Deborah Tannen is professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. Among her many books is You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, which spent nearly four years on the New York Times best-seller list. "Why Mothers and Daughters Tangle Over Hair" is from Me, My Hair and I: Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession, edited by Elizabeth Benedict, forthcoming from Algonquin Books in September. Tannen's most recent book is You Were Always Mom's Favorite!
