full title: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Because Non Fiction Books Have to Have Titles So Long They’ll Barely Fit On the Book Cover.
Just kidding! I loved this book. I am part of this lowly introvert class. And this book taught me…
it’s okay to be an introvert.
My extroverted wife asked me what the book was about, and I said, “it’s about how your people have oppressed my people for far too long.”
And that’s the most succinct summary I can provide. This books covers all the bases: what introversion is, what it is not, its history (which was the most interesting part to me… the rise of extroversion has to do with the proliferation of rural people moving into urban environments), how it affects people in the workplace and in relationships.
it’s a chalkboard, because this book is takin you to school, yo.
People who don’t know any better tend to confusion shyness with introversion. They’re not the same thing. I am an introvert, but I’m not usually shy. I didn’t understand this myself for most of my life. I have no trouble with public speaking. In high school, I was in the drama club. I could go on stage and perform without any feeling of self-consciousness. But after the show, I would feel drained, and dread going out to meet people in the audience.
This is due to the basic different between introverts and extroverts: how we use and replenish our energy. Introverts have a supply of energy (for D&D nerds, think Hit Points) that gets expended when we socialize. After an hour, two hours–whatever the limit–I need to be alone to recharge. Extroverts gain energy from socializing. Leave an extrovert alone for too long, and she’ll become restless.
But you probably already knew all of this. I feel like “introversion awareness” became a thing in the early 2010s.
One of the most important recurring themes of the book is how introversion is not a disability. The book is called the power of introverts, after all. The book talks about introverts and extroverts in the workplace, and how managers often make the mistake of over-hiring extroverted people because they’re go-getters. Extroverts interview better. They can think on their feet better. But they’re also more prone to be dishonest, to act impulsively, to take unwise risks, and to be selfish. Introverts, while not the most boisterous and fun employees, tend to make safer decisions. Consider more angles of a problem. Experience more empathy.
This book told me it was okay to be an introvert. And that’s amazing, because I’d always thought there was something wrong with me. I mean, there’s plenty wrong with me, but this ain’t it.