"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain (updated)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain, is a mediocre book. The title is misleading. It is about both extroverts and introverts. One of the things that I find annoying about books like this is that they seem to be aimed exclusively at heterosexuals with families. All of the relationships mentioned are heterosexual. I think that these books should be more inclusive. There also seems to be too much focus on business situations. The author went to a seminar led by Tony Robbins. The attendees that she describes sound more like people mindlessly following a charismatic leader than they do extroverts. After reading this book I have more questions than I did before I read it. It is not until the very end of the book that she talks about most people not being completely introverts or extroverts. I feel more comfortable one on one with friends as do most introverts, but I also have traits that most extroverts do. Too little attention is given to the things that I could do to help myself to feel comfortable being an introvert, but I realize that I am somewhere between being an introvert and being an extrovert. (I will write more about that in another post) This book fits in with the best-sellers that I mentioned in the post yesterday. I feel that people praise this book, because other people did.

Here are a couple of things that do not make sense. She wrote, "Even the Western God is assertive, vocal and dominant; his son Jesus is kind and tender, but also a charismatic, crowd-pleasing man of influence (Jesus Christ Superstar). Doesn't she know that there were religious groups who were very unhappy with the portrayal of Jesus in this musical? She uses this as an example of the portrayal of Jesus, wtf? She said that the editor of this book "has got to be most brilliant and dedicated editor in the business." Any editor that allows a paragraph to begin "But although," could not possibly be a very good editor. This is a poorly edited book. I had a hard time finishing the book. I kept hoping that it would get better, but it never did.