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    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
    Unavailable
    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
    Unavailable
    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
    Ebook487 pages7 hours

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

    By Susan Cain

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Experience the book that started the Quiet Movement and revolutionized how the world sees introverts—and how introverts see themselves—by offering validation, inclusion, and inspiration

    “Superbly researched, deeply insightful, and a fascinating read, Quiet is an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to understand the gifts of the introverted half of the population.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

    NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People • O: The Oprah Magazine • Christian Science Monitor • Inc. • Library Journal • Kirkus Reviews

    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, impeccably 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. 

    Now with Extra Libris material, including a reader’s guide and bonus content
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateJan 24, 2012
    ISBN9780307452207
    Unavailable
    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

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    Reviews for Quiet

    4/5

    2,940 ratings276 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I always knew I was an introvert and this book solidified this when I answered true to 18 of the 20 questions. It also helped me understand why I don't like to make small talk, why I'm exhausted after work and need quiet time and why I would rather be home with a book instead of in a big crowd. I love going to sporting events but just the thought of being around all the people exhausts me. I also understand why I'm tired after work even though I sit behind a computer. My desk is in the center of the office so there is high traffic, lots of interruptions and people come to me for help and advice. So there is lots of interruptions, distractions and business around me. I also understand extroverts and can spot them around me. My husband is an extrovert and maybe that is where we balance each other out. He is my buffer sometimes at parties. It also explains why I'm good at writing and expressing myself through the written word.
    • 4/5
      TL;DR: We live in an extroverted-oriented society and that causes trouble for everyone. Fortunately, there's a way around."Quiet..." tells us about the introversion-extroversion spectrum, but instead of a rant about introverts being victims, Cain gives us the full picture: introverts and extroverts are just different and none is necessarily better than the other.Through examples and scientific research, Cain shows us not only how we've come to live in an extrovert-oriented society, but the troubles that ideal carries and what small steps we can take to prevent it at work, home and with children.Great read for those who either are introverts or know one (which statistically is almost everyone). Don't be afraid of being yourself
    • 5/5
      If you know an introvert or if you label yourself as one, this book is a must read! I learned more about myself while reading this book than in the past 25 years that I've been alive.
    • 3/5
      Just finished this book this morning. Some parts of it were very enlightening, some parts were validating. I too am an introvert, and have spent much of my life feeling like I should be more outgoing, but I just can't. I can pull it off for short bits of time, but always revert to my quiet ways. As I have gotten older, I feel more ok about this. This book reinforces the idea that there is nothing wrong with the introvert.

      I felt some of the examples in the book went on too long. Two that come to mind are the Asian kids in Cupertino and the married introvert/extrovert couple. I felt the points could have been made quicker, and in a less boring fashion. But overall, I got a lot of good information from this book. I especially liked the information about parenting an introverted child.
    • 4/5
      I found the author's thoughts insightful and I appreciated the treatment of the topic of introversion. Since I consider myself an introvert, I can relate to much of the information provided and like to consider the positive sides of this personality trait. I freely recommend this book.
    • 3/5
      Some very good ideas, but boy does she beat you over the head with her main premise. Ok, I *get* it - introverts rule!
    • 3/5
      Who knew that that's why I always let the phone go to voicemail? And the whole idea about needing time out to recover from socialising - I always thought I was just a bit odd, haha.The criticisms that are quite rightly levelled at this book about preaching some kind of binarism between extrovert and introvert are understandable, and am I'm sure that we are all a little too complex for a poorly designed set of questions to provide any sort of sensible analysis or categorisation (would still like to see the questions though...) Most people will be surely be somewhere close to 'ambivert' even if they know themselves to be introverted at heart. For me a major part of young socialisation and growing up was learning to act like an extrovert, if nothing else just to stop people trying to 'bring me out of my shell' or constantly asking what's up as I am 'being quiet'. Isn't it odd that both introverts and extroverts both seem to think they have the worst press! Perhaps not though: it's easy to overrate our own perspective and under-rate others.It is true that the world seems set up to enable extroverts to achieve and feel comfortable but I guess that is because we are essentially a social species. However, as many people point out, there are different kinds of introvert and some come across as sociable creatures, either because they are highly motivated to do this or because they find it easier to adopt an extrovert persona from time to time. Everyone falls somewhere on the scale of introversion to extraversion and so can be "boxed" in this way but the dynamic complexities of personality create many different types of introverts and extroverts and we can all recognise the unique combination in ourselves.It's just much less hard work to use obvious personality traits to make judgments about people and employers are often guilty of taking the easy path when selecting people for jobs. I’ve always wondered why employers don't make the effort to recognise how other traits interact with introversion and predispose some introverts to excel in overtly stereotypically extrovert jobs.Contrary to what a lot of people posting here seem to think, is that introverts are not necessarily 'quiet and shy'. Introversion simply means that people have a preference to do things alone and become easily tired/impatient/drained/distracted by the company of other people, preferring to avoid a lot of external stimuli. That doesn't, however, mean that when they do socialise, they are necessarily awkward or shy about it. Plenty of people who score very highly on the scale of introversion come across as confident, even loud, in situations where they have to interact with others - it's just that they wouldn't usually choose to do it. Similarly, there are some very quiet extroverts who love being in company but don't necessarily want to the centre of attention.I've always described myself as an outgoing-introvert. That may sound like an oxymoron but it works for me. I scored 14 in one of the test being bandied about at the time, and most of my answers were either emphatic yes's or definite no's. The thing is, and I'm sure plenty will recognise this in themselves; I'm perfectly self-assured if I have to give a guided tour, make a speech, teach a class in public because people are concentrating not on me but on what I'm doing. But I dread leaving do's as the focus is completely on me the person, not me the speaker, guide, teacher, actor or singer. For the same reason, I don't tell colleagues when my birthday's coming up and as for doing something insane like having a big party (my wife loves those)? Yikes! Perish the thought. Oh, and the outgoing side of me will happily and confidently converse with new people just so long as I've been introduced to them first or they've approached me. Ask me to march boldly up to a new group of people, or even ones who are just acquaintances rather than friends, and I'll most likely ignore them altogether.I think there's a problem with the criteria Susan Cain uses. For example, I'm a major outgoing-introvert as I stated above, yet I have no problem with "multitasking", which I understand to mean being sufficiently organised to cope with more than one thing at a time. I don't quite know how this is an indication of introversion, because often this involves no human interaction at all (the idea seems to be that if you're an introvert, you must be the kind who plods a single furrow - but why?). Equally, some of the most introverted people I know relished being in (or in front of) groups of people because they could hide in the crowd or in a role they played to the crowd - but found it hard to function when, faced with just one or two people, they had to engage as themselves.
    • 4/5
      As an introvert much seemed rather obvious but interesting nonetheless. i was surprised to hear how much things have tilted to reward the extrovert in recent years; schooling and working in teams.
    • 4/5
      Cain writes why the introverts can now stop defending ourselves. That inner focus and need to recharge don't equate to shyness or inability to relate. Introverts react more to outside stimuli and prefer a chance to perceive intentionally, which often enables them to be more perceptive and a different kind of negotiator, leader, or anything else. Quiet has plenty of well-researched wisdom, told through relevant stories. I can see why it's been such a phenomenon.
    • 4/5
      I was curious to learn what wisdom/insight I would glean from Cain. Some sections of the book were more interesting than others and while I generally find case studies informative, I would have to say that a good part of this book was more a confirmation of what I already thought/knew, as it covered a fair bit of familiar ground from my university/Psychology major days. That being said, I was very interested with the theory that the stock market crashes could potentially have been the result of risky trading by more extroverted individuals. Some readers may view this as a self-help book for introverts, but I would disagree. I think this book is geared towards a broad audience: parents who want to understand their children; educators wanting to provide the best education experience to all types of students; businesses that want to maximize employee productivity and get best advantage out of team decision-making; and extroverts who want to learn more about the introverts in their lives, and more about their extroverted selves.Overall, a good read that helps set the record straight about personality types, how our North American world is more tailored to promote extrovert behaviour, that introversion is not as uncommon as some might think (30% to 50% of the population is introverted in nature) and that shyness does not equate to introversion.
    • 4/5
      Please just leave me alone.
    • 5/5
      This book is an elegant, entertaining bit of advocacy for the needs of introverts at school, at work, and in relationships. The author makes that argument that American culture celebrates an extroverted ideal (group work in school, open office plans and group brainstorming sessions in business) that does a disservice to introverts, who value solitude, reflection, and intimate discussions with family and close friends. Introverts' more cautious approach to life can actually be a benefit, she argues, since original thought and mastery flourish best in solitude.
    • 2/5
      apparently this is the year of books that everyone likes but me. I found this book to be too anecdotal and self congratulatory. Part II seemed to get a little better, but I was already lost. I don't think I developed any additional understanding of myself, introverts or extroverts.
    • 5/5
      This was masterfully written and truly powerful to read. It doesn't bash those who aren't introverts but explains clearly how people work differently and the strengths within that.
    • 4/5
      A very informative book showing that it's not ways best to be loud and outgoing. It's ok to be quiet and introspective in order to care for yourself and recharge your batteries.
    • 5/5
      Guys. This one was so good. I like nonfiction generally but this one hit home. As a teacher, I couldn’t stop drawing comparisons to the classroom and reflecting on my own teaching methods and how I can improve upon them. As an introvert, I felt all my weird, introvert-y quirks were entirely explained, and I understand myself better now than I did when I started this book. If you’re a parent (especially of a little, growing introvert), this should be required reading. But I mean really, everyone should read this.
    • 3/5
      Both a good friend and my mother-in-law recommended this book to me in the course of two days, so I figured I should pick it up. It’s only $2.99 on Amazon for Kindle right now, so if you’re interested I say seize the moment and order it.

      I am an introvert with some outgoing tendencies. I’d almost always rather stay in at night than go out for the sake of going out, but I do love being active during the day (a long walk alone or with my husband, exploring a new neighborhood, is kind of my version of heaven). I love to read, love to analyze things, and just generally enjoy thinking through issues to come up with solutions to problems. I don’t have a problem with public speaking (I give presentations often at conferences), but I loathe ‘networking’ and have a hard time making small talk with people I don’t know.

      Being an introvert in the U.S. can be a challenge, and this book focuses on the ways U.S. society holds extroverted personality types up as the ideal, and how that isn’t necessarily beneficial to individuals OR to society. Working in teams, being a confident public speaker, and feeling good networking or marketing one’s self are all seen as end goals that introverts need to overcome, as opposed to what they really are: ways of doing things that work for some people but not for all.

      When reading this book I was reminded of when the new CEO of Yahoo cut all telecommuting options off. When I read comments on some of these articles (I know, I know, but stick with me here) I was sort of amazed at how many people took the position that if you feel more comfortable working at home and not in a big open plan office with the “team,” then you weren’t the kind of person who deserved to work in the tech industry. The implication was that success comes to those who thrive in that type of environment; everyone else was either worthless or needed to ‘overcome’ their preferences for solitary work to get ahead. I think that’s bullshit, and this book provides support for my assessment.

      It is not my favorite book; I found that it wasn’t organized in a way that necessarily best presented her arguments, and the last chapter on raising introverted children seemed important but also sort of tacked on. But Ms. Cain makes some good points about the benefits of allowing people to work within what feels comfortable to them; it’s not about allowing everyone to stay safely within their comfort zones, but instead about recognizing that there are different comfort zones, and forcing a minority of one type of person out of theirs to accommodate the majority of another type isn’t the way to get the best out of people. I will definitely return to it for reference when I am faced with those arguing that my introversion is some sort of flaw to be overcome as opposed to a strength.
    • 4/5
      I loved the information on introverts. Really encouraging for any introvert.
    • 4/5
      I appreciated this book greatly both for its emphasis on how to support introverts and emphasizing the strengths of us. One strength being: to listen well and deeply, and thinking before responding. Secondly, negotiating uncomfortable situations (parties, dinners, large gatherings, etc.), and learning to come to those places from a position of strength (being well-rested and remembering how the situation is attached to something you love). Finally, it was good to have many examples of people who have been leaders, speakers, and CEOs with significant introvert tendencies.
    • 4/5
      I thought this book presented introverts in a way that would help others understand them. In our highly extroverted culture, introverts are easily overrun and overlooked. They are not broken. They do not need to be fixed. They do have something to contribute: often they are the ones who will stick with a problem and look at it from all angles to come up with a solution. They also are a check and balance on the impulsive decision making nature of extroverts who tend to get caught up in the chase. Both types are needed in our society.
    • 3/5
      Well written book that gives a different perspective on introverts and extroverts. It could have been a little more concise. A great read for parents of young kids.
    • 4/5
      A wonderfully written book that looks at the intricate lives of those of us who call ourselves introverts. Reading this has certainly helped open my eyes to some of my own behaviors and also made me realize that being an introvert is nothing to be ashamed of. To acknowledge one's personality traits and give yourself the space you need to recharge is essential. At the same time you don't have to become an extrovert just because modern life seems to demand it.

      A great read and one that I highly recommend to both the introverts and extroverts out there.
    • 4/5
      The first couple of chapters are very 'American' in focus, with the author talking to gregarious students at a university which apparently encourages outgoing, assertive leaders. I nearly gave up. But the book becomes more interesting in later chapters; there are sections about the biology of introversion, explanations about different ways of looking at the world, and several case studies.The author is an introvert, writing from an American perspective having grown up in an extraverted culture (albeit with introverted relatives). There are generalisations, and a somewhat broader definition of the extravert/introvert differences than I'm familiar with. But it's well-written, and would make ideal reading for anyone concerned about quieter, less assertive spouses, co-workers, or children.
    • 5/5
      This book falls into my category of books that inform my understanding and affirm my impressions of what I've often felt about myself- that I'm an introvert in some ways, many ways. I appreciated Cain's research and interviews -with a variety of people, from pastors to businesswomen. Cain delves into personality theory, business management practices and education, to explain how different people (introverts vs. extroverts) operate in various circumstances. I'd never given much thought to layouts of meeting rooms in terms of their affects on behavior and feelings. I must have had a subconscious sense of some of what she describes in a typical classroom- to sway my direction toward home schooling my children- both introverts with sensory issues of one sort or another. I'm thankful for the success of this book, a New York Times bestseller, as it means many people will read it and perhaps learn and be more sensitive to the quiet, the introverts, who often get glossed over, ignored and stereotyped as shy and awkward, with little regard for their hidden talents and magnificent ideas. Highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      This book addresses the labels of introverts and extroverts and what that means in the workforce, the academy, and life in general. I agreed with the premise of the book that those who are "quiet" or introverts are a very important people in our society.
    • 5/5
      Simply Excellent.

      There.

      That's my review.

      All my life I've wished there was an instruction guide for myself as well as others on how to deal with and understand me because I couldn't verbalize it myself. This book is it, truly. I listened to the last small portion of this while walking along a stretch of my neighborhood that borders an undeveloped area with tears rolling down my face. Everyone that passed probably thought I was crazy (or they never noticed, which is more likely and I'm okay with that too). I rehearsed what I would say just in case anyone asked me what was wrong. Luckily I didn't have to explain. I was crying because finally I felt understood. Wholly and complete understood. Not just by someone else but also by myself. So many of the ways in my life I've felt like a failure or weird are not that at all they are just part of who I am, just like 1/3 to 1/2 of the rest of the population.

      I am not going to say this was a life changing book for me though I think it could could be for some. I've known for a long time that I was an introvert and that many aspects of my personality point to this. I wish I had had this book in my teen and young adult years, it might have changed the way I viewed myself and helped to instill self-esteem and confidence I didn't really have. I think everyone, whether parent, manager, friend, spouse, teacher or anyone would benefit from reading this. It could vastly help so many relationships of every type. I think this could be a healing and supportive work for introverts to help them understand themselves and to reassure them that they are okay. Not just okay but necessary and valuable just as they are. Introversion is not a sickness or condition that needs to be cured, it just needs to be understood and appreciated. Introverts and Extroverts need and enjoy each other, but have needs outside of each other as well.

      I cannot do this book justice, it is just too powerful and well done for my abilities to relay. If you have an introvert in your life read it. If you ARE an introvert, read it. If you deal with a range of different people or have decision making powers over a group of people from children to adults, read it. At worst you will have spent some time on an interesting topic. At best, you may be able to bring forth energy, ideas and collaboration that you never could have imagined and gain a new understanding and appreciation of the people in your life that you just thought were quiet or anti-social.

      Thank you Susan Cain. Thank you.
    • 5/5
      Excellent.. I first heard of this last year on NPR and put it on my "to read" list, just now making the time for it. Cain does a great job talking about introversion and extroversion, and how introverts (even partial introverts) can adapt and function. I saw a lot of myself and my adaptations in here. Excellent.
    • 4/5
      Insightful, providing explanations and tactics for people that are somewhat introverted, shy or not. It is also useful for understanding others in your life, those who might need more downtime and quiet. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I was less enthused as the book went on, as it transitioned from the scientific basis of introversion to real life stories and strategies."
    • 4/5
      What a wonderful book! I highly recommend it not just to fellow introverts, but to teachers, parents, or anyone who would like to gain a better understanding of introversion and extroversion.
    • 5/5
      Outstanding insights into the introspective personality. Very readable and not overly technical.