Deborah Tannen

A guide to communicating better within families explains how to untie the knots that often hamper important discussions and how to enhance personal relationships among family members by understanding the art of conversation and listening.

"Through research into the unique way women talk to one another, this validating and illuminating analysis of female friendship will help women lean into the comfort these powerful relationships offer and avoid the hurt feelings that come from common miscommunications." --

Deborah Tannen's #1 bestseller revolutionized the way men and women talk (and listen) to each other. Whether at home, at work, or elsewhere, the communication gap between the sexes can lead to troublesome misunderstandings. The problem dates back to childhood, when boys and girls learn to use language in distinctly different ways; years later, their adult efforts to talk often place them at cross-purposes, even when both are sincerely trying to communicate....

When I wrote You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation I didn't know that what everyone would respond to most strongly is the question, "Why don't men like to stop and ask for directions?" (Before the book was published, no one talked about this gender difference; as a result of the book, it is now the ubiquitous subject of jokes, cartoons, skits, greeting cards, and casual conversations.) The answer to this question will be revealed...

"The Argument Culture is about a pervasive warlike atmosphere that makes us approach anything we need to accomplish as a fight between two opposing sides. The argument culture urges us to regard the world - and the people in it - in an adversarial frame of mind. It rests on the assumption that opposition is the best way to get anything done: The best way to explore an idea is to set up a debate; the best way to cover the news is to find spokespeople...