I took the introvert/extrovert quiz at the beginning of this book while driving home from work. (No worries, I was listening to the book, not reading it.) The quiz confirmed what I already knew. I’m an introvert. While I may not be the stereotypical introvert (at least not at this point in my life) I still value my alone time and just sitting and thinking. I like quiet. Downtime for me isn’t an occasional relief it’s a mandatory recharge period and I’m happy to find out that many of the people around me feel the same way. Well, at least according to this book a third to a half of people in the world are introverts, so I’m assuming a lot of people feel the same way.
Cain is a proud introvert and writes this book for everyone, introverts and extroverts alike, to learn about how best to work and live with those different than you as well as deal with the type of person you already are. There are great examples of introverts supposedly working against type (like doing a lot of presentations and public speaking) but then the dirty secrets come out (they are either amazingly over prepared so they can appear calm, or are totally freaking out).
It’s a very insightful book told in a readable (listenable?) style so anecdotes, scientific studies and experiments all flow together in a convincing narrative. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys learning about people in general, those around you, and yourself.
