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No Filters

a mother and teenage daughter love story

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

How can we communicate when things are so painful? How can we connect when generational differences are extreme? How do parents and teenagers - and all of us - have real conversations?


When Rowan was sixteen, she only tolerated communication from her mother in the form of Snapchat. Desperate to be closer to her daughter, Christie sent daily selfies of her face superimposed onto a chicken nugget. It took serious illness for them to finally talk – and truly listen.

Rowan's mental health struggles revealed the chasm between their generations. They started being more honest with each other than they had ever been before: discussing identity, race and gender; opening up about disordered eating and self-harm; navigating the perils of social media.

In an age of polarisation, this is how a mother and daughter find humour in the things that divide them and become more hopeful about the future of our world.

A book for all parents and teenagers going through a tough time, for friends, grandparents, teachers and healthcare professionals who want to help, its bare honesty will have you laughing – and possibly crying – out loud as it shows that you are not alone.

'Psychologically astute, totally honest and beautifully written' JULIA SAMUEL
'Incredibly brave, generous and important' CLOVER STROUD
'It made me cry, laugh and hug my daughter extra tightly' BRYONY GORDON

© Christie Watson and Rowan Egberongbe 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Mental Health Motherhood Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Social Classes & Economic Disparity Sociology Teenagers Health

Critic reviews

No Filters takes on all those thorny subjects on which young, middle-aged and older people cannot always see eye to eye — race, sexuality, gender, class, politics, climate change… A much-needed conversation between generations (Suzanne O'Sullivan)
I devoured this joint memoir… it is a warm and brave look at some of the mental health pressures our teenagers are dealing with (Alice O'Keeffe)
[An] unflinching memoir
Strikingly honest… an eye-opening account of the mental health crisis gripping young people
An insightful, if tough, read… This engaging book sheds light on the boggling number of mental health issues faced by today’s teenagers (Katharine Spurrier and James Carey-Douglas)
I loved this book and I know it will help many families during difficult times. No Filters is psychologically astute, totally honest, and beautifully written (JULIA SAMUEL)
No Filters is about what it means to be a teenage girl and what it means to parent them. It made me cry, laugh and hug my daughter extra tightly (BRYONY GORDON)
An incredibly brave, generous and important book, which challenged my thinking about parenting, yet also consoled me and made me feel less alone. Parents everywhere will be pressing it into one another’s hands (CLOVER STROUD)
Full of compassion, honesty, insight and hope... This is a small book full of heart that will help parents and their teenagers understand the need for patience and empathy in a world that seems determined to divide us from each other, even from those we were born to love (DEREK OWUSU)
Compassionate, honest, insightful and in places absolutely hilarious (MARK HADDON)
All stars
Most relevant
No Filters by Christie Watson and Rowan Egberongbe is such a brilliant read. I loved the dual perspectives—they bring so much honesty and depth to the story. Christie’s wonderfully creative way of describing the world is as gorgeous as ever, and the whole book genuinely made me think about connection, identity, and how we really talk to each other. Funny, raw, and thought-provoking—it’s one I’ll be recommending to everyone!

Honest, Thought-Provoking, and Beautifully Creativ

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