Sunday 27 January 2013

On My Bookshelves - Quiet - The Power of Introverts

...in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I've  been extolling the virtues of  Susan Cain's   bestseller to our son. This call for recognition of the underestimated and most definitely undervalued power of the introvert in modern day society certainly speaks to me, even if, like one of Amazon reviewers,  I'd rate her wonderful TED talk as more immediately accessible. (I remember blogging at the time that I wanted to stand up and cheer!).  I'd also question whether the statistics and situations  quoted are quite as relevant in the UK, where I suspect we figure rather more heavily on the Introvert scale. I can remember thinking this too about some references in Adam McHugh's research on Introversion in the church. Maybe I've not attended the 'right' churches but  from what I've experienced so far, I'd hazard that introverts are quite highly represented in UK church communities. Though I'll admit that Susan's account of her visit to Saddleback Church together with McHugh had me smiling and shuddering in equal measure. Just reading it made me want to run for the hills.  A weekly attendance of 20,000 people? That'd be like taking part in  a Greenbelt Festival Communion every Sunday.  Just imagine that. No, don't. Aaagh!

Obviously the constant references to American corporate culture aren't ones that would resonate with me hence  I'm not finding the book the easiest of reads so far. Nevertheless, it has some gems in there and provided I can keep on transcending the difficulties, I'm sure I'll find the effort well worth it. It's heartening to learn that civil rights protester Rosa Parks was introvert -  described in her obituaries as being "timid and shy," yet with "the courage of a lion." She possessed "radical humility" and "quiet fortitude." Or to read  of a high-flying tax lawyer's struggles with speaking extemporaneously; one of my constant bugbears. There is hope...



2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed Susan Cain's TED talk so the book sounds interesting too. Although more of us in the UK are introverts than in the US, i think one of the effects of cultural globalisation is that there is in some circumstances more pressure on people to be extrovert. I find some literary circles for example, way too extrovert (I mean come on, we're writers, we're meant to be introverts....)

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  2. Exactly! You're meant to be grumpy recluses, hiding away in a garret, pouring over your latest manuscripts by the light of a guttering candle!

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