Saturday, July 14, 2012

Quiet by Susan Cain

I love this book. Cain has written a substantial tome on how we introverts have power in this world of gabbers.




Broken down into four parts:

The Extrovert Ideal explores the rise of the Cult of Personality and how that has seeped into the Evangelical sphere. You have to be loud and extremely outgoing in order to have a successful church or personality.

Your Biology, Your Self? takes a look at nature/nurture and what role free will plays in all of this.

Do All Cultures Have an Extrovert Ideal? Looks at other cultures - primarily the Asians and how they value listening instead of speaking.

How to Love, How to Work discusses how to engage in this extroverted world; when introverts should try to be extroverted and how to hold conversations with "those people" who love the sound of their own voice.

I enjoyed the very beginning of this book best as Cain described her time at a Tony Robbins self-help event and all the hoopla that goes along with this beast-of-a-man's personality. Then she segues to Rick Warren's church and provides insight into how the Evangelical world is banking on extroverts and how that actually harms the more introverted of people.

In this age where personality seems to be more important than character, this is a terrific book that provides some insight and solutions for the quieter of the masses.




This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Crown Publishing.

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