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

of your life,’ ” he recalls. “And I would
think to myself, I hope not! I hated
school. I remember thinking, I’ve gotta
get out of here. I was in sixth grade
when Revenge of the Nerds came out,
and I looked like I stepped out of the
cast. I knew I was intelligent, but I
grew up in suburban Detroit, which is
like ninety-nine percent of the rest of
the country: if you’re a good-looking
person and an athlete, you’re not gonna
get hassled. But if you seem too smart,
that’s not something that kids respect
you for. They’re more likely to try and
beat you down for it. It was my best attribute,
and I definitely enjoyed using
it, but it was something you also had to
try and keep in check.”
So how did he get from there to
here? The key for David was playing
the drums. “At one point,” David says,
“I totally overcame all my childhood
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