I am an introvert, which would surprise many people who know me. I loved this book. It revealed a lot about myself and people I know. Tom too tall Cunningham www.tom2tall.com

Have you ever wondered at the sociability of some people which allows them to engage endlessly in conversation with others? Have you ever longed for the end of the day when you could return home and enjoy the solitude of your private environment? Are you the type of person who would decline a spontaneous social evening out in favour of a show or good book curled up in your favourite chair? Chances are you're an introvert, and you draw your energy from being alone. While extraverts gain energy from frequent interaction with other people, introverts do the opposite, naturally preferring to be by themselves, thinking through their thoughts alone in their head, and processing things internally. They don't speak as often as extraverts, who process their thoughts spontaneously, preferring to talk their way out loud through an issue until they reach a satisfactory conclusion. They prefer interaction with others while they do this, and use others as a sounding board for new thoughts and ideas. Shared brainstorming sessions aren't preferred by the introvert who prefers to process thoughts in silence, doing all their thinking in their heads, and coming out with their conclusion at the end of the thought process, fully formed and considered. Introverts generally think before they speak, and they're fairly good listeners. The challenge for introverts is that society has geared itself and its social, educational and work processes around the extraverted person. Children no longer sit in rows in school classrooms, encouraged to do their thinking by themselves inside their minds. They are clustered into pods of 4 or 6, undertake group work at least as often as working alone, processing school work through the group dynamic and getting a group mark instead of marks that reflect individual effort. Great for the extravert, likely an uncomfortable and out-of-preference activity for the introvert. Children grow up from school and enter the work of work where the process of group work continues to take precedence over individual quiet work. Work is done by committee, with people gathered around tables and encouraged to speak their thoughts out loud. Back at the office, people are more likely to work in cubicles where it's hard to have individual privacy of thought or action: people engage in group work, are evaluated for their facility to work well on teams. The team takes credit for the solution, even when it's the introvert's mind processing away quietly in an environment of distractions that may have ultimately given the answer that gets adoped by the group. In her recent book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking," author Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extravert Ideal in the twentieth century, from the story of Dale Carnegie and the push toward public speaking, to the Harvard Business School ideal, where introverts are subverted into an extravert curriculum, social and cultural program that measures success by outward expression and aggression. And while there are many benefits to be obtained from operating in an extraverted world (mostly by extraverts), a world without introverts would be deprived of the theory of gravity, the theory of relativity, Chopin's nocturnes, Proust's In Search of Lost Time, Peter Pan, George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, Charlie Brown, The Cat in the Hat, Google, Schindler's List, E.T., and Saving Private Ryan, and the magical world of Harry Potter. Quoting science journalist Winifred Gallagher, Cain pithily observes "Neither E-mc2 nor Paradise Lost was dashed off by a party animal." Cain's book is a salve to the injuries sustained over time by the introvert in twentieth-century society, but she offers up more than sympathy. Through delightful and insightful introduction to some of the century's most celebrated introverts (Rosa Parks, for one), and pairing them with some of the century's most celebrated extraverts (Martin Luther King Jr), she reveals interesting partnerships that can arise when introverts and extraverts come together. She also offers sage advice to introverts on when and how much to exhibit extravert behaviour, how to negotiate one's way in a world that celebrates the extravert ideal, and how to tap into the natural tendencies of introversion that can lead to great powers of observation, listening, and creative thought. Quiet is an engaging book, a good read for the introvert who likes to read and stop and read again, stop and think about what's just been read, pulling in observations, related thoughts, and speculation, listening quietly for wisps of ideas to wiggle forth. While useful for persons of all type, if only to broaden one's understanding of the amazing differences between people, it is written especially for the introvert, an indulgence, like taking a tall glass of water after a long, dry run.

If you have ever felt guilty for turning down an invitation to a raving party, a concert ticket, or any other social event in favour of a good book, a quiet dinner with your partner, or a walk in the park, you need to read this book. I've always known that I fall slightly to the quieter side of the introvert/extrovert line. And I'm 100% okay with that. But this amazing book explained how other aspects of my personality -- not liking violent movies, hating high school, and thoroughly enjoying the far more sociable man that I'm with -- are all related to my introversion. If you are a teacher or business owner, I implore you to read this book and incorporate what you learn into your teaching/business strategies. You will find your students and employees producing better work than you have ever seen (and liking you more, too!)

“Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again.” —Anaïs Nin Susan Cain’s book will come as a great relief to introverts. They will find themselves saying out loud, “Yes! Yes!” They will be filled with a sense of vindication: finally someone understands them, and, more importantly, someone values them. They will find an answer to a question they might have asked themselves: “Is there something wrong with me?“ Every introvert should read Quiet to gain greater understanding of themselves and what they have to offer to society. Every extrovert should read Quiet to gain greater understanding of the powerfully quiet people in their lives, and how a lack of understanding can cause deep pain. “. . . introverts relate to other people. Of course they do. They just do it in their own way.” There is no clear definition of introversion or extroversion, and most people fall at different points on the spectrum of one extreme to the other, but recent science points to “fixed traits” and “free traits” and “temperament” versus “personality.” We all have free will and can adapt our outward behaviours, but we all have inborn, biological behaviours and emotions. Our culture and life experiences affect us, but we have an underlying temperament that forms the foundation for our approach to life. Science also says that introverts and extroverts operate differently. Introverts are more sensitive to stimuli and new situations. They begin tasks slowly but then work deliberately with fixed concentration. They persevere with difficult tasks through to completion. Extroverts soak up new stimuli, and dive into tasks enthusiastically. They are easily distracted and tend to give up on difficult tasks more quickly than their introvert counterparts. “It’s not that I’m so smart,” said Einstein, who was a consummate introvert. “It’s that I stay with a problem longer.” As Cain points out, in our North American culture, quiet perseverance isn’t sexy. People who don’t talk are seen as failing in some way. We like the engaging enthusiasm of the extroverts, so it is easy for introverts to feel underappreciated or even shunned. Cain hopes that her book will encourage introverts to honour their true nature. After all, introverts brought us such fun and important things as Charlie Brown, the theory of relativity, Google, Harry Potter and E.T. (That’s right, Spielberg is an introvert.) In order for introverts to function well in our extrovert-loving society, they must spend a lot of time pretending. Introverts learn from an early age that their inborn temperament doesn’t click with societal expectations. They learn how to act. They learn how to pretend to speak comfortably in public, and then they hide in the bathroom on breaks. They develop an effective sales pitch that puts them at the top of their sales team, and then they curl up by themselves and read all weekend. To get by introverts spend a lot of time pretending to be something they are not—but only so far. The “rubber band theory” proposes that people are elastic and can stretch, but only so much. Then they need a “restorative niche.” It seems unfair to introverts that they must spend so much time being something they are not when the extroverts go about life with carefree ease. Shouldn’t they have to learn to turn it down a notch sometimes? Cain believes this to be true. Our society needs a better balance of both and a better understanding of both. Companies gain from hiring employees with both the outgoing enthusiasm of extroverts and the thoughtful perseverance of introverts. Our financial system benefits from having a balance of risk-takers to ensure growth and careful monitors to ensure stability. Spouses learn how to relate to each other. Parents accept children that may think and behave in ways they don’t understand. “Whoever you are, bear in mind that appearance is not reality. Some people act like extroverts but the effort costs them in energy, authenticity and even physical health. Others seem aloof or self-contained, but their inner landscapes are rich and full of drama. So the next time you see a person with a composed face and a soft voice, remember that inside her mind she might be solving an equation, composing a sonnet, designing a hat. She might, that is, be deploying the powers of quiet.”

*A full executive-style summary of this book is now available at newbooksinbrief dot wordpress dot com. Being the quieter, more reserved type, introverts are not as inclined as others to broadcast just who they are and what makes them tick, much less honk their own horns. However, given that Western culture has increasingly pushed introverts aside, and is intent on celebrating their opposite, it is high time that introverts stepped out of character, made themselves heard, and proclaimed to the world that they have much to offer indeed. This is the campaign that Susan Cain launches in her new book, `Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking'. Cain begins her account by way of establishing that Western culture has increasingly adopted an `Extrovert Ideal,' in which louder, bolder, more ebullient and risk-friendly individuals are valued over and above the quieter, more reserved, reflective and heed-friendly ones. While Western culture has a long history of favoring the extrovert, Cain argues that this bias has steepened since the industrial revolution, and particularly in the past century as the West has become ever-more urbanized and commercial. Over the course of this time-frame, Cain argues, a Culture of Personality, perhaps best represented by the motivational guru Tony Robins, has come to replace a Culture of Character, best represented by such figures as Abraham Lincoln. Cain's intention here is not to put-down extroverts, or to say that they are inferior to introverts. Rather, her argument is that the latter have an important role to play in many areas of society that is now often overlooked. For one, the introvert's greater willingness to listen to others and their input makes them better leaders than is generally recognized. Second, their heed-friendly temperaments serves to better protect them (and those around them) against dangerous situations, and makes them particularly valuable in such professions as financial investing, where undue risk is not only known to get individuals in trouble, but entire nations, and even the entire international community. Third, the fact that introverts tend to have a sharpened moral sense makes them well-suited to fill the role of the social conscience of society, which is often valuable in protecting the downtrodden, and also in saving societies from their own recklessness. Finally, the added thoughtfulness and persistence of introverts, and their heightened capacity to work independently, often gives them an edge in creative enterprises such as art and technological innovation, as well as in more intellectual industries such as science and engineering. Indeed, Cain insists that there is plenty of evidence to indicate that working independently is an important part of having and developing the best ideas, not only for introverts but for everyone. This helps explain why the most creative people tend to be introverted, and also serves as an argument in favor of tempering the emphasis on groupthink and collaborative work that is currently running rampant through our schools and businesses. While introverts often have more to offer than many recognize, it is also the case that their sensitive nature tends to make them more fragile than others; as such, they are particularly susceptible to having their talents stifled and even snuffed out before they have had the time to develop. For this reason, Cain argues, it is especially important for parents and educators to know the best approaches when it comes to both raising and educating the quieter type, and the author makes a concerted effort to address these issues here. In particular, Cain emphasizes just how vital it is to encourage and nurture the introvert's peculiar talents, and to be patient in dealing with their inwardness. Having said this, Cain does not advocate giving in to this inwardness entirely, as she stresses the importance of challenging the introvert to come out of their shell as much as they are able, in order that they may learn to make their voices heard, and to get along in a more extrovert-friendly world. In connection with this, Cain argues that it is not only possible, but often healthy and beneficial for introverts to stretch themselves to be more extroverted on occasion--especially when it is in the name of a goal that they value, and as long as it is not overdone. Altogether, the work is well researched and very insightful, and there is much to be learned here about the quieter among us for the extroverted and introverted alike--and also much to help the latter feel more comfortable in their own skin (thankfully without being an exercise in self-congratulation for them). A comprehensive summary of the book, as well as many of the juicier details and anecdotes to be found therein, is available at newbooksinbrief dot wordpress dot com; the information in the article will also be available in a condensed version in the form of a podcast soon.