"Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking," by Susan Cain, is the story of the introvert's place in a world of extroverts. It makes several good points on the "cult of personality" mindset in which we only value the loudest in the room, and goes over the previous idea of character over personality, and how that societal value changed over time.

In the end, I have to give the book a "meh" review of 2.5 stars. I liked the writing, but it was not without issue. It was too focused on the author, the scientific studies seemed cherry-picked, not to mention the biases present. I did learn some important things from Cain, however. My advice is to read the book in order to understand the viewpoint of the introvert, more than anything else.

Susan Cain focuses a lot of the book on finding and understanding herself. If that sounds a bit mushy, you would be correct. It was not my cup of tea and was the biggest problem I had with the book, actually. There were some moments where the book appeared to be more of a memoir than anything else.

In case you were wondering, Quiet is classified under "Psychology". If I wanted to read a memoir, I would have picked up a memoir. I was, instead, interested in the future of introverts and the current standing of those who are "quiet".

And even when not discussing the memoir aspects of the book, I can't get over how stereotypical the book was in regards to assumptions about introverts/extroverts. There were some concessions made, but they seemed to be only for posterities sake, and without actual substance.

For one, not all introverts are quiet— something she kind of delves into later in the book but never acknowledges fully. She presents the story of an outgoing man who is also an introvert, but goes no further. She also seems to be operating under the idea that introverts are "thinkers" and extroverts are not.

Yes, introverts spend more time alone, or would prefer to. Cain continually references extroverts as impulsive and, in between the lines, as mindless. Introverts aren't the only people who can be smart as extroverts are just as capable. I also feel the need to point out that the line between introvert and extrovert isn't as clear cut as one might assume. No one is fully one or the other— it just isn't possible.

So, here comes my big takeaway: I started the book unsure if I was an introvert or extrovert. And I finished in the same conundrum, but I'm okay with not knowing. The book taught me that it really doesn't matter. We tend to categorize things as a way of understanding, but I don't feel that it is truly necessary— at least in the black and white thinking of Susan Cain.

We are all a mixture and in many ways it is impossible to truly know what you are as everything becomes so convoluted. So I don't care anymore, and I would never know that if I hadn't read the book to its completion. There are more important specifications, like a level of openness, neuroticism, conscientious, and agreeableness.

These provide a less generalized view of someone, and I think it's needed. I'm not even entirely sure that our culture knows what is really meant by "introvert" and "extrovert", and I think the best thing we could do to avoid a stigma of introversion is to just simply do away with those categories altogether.

She mentions the story of Dale Carnegie, author of "How To Win Friend And Influence People." Carnegie started as a boy who was staunchly introverted, but would come to found the extrovert ideal, encouraging others to learn how to speak and captivate. I was fascinated by this man, and the irony of an introvert being at the center of the upheaval that would devalue introverts.

The book goes over the history of character vs. personality at the center of all this upheaval and goes into the personal journey of the writer as she comes to terms with her own sense of self. It's an enjoyable read if you're not looking critically and despite its flaws, I found I enjoyed it.