Quiet by Susan Cain (Book Review)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking
by Susan Cain

266 pages
Crown Publishing Group, 2012
success, management, psychology, self-help
Finished in 10 days
Another Review...

My Rating: ★★★★

Amazon.com / BN.com

  

"Montgomery, Alabama. December 1, 1955."

Review: I normally don't read "self-help" books. Probably because the introvert in me feels I don't need any help with anything. I've known I was an introvert practically my whole life. I've always stayed to myself. I rather be alone reading a book than out in any public setting. Odd that I live in New York City...

It wasn't until reading this book that I start to see the upside to my quiet side. I honestly never gave much thought to the many role models I should've had growing up who were just as quiet if not quieter, yet very powerful, than I am. People like Rosa Parks moved a nation to be better and do better. If she could do what many thought to be impossible then why can't I?

In the end, I think that is what I came away with in this book; feeling empowered. I always saw my deep emotions, crying whenever I talk about something I feel very passionately about, or agitation at crowds and extroverted people as weaknesses. But now, with the helpful points and stories I can (and will) flip what I beat myself up about into positives that I can utilize to succeed in anything I want to do.

This book is not like any "self-help" book I ever thought would be. While it does have several case studies to back up her claim for why being an introvert might actually be better than being an extrovert, what makes it an easy and enjoyable read are the personal stories she tells alongside the facts. I was immediately pulled in from chapter one where she tells the simple yet moving account of a woman who refused to give up her seat in the back of a bus.

I encourage everyone to read it. Especially employers today who may not realize why work-flow isn't as productive as it used to be? Probably because their ideas of everyone working together might actually be a terrible idea. I know first hand.

The Quiet Manifesto by Susan Cain

1. There’s a word for “people who are in their heads too much”: thinkers.

2. Our culture rightly admires risk-takers, but we need our “heed-takers” more than ever.

3. Solitude is a catalyst for innovation.

4. Texting is popular because in an overly extroverted society, everyone craves asynchronyous, non-F2F communication.

5. We teach kids in group classrooms not because this is the best way to learn but because it’s cost-efficient, and what else would we do with the children while all the grown-ups are at work? If your child prefers to work autonomously and socialize one-on-one, there’s nothing wrong with her; she just happens not to fit the model.

6. The next generation of quiet kids can and should be raised to know their own strength.

7. Sometimes it helps to be a pretend-extrovert. There’s always time to be quiet later.

8. But in the long run, staying true to your temperament is the key to finding work you love and work that matters.

9. Everyone shines, given the right lighting. For some, it’s a Broadway spotlight, for others, a lamplit desk.

10. Rule of thumb for networking events: one genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.

11. It’s OK to cross the street to avoid making small talk.

12. “Quiet leadership” is not an oxymoron.

13. The universal longing for heaven is not about immortality so much as the wish for a world in which everyone is always kind.

14. If the task of the first half of life is to put yourself out there, the task of the second half is to make sense of where you’ve been.

15. Love is essential, gregariousness is optional.

16. “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Gandhi

Summary: The book that started the Quiet Revolution

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak-- that we owe many of the great contributions to society.

In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also 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. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.

To learn more about Susan Cain and her Quiet Revolution visit this site.