Dear Bookworms,
This month, it is my pleasure to be highlighting my first non-fiction book for The Write Teacher(s). That book is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Initially, I selected this book as a personal read but found it so interesting I knew I wanted to recommend it to all of you!
Written by researcher Susan Cain, Quiet takes a look at the concepts of introversion and extroversion and how they are perceived in American culture today. Drawing on a myriad of interviews, studies and real-world examples, Cain presents an in-depth picture of what it really means to be introverted.
Having long been aware that I am an introvert myself, I was curious about Cain’s perspective. I checked a copy out of my local library and, before I had finished reading the introductory chapter, went out and purchased my own. This would be a book I’d want to mark and highlight as I read it. Although, by the time I’d finished, I could not say that I agreed with every one of her conclusions, overall I found this book to be enlightening and personally rewarding. Quiet brings explanations to tendencies I have either witnessed in others or experienced for myself and more than that, provides reasons to be confident in those qualities rather than ashamed.
As an author, Cain is very relatable. Her writing conveys an open tone of voice and her honesty in including examples from her own life speaks to her investment in this topic from a personal standpoint and corroborates the fact that this is, ultimately, a deeply personal topic.
Be warned though, this is not a balanced analysis of both introversion and extroversion; extroversion being treated only in so far as it provides a contrast to introversion. Consequently, this at times leads to the tendency to sound as if Cain is elevating introversion above extroversion. As she states herself, however, it is not Cain’s intention to denigrate the extroverted personality type but rather to bring to light the often overlooked benefits of a quieter style. In this way, Cain actually assumes readers are already familiar with the benefits of extroversion, which are culturally touted as the norm today. Instead, she spends her pages on promoting the strengths that exist within the less-appreciated personality type.
There are many factors that contribute to how we, as humans, develop and interact with one another. The more of these we can grasp, the greater our understanding will be of the world we live in. Cain’s research provides one more framework from which to view the world with deeper understanding. Ultimately, the message here is one of balance, and learning to value both types equally for what they can bring to different scenarios and especially for what they can accomplish together.
I highly recommend this title and would love to know your thoughts on it and the subject in general! Leave your comments below!
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Live, Love, Learn,