Welcome to the Sunday Salon. Western society often values the outspoken person, the people with the go-get-them attitude, the take-charge, and run-with-it individuals who are often seen as the ones responsible for making the world go round. Introverts, on the other hand, are often ignored or undervalued. The book, Quiet, shows how mistaken we are in our perceptions and how we may ignore the "quiet" ones whose minds may be teeming with creative and untapped ideas. In fact, the book shows how many so-called "introverted," even highly sensitive, high-reactive, quiet individuals have contributed to society over time.
I loved this book, reading what I suspected all along to be true, and was so glad it has all been finally laid out, the result of study and research.
Publisher: Crown, January 24, 2012
Rating: 5/5
Book description: 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. Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so.
Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects.... and she draws on research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts. She introduces us to successful introverts....and offers 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."
Quiet can change how we see introverts and, more importantly, how introverts see themselves.
Thanks to Crown for a complimentary ARC of this book.
:-) Nice.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that I think of Extroverts more highly, even though everything you mention about Introverts rings totally true. Weird. Weird to value things like society even when I believe otherwise!!!
I definitely enjoy being introverted. Definitely!!! :-)
-Burgandy Ice
I read but haven't reviewed this one yet and thought it was great!! It's true about our culture valuing extroverts and I liked how she pointed out why our world NEEDS both.
ReplyDeleteI have the book requested through my library and I am looking forward to reading this one.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a "must read" book.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I would have considered myself an introvert. But then I spent more than three decades in a career that required me to put myself out there and connect to people, even when I didn't want to do so.
I do actually prefer quiet, independent activities, but I now know that I can extend myself.
Here's MY SUNDAY SALON POST
Laurel: The book also discusses introverts who appear or pretend to be extroverts, but who are still basically introverts!
DeleteI'm on the waiting list for this book from the library. Glad to see that you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI finished this last week (no review yet) but I saw so much of myself in what she was saying. I loved hearing the studies of babies as young as 4 months as well. Thought this was a great book as well.
ReplyDeleteNice to see introverts noticed. I see myself here too a lot though I have made a few headways in this regard. I still prefer to sit back and take it all in, contributing when I feel the necessity to bring up a valuable point or piece of information. Blogging helps me get "it" out there without the spotlight being on me so much as my writing. I really should read this book!
ReplyDeleteI just checked this out from the library. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting book. I think I'm a blend of both!!
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