“The Happy Introvert: a wild and crazy guide for celebrating your true self” by Elizabeth Wagele, is an engagingly written guide to celebrating one’s introversion.
The book hooked me from the beginning with this pithy quote on page 1:
The book hooked me from the beginning with this pithy quote on page 1:
“Eastern cultures see introversion as a value and give it much esteem. Western cultures prefer extraversion. For a balanced, safe, and caring world, we must learn to value both.”
From its conversational tone to its cute and illustrative cartoons, this book celebrates the strengths of introversion without putting down extraverts. The book’s overall message is that as introverts we’re different but that difference is not wrong or weird.
I especially enjoyed the afterword which takes a look at the characters in Napoleon Dynamite. Wagele praises Napoleon, a “grumpy-looking, slack-jawed teenager,” as an “exemplary introvert who triumphs through being talented and sweet…strong and virtuous – a loyal friend and…hero who is…comfortable with himself.”
I found Ms. Wagele's book to be inspiring, informative and a quick read for adults or adolescents struggling to find a comfortable place in a world that overvalues extroversion.
Elizabeth Wagele is an award-winning cartoonist, children’s book illustrator, musician and the best-selling author of "The Enneagram Made Easy" and other books on personality types. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Gus.
To learn more about the book and Elizabeth Wagele, visit her website at
Dear Shytrovert, I am the author of The Happy Introvert and so honored to find your review of my book next to your review of the Laura thing. I'm a white person who was raised on the "religion," of "the worst thing you can ever do is to say the word 'nigger'" and I am almost physiologically unable to say it, though I also agree with your point: why not say what you're saying instead of substituting an initial? People who don't like blacks often don't like gays either. Or introverts who ACT "introverted."
ReplyDeleteWhat's at the root of that kind of hatred and what can be done about it, if anything? These people seem to need someone to pretend they're superior to, so putting effort into raising psychologically healthy children would help. For Laura, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" is probably the case. And we don't have the kind of system where someone could assign a morality trainer to her.
Thanks for liking my book. Elizabeth