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A review by kellylizbeth
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
5.0
This book offers a heaping dose of validation for anyone who was ever urged to “get your nose out of that book and go play with the other kids!” So naturally it would find favor among the bookish members of the Goodreads community. Because I identified so strongly with ‘Quiet,’ I had a hard time pinpointing anything I didn’t like about the book – which I recognize constitutes a bias, albeit a natural and common one: we all like to read about people like us.
The premise of the book is that in a society that disproportionately rewards outgoing, assertive characters, introverts have their own strengths and gifts to offer the world. Susan Cain uses a mix of scientific research (explained in a way that makes it totally accessible to general readers) and illustrative anecdotes to support her claims. Among my favorites was her depiction of Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR as a classic introvert/extrovert pairing. Her empathy and quiet conviction introduced him to issues and perspectives that he would have otherwise overlooked; his gregarious nature and political status provided her with an influence she could never have achieved on her own.
A former Wall Street lawyer by trade, Cain makes her case neatly and leaves little room for argument (like any good attorney should). She also offers advice to those who identify as introverts, without resorting to the preachy tone that’s prevalent in the “self-help” genre. All that said, I did find myself wishing she’d given a little more airtime to the other side; for instance, she talks about the pitfalls associated with the “extrovert ideal,” but what has it accomplished for society? She offers examples of introverts who rose to success thanks to their thoughtful natures, contrasted with extroverts who took big risks and suffered big losses for not doing their homework (hello, financial crisis). But what can we learn from introverts who missed out because they stood on the sidelines or shied away from taking a risk that paid off in the end? While anecdotes that sing the praises of extroverted behavior may be much more commonly cited and easy to find, peppering in the opposite point of view might have further strengthened what I found to be an already excellent book.
The premise of the book is that in a society that disproportionately rewards outgoing, assertive characters, introverts have their own strengths and gifts to offer the world. Susan Cain uses a mix of scientific research (explained in a way that makes it totally accessible to general readers) and illustrative anecdotes to support her claims. Among my favorites was her depiction of Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR as a classic introvert/extrovert pairing. Her empathy and quiet conviction introduced him to issues and perspectives that he would have otherwise overlooked; his gregarious nature and political status provided her with an influence she could never have achieved on her own.
A former Wall Street lawyer by trade, Cain makes her case neatly and leaves little room for argument (like any good attorney should). She also offers advice to those who identify as introverts, without resorting to the preachy tone that’s prevalent in the “self-help” genre. All that said, I did find myself wishing she’d given a little more airtime to the other side; for instance, she talks about the pitfalls associated with the “extrovert ideal,” but what has it accomplished for society? She offers examples of introverts who rose to success thanks to their thoughtful natures, contrasted with extroverts who took big risks and suffered big losses for not doing their homework (hello, financial crisis). But what can we learn from introverts who missed out because they stood on the sidelines or shied away from taking a risk that paid off in the end? While anecdotes that sing the praises of extroverted behavior may be much more commonly cited and easy to find, peppering in the opposite point of view might have further strengthened what I found to be an already excellent book.