17.03.2023 Views

quiet-the-power-of-introverts-in-a-world-that-cant-stop-talking-susan-cain

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

months previously, white families are

leaving Cupertino in droves, precisely

because of kids like Mike. They are

fleeing the sky-high test scores and

awe-inspiring study habits of many

Asian-American students. The article

said that white parents feared that their

kids couldn’t keep up academically. It

quoted a student from a local high

school: “If you were Asian, you had to

confirm you were smart. If you were

white, you had to prove it.”

But the article didn’t explore what

lay behind this stellar academic performance.

I was curious whether the

town’s scholarly bent reflected a culture

insulated from the worst excesses of the

Extrovert Ideal—and if so, what that

would feel like. I decided to visit and

find out.

At first blush, Cupertino seems like

the embodiment of the American

518/929

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!