You Were Always Mom's Favorite! : Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives

Conversations between sisters reveal a deep and constant tug between two dynamicsan impulse toward closeness and an impulse toward competition. It takes just a word from your sister to start you laughing, or to summon up a past you both share. But it also takes just a word to send you into an emotional tailspin. For many women, a sister is both a devoted friend and a fierce rival. Wise and witty,#160; You Were Always Moms Favorite! #160;will leave you with a profound new understanding of the unique and precious sister bond, as well as provide practical advice that will open up communication, dispel tensions, and make a vital connection even stronger, deeper, and more resilient "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 is renowned for illuminating the way we communicate--and revolutionizing relationships in the process. What she did for women and men in You Just Don't Understand, and mothers and daughters in You're Wearing THAT?, she now does for sisters in a groundbreaking book that explores one of the most powerful and perplexing relationships in our lives.Conversations between sisters reveal a deep and constant tug between two dynamics--an impulse towards closeness and an impulse towards competition, as sisters are continually compared to each other. When you're with her, you laugh your head off, and can giggle and be silly like when you were kids. But she also might be the one person who can send you into a tailspin with just one wrong word. For many women, a sister is both.With a witty and wise voice, Tannen shares insights and anecdotes from well over a hundred women she interviewed, along with moving and funny recollections of her own two sisters. You'll come away with a profound new understanding, as well as effective techniques to improve and accessible solutions for problems in this unique and precious relationship.From the Hardcover edition. Sisters in lifelong conversation -- "We're close but we're different": compare and contrast -- Looking up and talking down: competition and the array of age -- Whose side are you on?: Understanding alignment -- "I'll be the princess, you be the frog": younger sister: the view from the frog -- Gateway to the world: older sister: the view from the gate -- It's all talk: sisterspeak and genderlect -- Sisterness: the good, the bad, and how to get more of the lovely.;Explores the connections among sisters throughout their childhood years into adulthood, including competitiveness, age differences, and lifelong friendships.