I read a book!

Isn't that exciting? So I'm gonna review it for you, my millions of loyal readers (a.k.a. Stephanie-- thanks, Stephanie!) What book, you ask? Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I know somewhere along the line I claimed that I read only YA, but as it turns out, that was a big lie. Oh well.

My motivation for reading this book was purely selfish. When I take the Myers-Briggs test, I usually score 99% introvert, and I am self-involved enough that I have taken the Myers-Briggs test about five thousand times to make sure the result remains the same-- thus, my interest in a book all about my primary personality trait. I have a feeling that most extroverts are entirely uninterested in hearing the rest of us wax philosophical about our rich inner lives, but I hope I am wrong in at least a few cases because this book is highly informative. To be fair, I think Susan Cain is correct in stating that the U.S. constantly reinforces what she calls the "extrovert ideal," and that is why we introverts need a book to reaffirm our collective self esteem, and extroverts probably aren't spending too much time analyzing their social preferences and energy sources. C'est la vie. (It's also why I am writing a long-winded blog post about it). Whatevs.

Quiet comprises four sections: "The Extrovert Ideal," "Your Biology, Your Self?," "Do All Cultures Have an Extrovert Ideal?" and "How to Love, How to Work."

Cain begins by exploring the rise of extroversion as a preferred trait in America. Apparently, it started with Dale Carnegie who began as a quiet child of farmers and became a charismatic salesman who taught workshops on how to make people like you by being uber ebullient (dammit, Dale Carnegie, why you do that?) Cain cites a few studies that have shown extroverts work well under introverted managers, and vice versa, and she explains how "the new group think" prevents many good ideas from coming to light because  introverts tend to fail at speaking up in meetings, team building activities, and the like. She argues effectively for workplaces that encourage extroverts and introverts alike to do their best work by combining open concept with niches for solitude.

Part two offers compelling evidence that extroversion and introversion take root in our genetics as well as our environments. Cain presents the work of Jerome Kagan, a developmental psychologist who conducted longitudinal studies which revealed that many babies who are "high-reactive" (a.k.a. very sensitive to and alarmed by unfamiliar people, objects, and situations) grow into introverted adolescents and adults. Moreover, Cain cites evidence that a significant proportion of humans, as well as creatures of other species, possess specific genes that affect the travels of serotonin through our brains. These genes can apparently make the introvert very depressed or extremely well-adjusted, depending on the environment in which we develop. So be nice to your quiet kid!

Of course, not every culture values extroversion as highly as Americans. Part four suggests that Asian cultures in particular lend themselves to higher rates of introversion and the belief in "soft power." Apparently Finnish folks are also more likely to be introverted, as revealed by a popular joke that a Finnish person (a Fin?) shows his affection by staring at your shoes instead of his own. May I have a ticket to Japan or Finland, please? Are they hiring?

Finally, part four explores to what extent introverts can and should parade as extroverts in the interest of career success and familial harmony. Many of us, apparently, are capable of high self monitoring, which allows us to adjust our behavior to suit the situation. Others, however, are utterly incapable of expressing our inner jovial selves to please an audience, and find the high self monitors disingenuous. Discussion of a much- loved professor known for his humor and entertainment value, as well as how parents should handle raising their quiet children rounds out the book.

I found this book deeply enjoyable. Reading stories of others who also felt like Charlie Brown growing up made me feel much more okay with my ongoing Charlie-Brownishness. Also, I feel much more confident that I may yet find a niche in the professional world even if I do need to hide out in the bathroom every now and again to reclaim inner peace! Cain's research is thorough, and her writing is just swell. The only negative I find is that extroverts reading the book may feel put off, as if they are being dismissed or disdained by a horde of introverts. In a recent NPR interview, Cain declared otherwise, saying that she loves extroverts. If you happen to be an extrovert, you probably quit reading about an hour ago, but I hope you will somehow stumble on this book anyway, and learn that people who stick their noses in books during lunch aren't necessarily misanthropes.

ADDENDUM:

I forgot to mention before that even educated, articulate Susan Cain perpetuates a librarian stereotype. In her conclusion, she encourages people to make changes in their lives if it will help them be true to their personalities. I can't quote her exactly because my iPad is downstairs, I am not, and I am lazy, but she tells unhappy news anchors to go to library school. That made me chuckle. Being a librarian generally involves talking to a non-stop line of people, some of whom are completely insane. We're bartenders with books instead of booze. Unhappily introverted TV personalities, if such a thing exists, should probably go to school for computer science or become truck drivers.

Books, Shnooks

Well, I think I may just have to dedicate this space to kitschy cat fashion for the long haul. Or maybe I'll just take things one post at a time.

Over the past week or so, I have made one or two half-arsed attempts at editing a photo of the librarian's cat no. 1 to use for my header. Essentially, I want my black cat to wear some orange cat-eyed glasses, and I won't stop my half-hearted attempts  to create said image until it happens. (It may be a while). (I like to write commentary in parentheses).

Just moments ago, I stumbled upon a T shirt emblazoned with the next best thing: a navy blue cat wearing orangey nerd glasses at ModCloth. Clearly, my idea is utterly unoriginal, but I am happy to know that for thirty bucks, I can wear a librarian's-almost-cat on my chest without learning how to use Gimp. I am going to have to purchase this even though I swore to myself that I would stop impulse buying clothes for a few weeks to avoid sorrowful deep debt. It's an addiction. Here is the cat.

Meeeeeow

So what do cats, books, and fashion have to do with each other? I'm not sure, but I think they're all swell.

Today, The Cherry Blossom Girl, who is beautiful and French, led me to discover a bit of cat fashion and beauty that made me drool. I like to believe that I am interested in fashion, but I'm not so hot at keeping up with the real thing, so I had never before seen these Miu Miu cat platforms, which have apparently existed since 2010. Gah! The librarian's cat would definitely approve:

Miu Miu shoes   (see more satin heels)
I need to own them immediately even though I am a repeat-failure when it comes to wearing heels. Unfortunately, I can find only their swallow-print counterparts for sale online.

A less expensive and more readily available cat product comes in the form of blush and lipstick from Paul & Joe via Asos. Uh, cats wearing mini top hats and bow ties? For $30? How would anyone ever bring herself to smash poor kitty's adorable, semi-expensive hat against her cheek?  I just want to buy one and show it to people as a conversation piece. The lipstick, I could handle using, but I'd probably lose it in my car after one use only to find it melted after a few months of Las Vegas summer. Le sigh.

Completely unrelated to cats, I stumbled upon a slide show entitled "Fashion Inspired by Awesome Teen Novels" on Lucky. It sounds great, but who on earth picked the awesome teen novels? Yes, Hunger Games is awesome and apropos to fashion and current pop culture. Twilight  remains vaguely popular, and I suppose glamorous sparkling vampires lend themselves to fashion. But The Baby Sitters Club, The Box Car Children, and Goosebumps?!?! When were those teen novels? Pretty sure someone really wanted to display some fun train-and-spider-web-themed jewelry and needed an excuse. I'd prefer to see some stylish stuff related to Matched by Allie Condie, or The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, please. Maybe in a future post here. Which YA titles, or any book titles, would you like to see translated into fashion?