Whenever conversation lands on the subject of what kind of child I was my dad likes to tell the story of friends coming to ask me to go play with them and me declining in favor of reading a book. My grandmother says she could leave me to play with a cup of mixed beans and I would be happily occupied for an hour grouping them by color, shape, size or number of spots (this usually preceding or following accounts of my cousin turning the whole house upside down within minutes). I was a quiet child, as you can see, with clear signs of introversion from a young age. I never really grew out of it either, still hesitating to accept party invitations and perfectly content to spend my time in the company of one or two friends, or in quiet pursuits. When I first saw Big Bang Theory on TV I was so delighted, because although I'm not a Trekkie or a scientist in a lot of ways the guys on that show are my people. So it's no wonder that I would be compelled to seek out a book on introversion. I am usually not a fan of nonfiction. These books tend to lose my interest relatively quickly and no matter how interested I am in the subject if the book isn't done in a style more populistic than academic I have to force myself to concentrate. So when I opened Quiet for the first time I braced myself for a laborious experience. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when Susan Cain started the book with an anecdote, signaling that it was going to be about people, not abstract concepts. Anecdotes like the one in the first chapter kept the book going for me, alternating stories about historical figures such as Rosa Parks, Dale Carnegie and Eleanor Roosevelt with stories about people Ms. Cain met in the course of her research. These stories provided the reprieve needed to keep the academic sections about studies and the science of it all from taking over, as well as an insight into the making of our high-energy environment. One of the beauties of this book is the fact that it examines introversion and extraversion from a variety of angles, taking into account the significance of nature and nurture, societal norms and situational pressures, ability and desire to adapt and mimic traits necessary to succeed. It talks about introversion and extraversion at all stages of development, from childhood to old age, describing second-grader Isabel and the author's own grandfather as examples. It takes a look at how cultures affect temperaments of the majority, discussing differences between Asia and Europe and challenges people of both descents face. Best of all, it does all this in a language that is easy to understand.It still took me a week to read Quiet because of the sheer amount and quality of the information. I would turn off my e-reader with thoughts and ideas clamoring for my attention, my mind trying to process everything I've just read at the same time. It's not a particularly exciting book, in the usual sense, but I was extremely excited to read it, sometimes for the validation it provided and sometimes for ideas on how to make it in a world where it literally pays to speak up, and loudly, without wearing myself out trying to be a polar opposite of who I am. I'm still excited about it and I think that everyone should read this book, regardless of temperament. After all, at least a third of us are introverts, and it's time we started really paying attention to and harnessing the power of quiet.
Show lessWhenever conversation lands on the subject of what kind of child I was my dad likes to tell the story of friends coming to ask me to go play with them and me declining in favor of reading a book. My grandmother says she could leave me to play with a cup of mixed beans and I would be happily occupied for an hour grouping them by color, shape, size or number of spots (this usually preceding or following accounts of my cousin turning the whole house upside down within minutes). I was a quiet child, as you can see, with clear signs of introversion from a young age. I never really grew out of it either, still hesitating to accept party invitations and perfectly content to spend my time in the company of one or two friends, or in quiet pursuits. When I first saw Big Bang Theory on TV I was so delighted, because although I'm not a Trekkie or a scientist in a lot of ways the guys on that show are my people. So it's no wonder that I would be compelled to seek out a book on introversion. I am usually not a fan of nonfiction. These books tend to lose my interest relatively quickly and no matter how interested I am in the subject if the book isn't done in a style more populistic than academic I have to force myself to concentrate. So when I opened Quiet for the first time I braced myself for a laborious experience. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when Susan Cain started the book with an anecdote, signaling that it was going to be about people, not abstract concepts. Anecdotes like the one in the first chapter kept the book going for me, alternating stories about historical figures such as Rosa Parks, Dale Carnegie and Eleanor Roosevelt with stories about people Ms. Cain met in the course of her research. These stories provided the reprieve needed to keep the academic sections about studies and the science of it all from taking over, as well as an insight into the making of our high-energy environment. One of the beauties of this book is the fact that it examines introversion and extraversion from a variety of angles, taking into account the significance of nature and nurture, societal norms and situational pressures, ability and desire to adapt and mimic traits necessary to succeed. It talks about introversion and extraversion at all stages of development, from childhood to old age, describing second-grader Isabel and the author's own grandfather as examples. It takes a look at how cultures affect temperaments of the majority, discussing differences between Asia and Europe and challenges people of both descents face. Best of all, it does all this in a language that is easy to understand.It still took me a week to read Quiet because of the sheer amount and quality of the information. I would turn off my e-reader with thoughts and ideas clamoring for my attention, my mind trying to process everything I've just read at the same time. It's not a particularly exciting book, in the usual sense, but I was extremely excited to read it, sometimes for the validation it provided and sometimes for ideas on how to make it in a world where it literally pays to speak up, and loudly, without wearing myself out trying to be a polar opposite of who I am. I'm still excited about it and I think that everyone should read this book, regardless of temperament. After all, at least a third of us are introverts, and it's time we started really paying attention to and harnessing the power of quiet.
Read more...1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
After Leah @ Books Speak Volumes read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain, I REALLY wanted a copy.
I’m not an introvert but I assumed that the book would make me appreciate and understand introverts more. I’m also not a true extrovert, love my peace and quiet, and thought the book might help me learn more about the ways I am in the middle of the extrovert/introvert continuum.
Quiet is a powerful book that is, in my opinion, more geared towards introverts. It seems like the introverted readers will speed through the book, while for someone like me, it took a lot longer. I picked it up, read a little, put it down, read some more, etc.
Quiet is full of amazing facts, but I’ll just highlight a few of them for you:
One third to one half of Americans are introverts!
Introverts are good at leading extroverts because they have fabulous listening skills and are okay with not dominating social situations; they are more likely to listen to and implement suggestions.
In a study that goes along with the bullet above, team members perceived their introverted leaders are more open and receptive to their ideas worked harder and got more done.
Rosa Parks had an encounter with the same bus driver 12 years before. The driver tried to get her off the bus by pushing her, and she made sure he realized she would get off the bus on her own. On her way out, she dropped her purse and sat on a “white” seat, her own way of passively resisting. Love this story!!!
Open office plans reduce productivity and memory, there’s a high turnover rate, and more people are sick, hostile, and insecure because they have no “safe place” to go to, they’re all out in the open.
The larger the brainstorming group, the worse they work at generating great ideas.
Both introverts and extroverts are equally intelligent.
Who should read Quiet?
Introverts will love, appreciate, and enjoy Quiet for giving explanations, tips, and tricks to having a better life and being understood.
Extroverts and those in between can read Quiet in order to gain more knowledge of introverts, just be prepared that the book might not be as exciting to you.
Let’s take a poll: Introvert? Extrovert? Somewhere in between?
Thanks for reading,
Rebecca @ Love at First Book
Show lessAfter Leah @ Books Speak Volumes read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain, I REALLY wanted a copy.
I’m not an introvert but I assumed that the book would make me appreciate and understand introverts more. I’m also not a true extrovert, love my peace and quiet, and thought the book might help me learn more about the ways I am in the middle of the extrovert/introvert continuum.
Quiet is a powerful book that is, in my opinion, more geared towards introverts. It seems like the introverted readers will speed through the book, while for someone like me, it took a lot longer. I picked it up, read a little, put it down, read some more, etc.
Quiet is full of amazing facts, but I’ll just highlight a few of them for you:
One third to one half of Americans are introverts!
Introverts are good at leading extroverts because they have fabulous listening skills and are okay with not dominating social situations; they are more likely to listen to and implement suggestions.
In a study that goes along with the bullet above, team members perceived their introverted leaders are more open and receptive to their ideas worked harder and got more done.
Rosa Parks had an encounter with the same bus driver 12 years before. The driver tried to get her off the bus by pushing her, and she made sure he realized she would get off the bus on her own. On her way out, she dropped her purse and sat on a “white” seat, her own way of passively resisting. Love this story!!!
Open office plans reduce productivity and memory, there’s a high turnover rate, and more people are sick, hostile, and insecure because they have no “safe place” to go to, they’re all out in the open.
The larger the brainstorming group, the worse they work at generating great ideas.
Both introverts and extroverts are equally intelligent.
Who should read Quiet?
Introverts will love, appreciate, and enjoy Quiet for giving explanations, tips, and tricks to having a better life and being understood.
Extroverts and those in between can read Quiet in order to gain more knowledge of introverts, just be prepared that the book might not be as exciting to you.
Let’s take a poll: Introvert? Extrovert? Somewhere in between?
Thanks for reading,
Rebecca @ Love at First Book
Read more...
From The Book Wheel:
I know I’m a few months late, but I finally jumped on the Quiet (by Susan Cain) train. I had to wait for it to become available through the library, but that’s okay because it was mostly worth the wait. Not that I enjoy waiting, though, because I fall on the extrovert side of the spectrum. But, I also take a lot of things personally, so technically I think I’m a sensitive extrovert (I am also reward and threat sensitive). Whatever I am, I went into this thinking I’d learn a lot about how to understand my introverted husband, but instead I just read more of the same things I already knew.
I did have a lot of ‘aha’ moments during this book. It wasn’t that the information was new, necessarily, but that it was put forth in such a way that it made sense. Such as open office plans being distracting and bad for memory or that it’s better to study alone than in groups. These things make sense but I never gave them much thought.
As a book nerd, I loved the section about ‘flow’ (pursuing something for its own sake). For me, reading gives me flow. I do it for me, not because I gain outside rewards from it. I do it simply because I want to and I enjoy it. Granted, one could argue that liking something is a reward in itself, but that is a philosophical discussion that I am choosing not to go into right now (but it’s along the lines of whether or not someone can be truly altruistic).
My only problem with this book is that the author used the word ‘gregarious’ on almost every other page. You know how when you say something over and over again it sounds weird and loses meaning? That’s what happened with ‘gregarious’ – I just started skipping sentences with that word in it because it held no meaning anymore.
All in all, I wasn’t dazzled by this book like many people seemed to be, but I enjoyed it. It was interesting, informative, and gave me some food for thought. I’m glad I read it, but I don’t know that my life is much different.
Show lessFrom The Book Wheel:
I know I’m a few months late, but I finally jumped on the Quiet (by Susan Cain) train. I had to wait for it to become available through the library, but that’s okay because it was mostly worth the wait. Not that I enjoy waiting, though, because I fall on the extrovert side of the spectrum. But, I also take a lot of things personally, so technically I think I’m a sensitive extrovert (I am also reward and threat sensitive). Whatever I am, I went into this thinking I’d learn a lot about how to understand my introverted husband, but instead I just read more of the same things I already knew.
I did have a lot of ‘aha’ moments during this book. It wasn’t that the information was new, necessarily, but that it was put forth in such a way that it made sense. Such as open office plans being distracting and bad for memory or that it’s better to study alone than in groups. These things make sense but I never gave them much thought.
As a book nerd, I loved the section about ‘flow’ (pursuing something for its own sake). For me, reading gives me flow. I do it for me, not because I gain outside rewards from it. I do it simply because I want to and I enjoy it. Granted, one could argue that liking something is a reward in itself, but that is a philosophical discussion that I am choosing not to go into right now (but it’s along the lines of whether or not someone can be truly altruistic).
My only problem with this book is that the author used the word ‘gregarious’ on almost every other page. You know how when you say something over and over again it sounds weird and loses meaning? That’s what happened with ‘gregarious’ – I just started skipping sentences with that word in it because it held no meaning anymore.
All in all, I wasn’t dazzled by this book like many people seemed to be, but I enjoyed it. It was interesting, informative, and gave me some food for thought. I’m glad I read it, but I don’t know that my life is much different.
Read more...
