through an online portal. This helps offset the good idea/good presenter problem.
- The bus to Abilene: If someone suggests an idea because they think it is what someone else wants, and everyone else agrees because they think it is what the first person wants, you are on the bus to Abilene. You don't want to go to Abilene.
- "I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job."
- When Jim Collins was writing Good to Great, he found all of the companies were led by a quiet, unassuming CEO. The people who worked with these CEOs described them as "quiet, humble modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effacing, understated." Collins says, "The lesson is clear. We don't need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos, but the institutions they run."
- Re-read 2:04:30 for about five minutes. Good conversation about CEOs.
- Open floor plan offices don't seem to work. They lead to lower productivity, impair memory, high staff turnover, sickness and hostility.
- Since reading Range, by David Epstein I have been a big believer in innovation and groups of people from diverse backgrounds working together to solve problems. I had always assumed doing that as a group was the answer. This book suggests that it would be far better to give people time to consider the problems ahead of time, then after they have had a chance to brainstorm privately, you should get them together in a group.
A gentle but powerful celebration of introversion in a world that often prioritizes loudness. With a mix of research, storytelling, and personal insight, Cain explores how introverts think, work, and thrive but most importantly, why their contributions are so often overlooked or misunderstood. It’s eye-opening and so validating (especially for an introvert like me) if you’ve ever felt out of step in environments that reward constant socializing or high energy. Cain’s writing is compassionate and affirming, making you feel seen rather than “less than.” This book doesn’t just explain introversion, it also honours it. A great read for introverts and extroverts alike who want to better understand themselves and the people around them.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
While the book has a few points where I would say the analysis of things is biased from an introvert/author perspective, I felt it to be a well done, thorough, and insightful work on introversion, it’s power, weaknesses, and how it forms a vital part of the world today and into the future.