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

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I took the Myers-Briggs test years ago and found I was an INFJ: Introvert Intuitive Feeling Judging, on the high end on the I. This wasn't surprising. I was a school librarian for 11 years and a college teacher for 23 years, and I am a writer. I expected to find support for the I in this well-written, well-researched, and very readable and informative book and I did. I enjoy solitude, often prefer to express myself in writing, am told I am a good listener, and so on.

But I found even more compelling was how Cain described the experiences of introverted children growing jp in a "world that can't stop talking.," a world in which extroversion is the cultural ideal. I saw myself in the quiet, bookish child who learned early on how to make himself disappear in crowds. I understand in a profound way another reason why I felt different growing up. I understand in a way I hadn't before the disconnect between myself and my father. I saw myself in the mirror Cain held up to our society, our culture.

Highly recommended, especially to those who work with children and for those who supervise a staff or a faculty or another large group--and perhaps to anyone who wants to better know and understand his or her or themself, regardless of whether they are an introvert or extrovert




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