Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times
by Karen Grigsby Bates

Some call it polite behavior,or good manners. Others call it proper breeding, but to most African Americans its simply called “home training.” Now in Basic Black, authors Karen Grigsby Bates and Karen E. Hudson offer a modern guide for gracious living.

Contrary to the more traditional etiquette books that most African Americans may find stodgy, off-putting, and culturally alien, Basic Blackis for real people who live real lives—and addresses many of the issues of a growing black middle class who want to live riche without seeming noveau. Straightforward, user-friendly and illustrated with line drawings, 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 new corporate workplace (standard work issues and the more delicate issue of race and its impact in an integrated workplace), various occasions (having guests or being a guest at one’s summer home, etc.), and everyday rules and rituals that make living in hectic times a little easier.

For singles and families alike, Basic Black takes the mystery out of conventional etiquette and will arm the reader with the ability to be comfortable and confident in just about any situation.