Thursday, May 5, 2016

Book Review- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking

8520610For the Mount TBR challenge, the Shelf Love challenge and the Non-Fiction challenge I read Susan Caine's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking.
Synopsis from Goodreads: At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.
Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.
Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts--from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a "pretend extrovert." This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves.
I first heard about this a few years ago when my uncle recommended it to my parents. I come from a proud lineage of introverts. ;) Well my parents never read it (shame!) but I always kept it in the back of my mind and for this past Broke and Bookish Secret Santa it was one of the books I put on my list and it was what I received. So finally I have now read it.
For non-fiction, I found Quiet to be easy to read. Some of what was in the book I already knew but there was plenty that enlightened me. It was directed a little more toward the business world but I found it also quite applicable to just ordinary life. The author put an impressive amount of research into this book and it showed in how comprehensive it was.
Growing up an introvert, I definitely felt the pressure of the world to be an extrovert. Extroverts succeed. That is something I learned pretty early on in my life and it definitely made me insecure as a kid. It's only recently in my life that I've really come to accept my introversion and to accept it as a strength.
Quiet is a great book for introverts to read but it also would be useful for extroverts to help understand introverts.
Read or not? Read!

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5 comments:

  1. Read an interview with Emma Watson once where she recommended this, and I've wanted to to read it since! Glad to hear it's good, I don't read a lot of non-fiction but really want to give it a try :)

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  2. So glad you enjoyed it! It was so validating for me. My husband just ordered this to read with the team he manages at work at my suggestion. I think I'm going to read along with him just so I have a reason to reread!

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    1. That's a great idea to read with a work team.

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  3. Introverts succeed too! They're just not as loud about it ;-)

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