I knew it was a book I had to read
What is the quality of the book?
When I first became aware of Quiet, I knew it was a book I had to read.  I've always been an introvert, content to curl up with a book for hours and wary of crowded places and loud parties.  Yet, even though I was aware of my introversion, I don't think I really understood it and what it meant.  I always saw it as a sort of flexible personality trait that I could change if I wanted to, and I always had the sense that there was something unhealthy about my particular personality type.  After reading the book, I feel I have a much better understanding not only of myself, but of how the way American society is structured tends to work against someone like me.Cain uses a blend of some of the latest neurological research and years of psychiatric studies to show why introverts and extroverts are so different, and to lay rest to the idea that there's something broken in people who don't meet the gregarious, outgoing American ideal.  The neuroscience she highlights in the book is easily understandable to the layperson, and shows how the brains of introverts and extroverts process stimuli differently.  Quite literally, extroverts' brains function in such a way that they are exhilarated and recharged by plenty of social stimulation while introverts need quiet and downtime in order to recharge.Using this research, Cain then shows why so many aspects of modern American life are doing few favors for introverts and, in fact, may be hindering creativity and innovation overall.  One of the topics she discusses is the seemingly ubiquitous open-plan workspace.  Having spent some years in offices, I could feel myself recoil as soon as she began touching on the topic.  The idea behind these plans is that an open atmosphere will create more interaction between employees, thus stimulating creativity and helping to further develop ideas.  This goes hand-in-hand with the corporate love of brainstorming sessions and leadership retreats, all of which I've had the misfortune of attending.  However, as Cain shows, all of these things actually hinder creativity.  People are at their most creative when they have quiet time alone in which to let their mind roam freely.  This is a topic of particular interest to me, and there are plenty of sources that support this conclusion.  Some companies are beginning to recognize this problem and are starting to design offices that provide spaces where people can retreat for some quiet thought and reflection.  This is a boon not only to the introverts, who really need these spaces, but to the extroverts as well because these more thoughtfully designed spaces offer all personality types the opportunity to seek out stimulation when they need it and to retreat into privacy when they need time for quiet thought.Another point that I found particularly interesting was Cain's examination of current educational philosophies.  I'm a former high/middle school teacher and the parent of an elementary-aged child, so I've had the chance to see this in action--not to mention the styles and philosophies with which I was presented during my teacher training.  There currently is a HUGE emphasis on group work, which I think can be attributed to the corporatization of education.  Despite that I am, myself, an introvert, as a teacher, I bought into the idea that kids need to be constantly interacting, but Cain points out the flaws in this idea.  Both my colleagues and myself were sometimes guilty of the "Johnny is a great student but so quiet--if only he'd talk more!" syndrome, and this book made me realize how harmful that can actually be.  While there is emphasis in modern education on learning styles--the visual learner versus the auditory learner, for example--there is next to no emphasis on how to appeal to various personality types.  I volunteer in my daughter's school, and every year the kids' desks are arranged in groupings, so that students spend a large amount of their time working with other students.  Still, there is a bright spot in that they are occasionally granted small stretches of time during which they're free to retreat to whatever part of their classroom or the outside pod area they like so they may complete an assignment.  Quiet really made me think about how important these opportunities are, and how they need to become a more integral part of the educational system.Most valuable of all, though, this book really made me think deeply about myself and those I love and to think of ways to better interact with them.  I have a better understand now of how what seemed pliable personality traits are actually inherent in me, and how I can work with them instead of against them so that I can alleviate stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed and burned out.  While the book is primarily about introverts, it also helped me to gain a better understanding about the extroverts in my life and how we can live more harmoniously with one another.  The sections of the book that deal with married couples was particularly interesting in this respect, because they showed how our own biases make us judge the reactions of others.  Since we tend to see the world through a certain lens, we sometimes have trouble understanding that not everyone thinks the way we do, and that we may be taking their reactions and misunderstanding them.  This is truly invaluable because I realize that by taking a more thoughtful approach to interactions with others, I can better understand not only my actions but theirs, which will hopefully lead to a better level of understanding between us.Quiet is a book I would recommend to anyone, regardless of whether you're an introvert or an extrovert.  I think that introverts like myself will feel better about our personalities and will see that the way we operate can be a strength rather than a social liability, as many of us have been conditioned to believe.  And I think that extroverts can learn that introverts aren't necessarily socially backwards or cold, but people who often feel awkward in our own skins because we see and admire the outgoing traits of extroverts but may have trouble emulating them.  This book simply works on so many levels: from the corporate world to the world of education and right on down to a personal level. 