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Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
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Book Discussions > June 2014 Book of the Month: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

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message 1: by Elizabeth (last edited Jun 01, 2014 02:29PM) (new) - added it

Elizabeth (persephone17) For June, I decided on the topic/theme idea being Nonfiction, after reading somewhere that there are often inspiring stories in real life- you just have to tear yourself away from fiction long enough to find them(I know, it's hard). After a close vote, the winner was Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Here's a synopsis:

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.

If nonfiction isn't your cup of tea, you can always skip this month's main pick, and read the manga pick(Sailor Moon, Vol. 01) or series pick(Scarlet) for June. It's your choice! If you read all three, two, or one, happy reading! As always, post discussion, questions, thoughts, etc., below.


message 2: by Elizabeth (new) - added it

Elizabeth (persephone17) I haven't been able to get this yet, because another person has it overdue from my library(HATE when that happens), but I'll be reading it soon!


message 3: by Heather (last edited Jun 22, 2014 05:03AM) (new)

Heather (seaanemone) | 19 comments Luckily I was able to find Quiet at my library.

As could be expected with this book, it caused a lot of reflection on my own personality and temperament and how it has affected my past and how I'd like it to affect my future. I am definitely introverted, sometimes to a more extreme 'avoidant' level.

I enjoyed reading this book -- I think it is well-written and well-paced. I wasn't bored with any sections.

Tony Robbins's seminar sounds like hell to me. I can barely believe anyone would be interested in attending this sort of thing...

I'm almost relieved that there have been studies that have shown that group work/brainstorming is not as effective as thought. It was so obvious to me in school/at work that it wasn't. Hopefully more than just the few progressive companies mentioned will see the value of more independent work and personal space.

This book, with its mention of the pharmaceuticals prescribed to help people deal with social anxiety, re-awakened an interest I had in just these sort of medicines (originally based on wanting to know everything about the lives of Plath and Sexton) so that's pretty cool, too! Already planning some reads related to this!


ClaireGenevieve (badschnoodles) | 89 comments I didn't finish this, but I did get as far as the Tony Robbins seminar - totally agree! I can't imagine why anyone would put themselves through that.


Katie | 45 comments I agree with Chachi, I think one article would've been better than this whole book, i did learn a lot from it, but I would've liked a bit more focused reading, it felt like it jumped around within the theme alot.


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