The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World

Rating:
Summary: biased towards right-brained introverts
Review: This is a pretty interesting book, but the author herself is a right brained introvert, so therefore the whole tone of the book is somewhat biased that way. I myself am more left brained so the whole, having trouble to speak thing doesn't get to me. Basically I am fairly balanced I have right and left brained attributes. So the book can be somewhat frusterating with that, because it doesn't really deal with my lefty issues so a lot just doesn't resonate. Overall I think it would be better if it were a 2 parter by a different brained author so you got more of the left and right. However this book is a fun kind of aha! So that's part of the reason I do that. Plus it also has some interesting things as far as neural pathways and the actual chemical differences in brain chemistry between introverts and extroverts.

Rating:
Summary: Good Info
Review: This is an excellent book that does well to describe life as an introvert. Great affirmation and confidence builder for introverts as well as descriptive and entertaining explanations for extroverts on how to deal with the introverts in their lives. More than anything, this book assures the introverts and the world that the introverts play a key role in "making things happen." Talented introverts unite!

Rating:
Summary: Well written supplementary text on introversion
Review: Well written supplementary text on introversion. The self-assessment for introverts questionairre in the book will undoubtedly be helpful to all introverts. The questionnaire helps understand the continuum of personalities from introversion to extroversion (individuals do not simply fall within one of two boxes), and may help understand that some personalities fall into a "Somewhere in the middle" category. This greatly assisted my understanding of "ambidextrous" personalities, those individuals who exhibit characteristics of both introversion and extroversion; from my readings, no other author had explained this phenomenon quite so well. Some other very strong areas of this book include a discussion on the right and left hemispheres of the brain as relating to introverts, and the differences in brain processing between introverts and extroverts. In the first area, it was interesting to read that there are those who are not heavily left- or right-brained, but experience what is referred to as "bilateral dominance" - this greatly explains personal experiences within an educational system which typically caters to the left brained, and which has displayed little or no understanding that there actually exist individuals who have both left and right brain strengths. Laney's discussion on brain processing is also written well, and the information she shares should be understood by all those who work with people (most professionals work with people, whether coworkers or clients, regardless of field). Introverts typically use long term memory more often than short term memory, with a longer processing path accessing more areas of the brain than that experienced by extroverts. While the first part of the book (there are three parts) is written for all individuals falling within the introversion continuum, it seems as though the latter two parts focus a bit too heavily on those individuals who might be seen to fall within the more heavily introverted category (note that I did not read these latter two parts). In addition, it seems as though this book was written for an audience who has never explored their personality before, so it may be of more benefit to such an audience, although there are a lot of other books on personality types which offer greater substance regarding the topics discussed in the latter two parts. Like a lot of other topics about which one wishes to read, reading multiple books associated with a topic is usually preferable to relying solely on one book; simply take the strengths from each book - Laney's book has its strengths.

Rating:
Summary: Great Help for Introvert
Review: Wonderful book. I learned a lot. I had the great opportunity to actually hear Marti talk at a presentation. She did a great amount of research and interviewing in preparing to write the book and it shows. It has helped in my relationship with an introverted spouse (I am an extrovert) and our children. It has also helped in my managing some of my employees who are introverted. Bravo to Marti. She did a great job.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing insights...now I understand!!! Powerful
Review: You must read this if you are an introvert (not "intorvert" with the negative connotation, but someone who spends energy when dealing with others, rather than generates it by interacting with others). Easy to understand, practical - it explains so much about how introverts "tick" (the author suggest 25% are introverts).