Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

As a self-identifying introvert, I was drawn to Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by the title alone.  I ended up recognizing myself a lot in this book, but there are a ton of interesting and useful takeaways for introverts and extroverts alike.  One that stands out in my mind is the idea that even though American society values the “extrovert ideal,” introverts have equally valuable contributions to make to society, business, science, etc.  Essentially, introverts are a reserve of largely untapped talent who simply flourish in a different, quieter environment than their extrovert counterparts.  But steps can be taken for introverts and extroverts alike to understand and value each others’ contributions.  The author uses a lot of anecdotal and scientific evidence to back up her theories, but the book is quite readable.

Following are links to discussion questions and supplemental material for a pro book club discussion of this book.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Lit Lovers – www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/14-non-fiction/9077-quiet-cain?start=3
• Book Browse – www.bookbrowse.com/reading_guides/detail/index.cfm/book_number/2657/quiet

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL:

• Quiet Revolution, Susan Cain’s official website
• The Quiet Revolution Personality Test – Where do you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum?
• Susan Cain’s TED Talk on the power of introverts
• Jonathan Fields’ interview with Cain for The Good Life Project
• The Power of Introverts: Author Susan Cain Explains Why We Need to Appreciate the Talents & Abilities of the Quiet Ones — Open Culture, 10/18/17
• Interview on The Knowledge Project podcast — Susan Cain: Leading the “Quiet Revolution”
• 2003 article by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic on introversion
• NPR Interview with Susan Cain, January 2012 — Quiet Please: Unleashing “The Power of Introverts”
• “Six Things You Thought Wrong About Introverts,” Huffington Post, 7/29/13