A Conversation with Deborah Tannen

Some things seem so obvious, yet until someone actually does the research and quantifies data, they can't be proven. Deborah Tannen's "You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation" came before the whole "Mars and Venus" thing -- Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University, was the first to demonstrate to the general public that something we all instinctively knew -- the men and women communicate differently -- can be broken down into certain kinds of linguistic constructions and behaviors. For example: When a woman presents a problem, she is not asking for solutions; she is looking for support.

Tannen has written about talking to everyone: Your spouse, your parents, your kids...and now she's writing about sisters. One of three sisters herself, Dr. Tannen is well attuned to how long and deep sisterly dialogue can be. Her new book, "You Were Always Mom's Favorite: Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives" examines the many ways sisters both nurture and undermine each other, and it also considers conversational patterns between sisters in light of birth order. It's a fascinating read that any sister will page through nodding and shrieking and saying "That's EXACTLY what she did!" or "I feel the same way!"

I hope you'll enjoy this interview with one of the most important nonfiction writers out there. Let us know what you think, and thanks for watching!