This isn’t a review as much as it is a brief exhortation to read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain regardless of whether you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert.
For all the fascinating information and insights, what mattered more, as I read the book, was the sense of validation it gave me. Maybe it says something about me as a person (or should that be, as an introverted reader?), but reading a magazine article or hearing a random speaker *say* that there are advantages associated with being an introvert didn’t have quite the same impact or authority as reading a full-length book packed with personal anecdotes, summaries of studies, and interviews with professors of psychology. This is one of those books I wish had been around when I was younger, because so much of what Cain writes about rang true.
Cain points out that in today’s world—and especially in American culture—shyness and introversion are seen negatively, that these are traits we often think we need to be cured of, while being outgoing and extroverted is prized and admired. Instead, we need to acknowledge not only that the traits associated with being introverted can be beneficial, but also that introverts and extroverts are different, without automatically valuing one over the other.
Book source: public library.
Blogging/reading time: 2 hours 44 minutes (I’d started the book a couple days ago, and finished reading it this morning)
Filed under: Non-Fiction, Not YA
Okay, people around the kidlitosphere are reading this book… maaaaaybe I need to, too. Go, Trisha, go! Keep up the good reading!
You should definitely read it if you get the chance! Many of the anecdotes concern people in business or law or big companies, but Cain also writes about how the “extrovert ideal” influences education and parenting. Even if we’re not parents (or introverts) ourselves as librarians, I think there are insights we can take from the book and apply to our jobs.
[...] Quiet by Susan Cain [...]