The Queen insists on quiet!

Book: Quiet

Author: Susan Cain

Recommend: This is an absolute must read!

I came across a bit of fluff floating through my Facebook and pinterest accounts as friends shared it over and over again. I decided to read it and was astonished to find that it was almost a perfect description of myself. I had seen the book Quiet on the shelves at my favorite local bookstore but hadn’t given it much thought since I hadn’t really given much thought about being an introvert or an extrovert before. After reading this post, I knew that I had to find out more about this! So I sat down at my bookstore last night intent on reading through the book for free, coming back the next day if necessary to finish. I never dreamed that I would get so little of it read in the free hour that I got and that I would need to finish it so badly that I would buy it because I needed it to be part of my library.

Quiet tells the world why being an introvert in an extrovert dominated world can be difficult and how important the introvert is to our culture. The first example of an introvert that she brings to your attention is the least likely candidate at first glance and yet when the reader learns more about her, you realize that everything you had assumed about this important historical figure had been wrong. She had done exactly what she claimed to do but everything that compelled her was very different than what many of us had been raised to believe.

This book was a huge help to me. I had always claimed to be an introvert. I am the girl who sits in the corner of the room during a party, perfectly content to  be reading a book or watching the crowd. I didn’t understand why I never felt able to jump into everything that was going on around me like others could. I didn’t get why I didn’t want to be around people all the time and why I felt so guilty for not being more involved at my church. It is because I am a textbook introvert. The realization has been extremely freeing and I for the first time in my life feel like I’m not a freak but someone who is just as normal as all the outspoken people I know. I think I’ll be reading this one again and can’t wait to pick up a book mentioned in here about introverts in the church, an area where being an introvert can be a very hard place to be.

If you are an introvert, are close to an introvert or just want to understand that ‘weird’ employee in your office, this book is something you need to read! The only thing I can say that might be negative about this book is that there were about three instances where I found that it bogged down a bit and got slightly too technical. They were easy to push through but there were a couple times I definitely found my mind wandering. Other than that it is one of the fastest paced informational persuasive books I’ve read in quite some time. Definitely something to pick up.

If you’ve seen the musical the Princess and the Pea, it finally explains why Winnifred could claim to be shy even though she seemed like the most outgoing creature anyone had ever seen. Why the queen’s request to leave her alone and to have quiet through the castle backfired and why she won the shy prince after all. I wonder how many extroverts I know are actually just introverts who are amazing actors? I wonder how many are screaming at the top of their lungs that they are actually shy, quiet and reserved?

I wonder if I can get my more extroverted husband it read it?

Final Rating:

Need more than one copy!!