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Quiet by Susan Cain, great book about introversion and why we have the "Extrovert Ideal". It's really fascinating to see how introverts have their qualities and

Quiet by Susan Cain, great book about introversion and why we have the "Extrovert Ideal". It's really fascinating to see how introverts have their qualities and how Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance - Robert Pirsig: Fantastic book that talks about philosophy in a new way and goes deeper into discovering what's "Quality" and what are the main 2 ways of interacting/reading the world around us. Adam Smith, theory of moral sentiments: Just began the book under ryan holiday advice, but can't really say more about it. Game of thrones, 1st volume, I suppose this book doesn't need any explanation :)

kelukelugames 12y ago
Can you help me understand why Quiet is a good read? It's been recommended to me before but it just keeps on getting bumped on the backlog.
- GregBuchholz 12y ago
  (Not the OP). Maybe try the audio book, which is the route I took with "Quiet". It's been over a year since I listened to it, and I can't really recall any great take-away points, other than the generic "listening is important". Think of it more of a pep-talk for people who aren't overly talkative.
  - kelukelugames 12y ago
    Thanks. Does the pep-talk encourage them to be more talkative?
    - GregBuchholz 12y ago
      No, its more about celebrating and recognizing the strengths of those who are less boisterous.
- eldavido 12y ago
  I'm about halfway through it. The first half surveys how many powerful institutions including churches, the US education system, and companies encourage/reward extroversion, perhaps without realizing it. I'm somewhere in the middle of the E/I spectrum and the book has made me reconsider how workplaces, etc. should be structured to avoid excluding people. According to the author, something like 10-30% of the US population are more on the "I" end of the spectrum, including many of the most creative people, so it seems a terrible mistake to encourage practices that exclude such a huge number of people from contributing.
- ottocoder 12y ago
  I wouldn't recommend it. It's not a "bad" book, but I went in to it hoping for something else. If you want some affirmation that introverts are awesome and under-appreciated (which they often are) then it's exactly what you want. I'm not sure what I was hoping for when I read it but it started to go sour for me when she talked about Dale Carnegie's book How To Win Friends and Influence People. I couldn't help but think the author never read it (an irrational thought, but colored my perception the rest of the way).
- andrea_sdl 12y ago
  Many people already joined in with great comments, but I'll also add mine. For now Quiet seems more about getting to appreciate the differences between introverts and extroverts and how getting to respect the way introverts "works" (being someone else or even yourself) might lead to better performance and happiness. It's not a self-help book (at least for now). Nice book, although now I'm in the part where it's super-filled with references and it's kinda boring (I started reading it after writing the comment on HN :D ) Usually we are filled with self-help book that describe how to be "super". I was a bit bored by all that topic (although some takeaways of the self-help world are valuable), and I wanted something that went in a totally different direction. Reading something like quiet (aside from the fact that I feel like I'm a bit introvert) is a great way to expand how I see things, because it does give me new point of view about people and the world. Hope it helps ;)
eldavido 12y ago
I'm in the middle of "Quiet" right now and have tried to read TMS on and off over the years. I could really go for a reading group on this if you know a few other people who are interested and/or local to SF.
- andrea_sdl 12y ago
  Too bad I'm from italy :) (although I'll be in SF for a trip next week ;) )
sizzzzlerz 12y ago
Read Zen back in the day. On the surface, it's simplistic but once you gain an understanding of where Pirsig is going, it is amazingly complex. Its definitely not light reading. It takes some real concerted effort but, in the end, it's worth it.
- andrea_sdl 12y ago
  Yep, I'm listening to the audiobook. Being a non-native english it's a nice work. At first I bought the book thanks to many suggestions but didn't realize it was a philosophical book, it is sure training me to new levels of listening and concentration. Sometimes I end up relistening to a part because I just didn't follow it enough closely.

kelukelugames 12y ago

Can you help me understand why Quiet is a good read? It's been recommended to me before but it just keeps on getting bumped on the backlog.

GregBuchholz 12y ago
(Not the OP). Maybe try the audio book, which is the route I took with "Quiet". It's been over a year since I listened to it, and I can't really recall any great take-away points, other than the generic "listening is important". Think of it more of a pep-talk for people who aren't overly talkative.
- kelukelugames 12y ago
  Thanks. Does the pep-talk encourage them to be more talkative?
  - GregBuchholz 12y ago
    No, its more about celebrating and recognizing the strengths of those who are less boisterous.
eldavido 12y ago
I'm about halfway through it. The first half surveys how many powerful institutions including churches, the US education system, and companies encourage/reward extroversion, perhaps without realizing it. I'm somewhere in the middle of the E/I spectrum and the book has made me reconsider how workplaces, etc. should be structured to avoid excluding people. According to the author, something like 10-30% of the US population are more on the "I" end of the spectrum, including many of the most creative people, so it seems a terrible mistake to encourage practices that exclude such a huge number of people from contributing.
ottocoder 12y ago
I wouldn't recommend it. It's not a "bad" book, but I went in to it hoping for something else. If you want some affirmation that introverts are awesome and under-appreciated (which they often are) then it's exactly what you want. I'm not sure what I was hoping for when I read it but it started to go sour for me when she talked about Dale Carnegie's book How To Win Friends and Influence People. I couldn't help but think the author never read it (an irrational thought, but colored my perception the rest of the way).
andrea_sdl 12y ago
Many people already joined in with great comments, but I'll also add mine. For now Quiet seems more about getting to appreciate the differences between introverts and extroverts and how getting to respect the way introverts "works" (being someone else or even yourself) might lead to better performance and happiness. It's not a self-help book (at least for now). Nice book, although now I'm in the part where it's super-filled with references and it's kinda boring (I started reading it after writing the comment on HN :D ) Usually we are filled with self-help book that describe how to be "super". I was a bit bored by all that topic (although some takeaways of the self-help world are valuable), and I wanted something that went in a totally different direction. Reading something like quiet (aside from the fact that I feel like I'm a bit introvert) is a great way to expand how I see things, because it does give me new point of view about people and the world. Hope it helps ;)

eldavido 12y ago

I'm in the middle of "Quiet" right now and have tried to read TMS on and off over the years. I could really go for a reading group on this if you know a few other people who are interested and/or local to SF.

andrea_sdl 12y ago
Too bad I'm from italy :) (although I'll be in SF for a trip next week ;) )

sizzzzlerz 12y ago

Read Zen back in the day. On the surface, it's simplistic but once you gain an understanding of where Pirsig is going, it is amazingly complex. Its definitely not light reading. It takes some real concerted effort but, in the end, it's worth it.

andrea_sdl 12y ago
Yep, I'm listening to the audiobook. Being a non-native english it's a nice work. At first I bought the book thanks to many suggestions but didn't realize it was a philosophical book, it is sure training me to new levels of listening and concentration. Sometimes I end up relistening to a part because I just didn't follow it enough closely.