Drama Free

A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships

By: Nedra Glover Tawwab

Narrated by: Nedra Glover Tawwab

Instant New York Times Bestseller

From the bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace, a road map for understanding and moving past family struggles—and living your life, your way.

Every family has a story. For some of us, our family of origin is a solid foundation that feeds our confidence and helps us navigate life’s challenges. For others, it’s a source of pain, hurt, and conflict that can feel like a lifelong burden. In this empowering guide, licensed therapist and bestselling relationship expert Nedra Glover Tawwab offers clear advice for identifying dysfunctional family patterns and choosing the best path to breaking the cycle and moving forward.

Covering topics ranging from the trauma of emotional neglect, to the legacy of addicted or absent parents, to mental health struggles in siblings and other relatives, and more, this clear and compassionate guide will help you take control of your own life—and honor the person you truly are.

©2023 Nedra Glover Tawwab (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Without a fresh perspective and the belief that we can break the cycle, we can get stuck in family patterns rather than living as our whole selves. With compassion and clarity, Nedra Tawwab offers a much-needed guide to understanding our upbringing—and becoming an agent for change in our own lives.” —Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast

“In Drama Free, therapist Nedra Tawwab gives us the tools to understand family relationships and manage them in a healthier way – while staying true to who we are and what we need. This book offers a powerful path forward.” —Charlamagne Tha God, New York Times bestselling author and co-host of The Breakfast Club

“Many people go to therapy to work through the issues in their heads, overlooking that their biggest challenges often lie in their family relationships. In this book, therapist Nedra Tawwab offers practical wisdom to help you handle problems with parents, siblings, children, and yes, even in-laws. In a time when mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves, this is a vital guide to building healthier families.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast Re:Thinking

Well done

I appreciate this book and its approach to the subject matter. I will be reading it again and working through the exercises.

Absolutely a must read

Great topics covered that will speak to everyone in dysfunctional families as well as those who just want to build a stronger family. Useful examples and solutions shared.

Offers solutions rather than just identifying problems

I really benefited from this read. I learned a lot about myself, my patterns and how I can update my methods of dealing with dysfunction. I’ll read it again.

Well organized, concise & direct

A very good follow up & expansion to Set Boundaries! The language is straight-forward & easy to follow along. Each chapter us clearly laid out for you. Lastly, the few exercise questions allow you to reflect on what you’ve just read & establish how you can apply it to your own life.

Something for Everyone

I purchased this for my college student but found many nuggets for my myself.

Everything!

Loved this book! It validated a lot of what I already knew but needed to hear!

Everyone has one of these and their family

This is an eye-opener for people who hide the truth, this book should be in every therapist's room! A must read.

Realistic and Practical!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a valuable resource for those that have complex family relationships. This book was broken down into 3 Parts:

1.Unlearning Dysfunction
2.Healing
3.Growing

This is like a bundle of family therapy sessions in a book. I would recommend the audiobook. And yes, the author narrates it!
It discusses all types of family relationships from immediate family to in-laws. 😅 Every topic may not apply so it’s ok to skip around to the topics that apply to you. I listened to everything because I can use the information I gleaned, to help others or have as a tool for myself if needed. The topics and scenarios were very realistic and practical.
I also would recommend the physical copy because it has exercises to do.

Helpful and practical steps to managing relationships and boundaries

Great book! So many good point and actual steps on how to interact in these difficult situations. In the first few chapters, this book identified and helped me really accept what I’m doing with family and other relationships as well as the limitations that I may be able to control.

Impactful

I loved it. I will purchase a written copy and listen again. Helpful book to those who want to improve themselves and have a better mindset with other relationships.