Quiet

I found this book very informative about myself and the society I live in. It was written by Susan Cain, who is an introvert, a personality type that prefers being quite to outgoing (extrovert). This book discusses how our society became dominated by the "Culture of Personality" as opposed to the pervious "Culture of Character" and how introverts can contribute in that culture. Many introverts, of which I am one, feels left out or talked over in the world we live in. We like quite time and do our best work when we are left alone or in small groups. The current work culture, especially of large corporations, seem to believe that great work only comes from large, outgoing groups. The author discusses when the societal changes took place as well as cultural differences. She puts forward ideas on how introverts can still contribute to our work and society. She also gives some ideas for parents of introverted children, who are naturally quite or are not as outgoing as other children, that can help their children grow and navigate the friendships they form. I feel this book can also be useful to others who have quite friends and even those in a leadership position who have people who prefer to work alone or rarely speak up in meetings (there might be reason). After all according to this book, studies have shown that one third to one half of Americans are introverts.