Cain, Susan: Quiet

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In her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain discusses introversion in the workplace and at home, covering such topics as the "extrovert ideal," which prevails in the U.S. and Europe, and the biology of introversion and extroversion. Cain is an introvert herself--though like many introverts she manages to pass as an extrovert when the situation requires. She thus approaches the subject with great sympathy and understanding. The book is quite readable and interesting, at least to this introvert. I enjoyed in particular her discussion of "high reactive" children, since it seemed a very accurate description of my own daughter. The book should be required reading for all the extroverts out there who don't understand that the stuff they enjoy--"partying" and crowds and loud noise, the stuff people are "supposed" to like--is repellent to a large swath of the population. And introverts could benefit from reading the book too, or something like it. Young people in particular should be made aware of the existence of this introvert/extrovert divide. Navigating life can be difficult when everyone around you expects you to want to be in the thick of some social activity. It would be good for those quiet kids out there to know that they're not alone in wanting to just stay home and read a good book.