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

[Brian Bess]

When I first heard of Susan Cain’s book Quiet, I immediately felt that a book had been written for my kind, to explain and possibly justify my kind to itself as well as the rest of the extroverted world. When I finally read it, however, I realized that it wasn’t quite the book that I had hoped it would be.
I must say up front that I am not blaming the book itself for not being what I thought it would be. Susan Cain does set out to explain the cultural and, to a certain extent, biological framework of the introvert and gives them their time in the spotlight, whether they want to step into it or not. In order to lend scientific credibility she quotes numerous psychologists and social experiments to open the door to questions regarding what determines whether one becomes an introvert as well as the variations on the theme.
There are brilliant passages, including a spot on true/false quiz for determining where one falls on the introvert/extrovert spectrum. The explanations of over stimulation and high reactivity also resonate with this introvert. There is a fascinating account of a weekend gathering for ‘highly sensitive people’ which the author attended. This event in which everyone was in his/her comfort zone, free to think, write, read or engage in introspective conversations on intimate topics initially seemed like Heaven to the author. She had thought that she would be in her element, ‘a world in which everyone speaks softly and no one carries a big stick.’ On the contrary, she missed her extrovert husband and the sense of balance that he provides in her life and kept hoping someone would lighten the mood of the proceedings with some jokes and alcohol.
However, for my taste too much of the book is spent on the differences in behaviors between introverts and extroverts regarding business investments and stock market speculation. She claims that the economic crash of 2008 happened because reckless extroverts overruled cautious introverts and failed to heed warning signs, instead taking greater risks.
She does cite plenty of introverts who exhibited great courage in the service of the cause of social justice—Rosa Parks, Gandhi—as well as highly successful business people—Bill Gates, Warren Buffet—and offers plenty of anecdotes to explain how they accomplished what they did because, not in spite of, their introversion. She also discourages the use of the word ‘shy’ which carries a stigma and a negative connotation that exacerbates the social struggles of the introvert.
I am attempting to evaluate this book objectively and transcend my personal disappointment that it was not the book I expected it to be. It is a book that I feel needed to be written and it drags the introverts out of the closet for the respect she feels they’re due. However, for me, it was too much the work of an introvert. It needed the fire and passion of an extrovert to liven up the proceedings. I felt similar to how Susan Cain felt at the retreat for ‘highly sensitive people’ and kept waiting for some spice and intense flavor to help the dry concepts, theorizing and psychosocial experiments go down more easily.