Author Spotlight

Deborah Tannen


Deborah Tannen is the acclaimed author of You Just Don’t Understand, which was on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly four years including eight months as #1; the ten-week New York Times bestseller You’re Wearing THAT?: Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation; I Only Say This Because I Love You: Talking to Your Parents, Partner, Sibs and Kids When You’re All Adults, which won the Books for a Better Life Award; Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work; That’s Not What I Meant!; and many other books. A professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, she has...

Deborah Tannen
Enlarge View
Photo © Stephen Voss Photography
Author Alert Sign Up

Random House will keep you up to date on the works of Deborah Tannen! Enter your email address below to enroll. Privacy Policy.


Author Bookshelf
Sort Results By:
On-sale date Title Format Price

book cover
You Were Always Mom's Favorite!
Written by Deborah Tannen

eBook | pages | Random House | Family & Relationships - Family Relationships
978-1-58836-913-0 (1-58836-913-7)

September 8, 2009 | $32.00



"I love her to death. I can't imagine life without her," a woman says about her sister. Another remarks, "I don't want anyone to kill my sister because I want to have that privilege myself." With these two comments, begins this eye-opening and entertaining new book.

New York Timesbestselling author Deborah Tannen...

Also available as a hardcover.

book cover
You Were Always Mom's Favorite!
Written by Deborah Tannen

Hardcover | 256 pages | Random House | Family & Relationships - Family Relationships
978-1-4000-6632-2 (1-4000-6632-8)

September 8, 2009 | $32.00



"I love her to death. I can't imagine life without her," a woman says about her sister. Another remarks, "I don't want anyone to kill my sister because I want to have that privilege myself." With these two comments, begins this eye-opening and entertaining new book.

New York Timesbestselling author Deborah Tannen...

Also available as an eBook.

book cover
You're Wearing That?
Written by Deborah Tannen

Trade Paperback | 304 pages | Ballantine Books | Family & Relationships; Social Science
978-0-8129-7266-5 (0-8129-7266-X)

December 26, 2006 | $19.95



Deborah Tannen's #1 New York Times bestseller You Just Don’t Understand revolutionized communication between women and men. Now, in her most provocative and engaging book to date, she takes on what is potentially the most fraught and passionate connection of women’s lives: the mother-daughter relationship.
It was Tannen who first showed us...


book cover
You're Wearing That?
Written by Deborah Tannen
Read by Deborah Tannen

Abridged Compact Disc | pages | Random House Audio | Family & Relationships
978-0-7393-1371-8 (0-7393-1371-1)

January 24, 2006 | $39.95



Deborah Tannen's #1 New York Times bestseller You Just Don’t Understand revolutionized communication between women and men. Now, in her most provocative and engaging book to date, she takes on what is potentially the most fraught and passionate connection of women’s lives: the mother-daughter relationship.
It was Tannen who first showed us...


book cover
You're Wearing That?
Written by Deborah Tannen
Read by Deborah Tannen

Abridged Audiobook Download | pages | Random House Audio | Family & Relationships
978-0-7393-1372-5 (0-7393-1372-X)

January 24, 2006 | $16.95



Deborah Tannen's #1 New York Times bestseller You Just Don’t Understand revolutionized communication between women and men. Now, in her most provocative and engaging book to date, she takes on what is potentially the most fraught and passionate connection of women’s lives: the mother-daughter relationship.
It was Tannen who first showed us...


book cover
You're Wearing That?
Written by Deborah Tannen

eBook | pages | Random House | Family & Relationships; Social Science
978-1-58836-521-7 (1-58836-521-2)

January 24, 2006 | $18.95



Deborah Tannen's #1 New York Times bestseller You Just Don’t Understand revolutionized communication between women and men. Now, in her most provocative and engaging book to date, she takes on what is potentially the most fraught and passionate connection of women’s lives: the mother-daughter relationship.
It was Tannen who first showed us...


book cover
You're Wearing That?
Written by Deborah Tannen
Read by Cassandra Campbell

Unabridged Audiobook Download | pages | Random House Audio | Family & Relationships
978-1-4159-3170-7 (1-4159-3170-4)

January 24, 2006 | $22.00



Deborah Tannen's #1 New York Times bestseller You Just Don’t Understand revolutionized communication between women and men. Now, in her most provocative and engaging book to date, she takes on what is potentially the most fraught and passionate connection of women’s lives: the mother-daughter relationship.
It was Tannen who first showed us...


book cover
I Only Say This Because I Love You
Written by Deborah Tannen

Trade Paperback | 368 pages | Ballantine Books | Family & Relationships - Family Relationships; Family & Relationships - Interpersonal Relations
978-0-345-40752-8 (0-345-40752-0)

May 28, 2002 | $23.95



Why does talk in families so often go in circles, leaving us tied up in knots? In this illuminating book, Deborah Tannen, the linguist and and bestselling author of You Just Don't Understand and many other books, reveals why talking to family members is so often painful and problematic even when...

Also available as an eBook.

book cover
I Only Say This Because I Love You
Written by Deborah Tannen

eBook | pages | Random House | Family & Relationships - Interpersonal Relations
978-1-58836-009-0 (1-58836-009-1)

July 31, 2001 | $19.95



Why does talk in families so often go in circles, leaving us tied up in knots? In this illuminating book, Deborah Tannen, the linguist and and bestselling author of You Just Don't Understand and many other books, reveals why talking to family members is so often painful and problematic even when...

Also available as a trade paperback.

book cover
The Argument Culture
Written by Deborah Tannen

Trade Paperback | 384 pages | Ballantine Books | Social Science - Customs & Traditions; Social Science - Popular Culture; Social Science - Reference
978-0-345-40751-1 (0-345-40751-2)

February 9, 1999 | $20.00



THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS LINGUIST OFFERS A COMPLETELY ORIGINAL ANALYSIS OF THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE--AND A REVOLUTIONARY LANGUAGE TO LIVE BY!

In her #1 bestseller You Just Don't Understand, Deborah Tannen showed why talking to someone of the opposite sex can be like talking to someone from another world. Now Tannen is...


book cover
That's Not What I Meant!
Written by Deborah Tannen

Paperback | 224 pages | Ballantine Books | Psychology & Psychiatry - Interpersonal Relations; Psychology & Psychiatry - Social Psychology; Psychology & Psychiatry - Emotions
978-0-345-34090-0 (0-345-34090-6)

March 12, 1987 | $9.99



Often it's not what you say, but how you say it, that counts. Deborah Tannen, the internationally-acclaimed expert on communication and author of the bestselling YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND, will help you recognize your own conversational style and how it meshes or clashes with the styles of others. Entertaining and informative...