On my trip to Nashville last spring I was finishing up the third book in Kevin Hearne’s series The Iron Druid Chronicles.  Knowing that I would need another book to read on the plane, my gate just happened to be by a bookstore in the Minneapolis airport.  As I wandered the store, I kept gravitating toward this book entitled Quiet.  So very glad I bought it.

At least one-third of the people out there that know are introverts. They are the ones who may prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who prefer working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Often times, they are labeled “quiet.” And yet, it is the introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society.

Susan Cain did an exceptional job researching this topic.  She passionately argues her case using stories of real people, showing how we as a society completely 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, Ms. 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.

Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts–from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a “pretend extrovert.”

Interestingly, I have had to correct people so much over the years who think that I’m a raging extrovert.  They see me in meetings, giving workshops, or presenting to a large group and think that because I know how to use humour to invoke participation, that I am somehow an extrovert.  What they don’t see is the person who needs to hibernate afterwards to recharge my batteries from expending so much energy doing something that is really not in my nature.

One of the people Ms. Cain interviewed was a retired professor at an Ivy League university.  He had a waiting list so long for his lectures that students could never get in for them.  His lectures were full of wit and wisdom delivered in a highly energetic fashion.  Yet, in the evenings, he would retreat to his acreage in the countryside and quietly read by the fire.

When asked, he explained his ability to do this as free trait theory.  There is a debate as to whether introversion or extroversion is present from birth. Regardless, it becomes a trait from which you cannot change. However, he theorized that it is possible to liberate yourself from this trait for a period of time to get the job done.

I can’t tell you validated this book made me feel as an introvert.  It helped me understand myself better and appreciate the power we have.