Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Won't Stop Talking

Title: Quiet
Author: Susan Cain
Labels: Psychology | Personality
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: January 24, 2012
Reading Range: Adult
Contains: N/A
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher

My Rating: ★★★★☆ (It was good)
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Blurb From Goodreads (Full blurb HERE): 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.
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          Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Won't Stop Talking covers a fairly wide range of topics (subject related, of course), ranging from societies "Extrovert Ideal", to how introverts and extroverts think differently, to the physical and psychological components and free will, to how to relate to those of the opposite personality type. Overall, all very relevant and useful topics to discuss.

          Being an introvert myself, it was interesting to read Cain's breakdown of how introverts and extroverts think different, and how social situations affect each type differently. While the "Extrovert Ideal" is definitely prevalent in the world (or at least in the US...), I liked that Susan made the point that there needs to be a balanced compromise from both sides.

          Also, I liked that the things Cain discussed were basic facts (or as far as I could tell, anyway), rather than being influenced one way or another by religious beliefs. I would be totally fine with reading a psychology/personality book from a Christian perspective, but I'll admit I most likely wouldn't be reading this type of book if it were strongly influenced by the world's view. However, Quiet didn't seem to bend either way. At one point Cain made a reference to God, and in another chapter used the term evolution. But even when she did say things like that, it didn't feel like she was swayed to one or the other. Long story short, I felt that this book was based primarily on researched facts, not religious or worldly views. The whole book is choc-full of interesting facts and research accounts--all told in a way that didn't weigh the reader down too much or lose the reader's interest.

          I though Quiet was a very well written, informative, and useful resource for both introverts and extroverts, particularly in helping the two understand each other. Recommended. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.