By Marti Olsen Laney
Workman Publishers, 2002. 330 pgs. Nonfiction
This book was actually published before the now popular Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, but I was actually unaware of it until after I read Quiet. I was concerned that the book might cover all the same ground as Quiet but decided to pick up the audiobook (which was revised for 2013) and listen in the car.
Interestingly, I found this book to actually be more self relevant than Quiet. Although, as explained in both books, there is quite a spectrum for introverts so that may not be the case for everyone.
The author, a self-proclaimed introvert herself, begins the book by dispelling commons myths about introverts. We are not all shy, anti-social loners. The book then goes on to discuss that most "Innies" have been brought up to believe there is something is wrong with them and that with enough effort and will, they can be "normal" like everyone else. Laney discusses why this view is wrong and how to turn being an introvert into an advantage by offering dozens of tips including how to deal with relationships as work and home.
Most interesting to me was the section on the scientific research into the genetic differences between introversion and extroversion. I had no idea that the reason it is so hard for me to recall words sometimes is that, as an introvert, I actually use my long-term memory where extroverts use their short-term memory.
AJ
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