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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
I would love to see this as a documentary. The book itself gets a little long. But it's comprehensive, that's for sure. Like a Beethoven symphony, it covers all the possible ideas.
Now for those people who think this book will help with their introversion, well... the best thing the author does is tell you that your introversion is normal. You are not doing something wrong, you just have a different way of thinking. There are strengths and faults to introversion, just as there are strengths and faults to extroversion. The problem is that some time after WWII, society got in its head that a forceful personality was more desirable than someone who got things done with integrity and character. That's not to say it has no good advice -- it does. And it wraps up with a great summary. Plus the anecdotes it uses are spot-on, plus the data points are valuable and easy to understand.
I wish this book was read by extroverts, especially bosses and managers, so that they can better understand their employees and why they might not be thriving in an environment full of open spaces and pods and wasteful small talk.
Now for those people who think this book will help with their introversion, well... the best thing the author does is tell you that your introversion is normal. You are not doing something wrong, you just have a different way of thinking. There are strengths and faults to introversion, just as there are strengths and faults to extroversion. The problem is that some time after WWII, society got in its head that a forceful personality was more desirable than someone who got things done with integrity and character. That's not to say it has no good advice -- it does. And it wraps up with a great summary. Plus the anecdotes it uses are spot-on, plus the data points are valuable and easy to understand.
I wish this book was read by extroverts, especially bosses and managers, so that they can better understand their employees and why they might not be thriving in an environment full of open spaces and pods and wasteful small talk.
This book gets 3.5 stars from me. What I liked about it was it gave me a new way to think about my well-known introvert personality. It helped me understand that introversion as a personality trait is not exactly synonymous with disliking talking to other people and it is different than being shy. Actually, what this book helped me understand is that I am perhaps more purely introverted than I realized because some of the things I thought were exceptions to my introversion actually turn out to be separate facets of personality or else normal features of introverted personality (e.g. I'm not shy and I like interacting with people I know well). This first part of the book explaining what introversion is and isn't was what I appreciated.
The second part of the book is a sort of pep talk explaining why you should be proud to be an introvert. I've always been a proud introvert, so this section of the book did little for me. Part 3 of the book is really just a single chapter aside comparing American and East Asian norms around the introvert/extrovert axis of personality. Part 4 was some self-help type tips for how to navigate life as an introvert. As a self-aware and reasonably successful introvert, pretty much everything she suggested were strategies I've already figured out by trial and error, so not much here to benefit me although it was mildly interesting to hear what I think of as my "social skills" presented as a deliberate strategy for coping with introversion in an extroverted culture.
The second part of the book is a sort of pep talk explaining why you should be proud to be an introvert. I've always been a proud introvert, so this section of the book did little for me. Part 3 of the book is really just a single chapter aside comparing American and East Asian norms around the introvert/extrovert axis of personality. Part 4 was some self-help type tips for how to navigate life as an introvert. As a self-aware and reasonably successful introvert, pretty much everything she suggested were strategies I've already figured out by trial and error, so not much here to benefit me although it was mildly interesting to hear what I think of as my "social skills" presented as a deliberate strategy for coping with introversion in an extroverted culture.
It's fascinating how the world has become the world of the salesman with most quite people at the mercy of them. This book gave me hope that introverts are not alone, not weird, and have the capacity to blend in with the extroverts if need be. It does wound me a bit that introverts are treated like lesser than, but i do see the point in also having confidence in what your proposing or what you believe in. People want to know your passionate about what you do and if you can't show it with good communication skills and enthusiasm you won't be taken seriously. I love that the author is also an introvert and puts in real life cases of people trying to improve their communication and look more confident. Her research into self help courses and how the school system is teaching the salesman confidence to our young made me uncomfortable. I suppose it's because the courses remind me of just selling books and souvenirs to fund the "teacher" instead of helping the people without that underlying "buy this to make your life better." Then again I'm cynical and know that style is not for me but if it works for others, great. The schools just remind me of being that quite kid, afraid to say anything and wishing to be the confident one. The way schools are forcing kid into group learning is ok, but we really do need to focus on individual strengths as well. That might require more man power and funds, and until that's solved i think we'll just have to make due; unfortunately. The questionnaires were interesting and the results were nothing surprising, but i know myself well enough to know my strengths and weaknesses. Great book and a very interesting read.
Finally -- a book that validates my weird habits! :-) This book is a fascinating look at introversion -- explaining how it is not the same as shyness, that commonalities exist among introverts, how introverts work more efficiently, and how an extroverted parent can encourage an introverted child.
I found this topic interesting and can relate to a lot of the statements made about introverts. I consider myself an introvert, I would rather stay home than spend time around town or with friends. I do like meeting new people, under the right circumstances, but I won't be the one to start a conversation.
After around page 100, I started to lose interest, and by page 200, I put the book down. I feel that Susan is repeating a lot of points she made earlier. It's not a bad book, it just didn't keep my attention. I liked the first 100 or so pages, but it got boring after a while.
After around page 100, I started to lose interest, and by page 200, I put the book down. I feel that Susan is repeating a lot of points she made earlier. It's not a bad book, it just didn't keep my attention. I liked the first 100 or so pages, but it got boring after a while.
I don’t read much nonfiction. When I do, it usually pertains to geeks, internet culture, fandom, writing, and introversion. Being an introvert myself, I decided to read "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. It cites a lot of studies and other research, but remains understandable and enjoyable to read. "Quiet" talks about the habits and tendencies of introverts, how they express themselves, and how they try to get by in a world that much more accommodating and rewarding towards extroverts. While "Quiet" does favor the introverts, it doesn’t fail to point out the advantages that extroverts have and the usefulness of their abilities in certain situations. "Quiet" is in favor of balance between extroverts and introverts, and hopes that each will try to help and understand one another. By necessity the book has to speak in generalities, and acknowledges that there are exceptions to every rule, especially here when every person is different. I highly recommend reading this book, both for introvert and extroverts. If you are an introvert, it helps to know that you may be different, but there’s nothing wrong with you. Extroverts may want to read this as well, if only to learn how your introverted peers operate and how to avoid overwhelming them.
This is a fascinating look at what it means to be an introvert in the most extroverted nation in the world. I recognized myself on nearly every page -- often in ways I didn't expect. In some ways, all the little "A-ha!" moments I was having probably caused me to miss some interesting aspects of the book. I'll definitely benefit from reading it again.
As an interesting note, I was reading "Imagine: How Creativity Works" at the same time I was reading Quiet -- and the crossover between the two is fascinating.
I'm looking forward to reading this book again, to increase my understand of my own personality and learn ways to nurture myself and find my own power in our extroverted world.
As an interesting note, I was reading "Imagine: How Creativity Works" at the same time I was reading Quiet -- and the crossover between the two is fascinating.
I'm looking forward to reading this book again, to increase my understand of my own personality and learn ways to nurture myself and find my own power in our extroverted world.
Learning I am an introvert, completely changed my life. It helped me to better understand not only who I am, but how I function best. It also gave me permission to do things in my best interest that I wasn’t necessarily taught growing up or by our extrovert-driven society. Though filled with lots of research, I felt this book was engaging and not dry or boring. I highly recommend this one for everyone, especially parents.
This book opened my eyes and my heart. In a world full of extroverts, I have learned to cope, manage, be something that I wasn't. I grew up with society's ominous warning, "it's always the quiet ones who...go crazy, shoot up a school, stab you in the back", so I tried not to be quiet. Go crazy? With the help of Cain, I see now clearly that it's okay to be introspective, to say no, to take space, to step back.
This book gave me more insight into my own personality than I would have thought possible. I mean, I knew I was an introvert, but I never thought about why I am this way or how many of my day-to-day interactions are governed by my introverted tendencies. It also has made me think seriously about the expectations of our culture, what the author refers to as "the extrovert ideal." For example, as a student, I hated most kinds of group work, but I incorporate a group activity into almost all of my research instruction sessions because it seems like the prevailing wisdom is that doing group activities makes you a better teacher. Turns out, I'm probably doing a disservice to the students in the room who are the most like me!
Two quotes that stood out for me in the conclusion:
"Quit your job as a TV anchor and get a degree in library science." (Ha!)
"Figure out what you are meant to contribute to the world and make sure you contribute it."
Two quotes that stood out for me in the conclusion:
"Quit your job as a TV anchor and get a degree in library science." (Ha!)
"Figure out what you are meant to contribute to the world and make sure you contribute it."