The Secret Lives of Introverts: Inside Our Hidden World Paperback – August 1, 2017

Fellow INTROVERTS- here we come! It's our turn to set the world on fire, quietly yet distinctively. This book is designed specifically for introverts, but also provides some helpful tips to (open-minded) extroverts. As a twenty-something introvert here who was bullied 10 years, pressured to be an extrovert all my life by society & family & 'friends' over 20 years, and adopted the mentality to change who I am to simply be loved and accepted by others- no more! It's time I start owning my introverted life and truly taking care of myself from the inside-out, gradually and honestly. Thank you, Jenn, for not giving up on your introversion- for it inspires me to accept it too as a strength. Those of us part of the "Introvert, dear" online community website will appreciate and probably remember some advice found from the online articles but will better understand where Jenn is coming from as an introvert herself. Overall, it is definitely a worthwhile book to read to dive deeper into the lives and perspectives of multiple introverts who share their experiences from different viewpoints yet coming together to discuss similar situations with being introverted people. ~Although extroverts can read this book, I highly recommend introverts to only read it- mainly because the book is personalized for an introvert reading it and provides understanding wherever that introvert reading it is coming from.. & I highly recommend each introvert to share insight with extroverts that they know- they are likely to listen better by someone else rather than a book, if you know what I mean.

If you're like me, you may have lived most of your life knowing you are an introvert but not appreciating what it means or how likely that temperament is to manifest in certain ways. I found "The Secret Lives of Introverts: Inside Our Hidden World" after stumbling upon a post on the author's blog. The book started by rather succinctly summing up a lot about who I am as a person, which hooked me early on, but from there it proceeded toward a less focused conclusion with slightly mixed results along the way.As others have noted, the author makes frequent references to her blog. I did not find that bothersome, because those references mostly just explain how she arrived at some figures she then shares in the book itself (i.e. she polled people on the site and more than 400 of them responded with their answers to a particular question). The blog references aren't advertorial, then; they simply provide context, and you can easily enough follow her ideas without ever visiting the blog.One thing I did notice is that while the book concludes with a meaty bibliography containing quite a lot of references divided by chapter, which is extremely useful. The text itself doesn't get weighed down with academic citations or the sterile approach academics prefer. Rather, the author keeps her tone breezy and approachable. While I do think her most precise audience would be the typical working professional in their 20s, there's a lot here for introverts of any age. I myself am in my early 40s.As I noted at the start of this review, I've lived most of my life up to this point knowing I'm an introvert but not appreciating what that really means. That casual acquaintance with the label has impacted any relationships I might develop with others, and it certainly has impacted my professional life. I've been enormously frustrated with work over the last 25 or so years I've been part of the workforce. The book points out that introverts can find success and comfort working virtually any job, but there are three jobs that tend to satisfy them least readily. Guess what? Out of all of the lines of work I might have pursued, I've worked almost exclusively in the very three jobs least likely to accommodate my introverted self!One neat bonus is that I also came to realize I'm an introvert married to an introvert. You might suppose I would have easily recognize my wife as an introvert too, but I did not. I was almost sure she was an extrovert, based on how easily she can turn on the charm for a little while at a time. After reading the book, it became glaringly obvious my assumption was incorrect. So I would say that even if you don't need the dating advice the book offers (which I found to be its weakest element), you might learn something--maybe even a lot--about yourself and your partner and the sort of things you might do to enjoy greater fulfillment and mutual happiness.At the end of the day, "The Secret Lives of Introverts: Inside Our Hidden World" offers much of what its title and blurb promise, but only in an introductory capacity. I recommend it for those who are not avid readers, who just want to dip their toes in the water and explore a subject that may come to be very important to them or may not. I've already decided I will keep reading on the subject and I expect to proceed with works that dive a little deeper... particularly where negative self-talk is concerned. That has been very much a part of who I am, and apparently my introverted temperament is at least partly to blame. Who knew?

I originally purchased this book to have a deeper understanding of what an Introvert was in order to help explain to some of my friends as to why I would prefer to be at home instead of going out. I love that the author has opened the doors to other readings about Introverts. This is a great book to begin with when trying to understand yourself more clearly if you ARE introverted and the author acknowledges any extrovert who may be reading as well.

This is definitely one of the best books about introverts out there. Written by Jenn Granneman, the founder of Introvert, Dear (one of my favorite sites), this book goes into great detail about Introverts and is very simple and easy to understand. The beginning of the book talks about the science side of Introversion, but then gets into misconceptions about Introverts (antisocial, hating people, boring, etc.), how Introverts aren't unsociable, and then advice when it comes to relationships, friends, dating, and careers. My favorite chapter is 6, because not only was it the most helpful and intriguing chapter for me, it's titled "Please Just Leave Me Alone." Hahaha. I can relate to that so much. I'd say this book has much simpler writing than Quiet (another book I plan to review, but I have to re-read it), and as such, is easier to delve into and understand. If you are an introvert looking for a good book to read, then pick this one up!