The New Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times -- Revised Edition [Hardcover]

Karen Grigsby Bates (Author), Karen E. Hudson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2005

A newly revised modern manual of manners and etiquette that has become an African American classic.

Unlike the more traditional etiquette books that many African Americans may find stodgy, off-putting, and culturally alien, The New Basic Black is for real people who live real lives—and it addresses many of the issues of a growing black middle class. Straightforward, user-friendly, and illustrated with line drawings, The New Basic Black includes all the information any well-mannered person would want to know about the social rites of passage (marriage, birth, christening, death), the corporate workplace (standard work issues and the more delicate issue of race and its impact on a work environment), various occasions (having guests or being a guest at a summer home, etc.), and everyday rules and rituals that make living in hectic times a little easier. The revised edition of The New Basic Black also contains the intricacies of Internet etiquette, tips for travel in the post-9/11 age, and a wealth of other invaluable information that will make life more comfortable.

For singles and families alike, The New Basic Black takes the mystery out of conventional etiquette and will arm the reader with confidence in any situation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR BASIC BLACK:

“Covering such situations as how to handle yourself in a restaurant where you’ve received unacceptable treatment, common courtesies to be shown to household help and how to respond to racial harassment at work, Bates and Hudson offer a guide that will be of benefit to men and women, singles and families.” —Publishers Weekly

“Full of information about appropriate behavior at soirees of various sorts, from simple cocktail parties to formal dinners, and about how to plan parties, weddings, even tea parties, Bates and Hudson’s advice also includes less obvious subjects such as maintaining family and community ties, taking pride in one’s heritage, and coping with racial incidents at work. After an overview of basic rules, the authors cover communicating; life lessons; “Dating, Mating, and Begetting” ; planning events; and life milestones, closing with a Q & A section, dos and don’ts, a glossary, and a request for reader feedback. Each subject is discussed briefly and entertainingly, with solid common sense. A useful compendium.” —Booklist

“Hallelujah and amen for Basic Black! This engagingly written guide to the social behavior of our times is charming, wise, and truly quite helpful.” —Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, author of The Sweeter the Juice

“Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times…reminds us of the importance of grace.” —Benilde Little, author of Good Hair

About the Author

Karen Grigsby Bates is a correspondent for NPR’s national news magazine Day to Day. For several years, she wrote for Time magazine and was a contributing columnist to the Los Angeles Times Op Ed page. Bates is the author of Plain Brown Wrapper and Chosen People, suspense novels featuring reporter-sleuth Alex Powell. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

Karen Elyse Hudson writes an advice column titled “Talk to Me” for the Wave Newspapers Group and is the author of a biography of her maternal grandfather, Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy of Style, and a biography for young people, The Will and the Way: Paul R. Williams, Architect. She speaks extensively on etiquette, party planning, and architecture.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; Revised edition (December 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385516266
• ISBN-13: 978-0385516266
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What to do When and Where, August 13, 2006

By 

L. Huggins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times -- Revised Edition (Hardcover)

This is a great book to answer those questions that your mama and grandmama can't help you with. Anything and everything related to social situations that are part of the African-American community are in this book, as well as, what good manners are.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Coffee Table Book., August 2, 2009

By 

Jane Tompkins - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times -- Revised Edition (Hardcover)

I bought this book so long ago, but never reviewed it... basically it has all your basics for proper etiquette.

I purchased it for my boyfriend who was, let's just say- not trained in manners. Many of the people in life, pre-college, were people with a "hood-mentality". We're totally opposite, as my mom taught my sisters and I how to act when we go in public, how to be proper etc etc... and what happened was that my boyfriend would sometimes do things that were, lets just say... embarrassing.

Once at a ball event, we entered a room and were going to our purchased seats, the people at the table greeted us, and I thought that my boyfriend was going to pull back the seat I was eyeing so that I could sit-down... instead he pulled it back then SAT DOWN HIMSELF. It was soooooo embarrassing because everyone was looking- any they all had the "omg" face. Anyway I decided to get this book for him after that...

I gave it to him, wrote a nice message in the front cover, and hoped that he'd read it. And well, we're broken up now... I'm not sure if he ever really read it, but I know he has skimmed it. My suggestion would be to read a passage weekly with your significant other, or whomever you purchased this for.

Overall its a nice book and I plan to purchase another just to have as a reference book.

If you're a mom or someone buying this for your daughter or for yourself to have around, I would also purchase: The Modern Girl's Guide to Life. This is a cute book to have as well that will help you to know what to do, or what to do properly in certain situations like- throwing/planning a dinner party, what to bring when attending a dinner party, etc.

Plus this book is so inexpensive now on here opposed to when I bought it, so if you're thinking of whether or not to get it- for $4.40 plus shipping why not?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Your Manners, April 27, 2009

By 

Ms. Collins "Book Lover" (Baton Rouge, LA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times -- Revised Edition (Hardcover)

This book is a must for people who are moving up. It is unfortunate. Many people do not know basic etiquette. Who should be tipped? What is a proper wedding gift or baby gift? This book helps out the reader. Read it. Many people will learn things that they will not know.