How Do You Work This Life Thing?

October 1, 2007
Adult/High School-The great-great granddaughter of Emily Post tackles the complicated topic of manners in the 21st century. She covers such questions as sharing chores with a roommate, how to decline a date gracefully, and how to talk to a professor about a bad grade. With a chapter devoted to cell-phone behavior, this isn't your grandmother's etiquette book. However, the author stays true to the family name and occasionally offers some admittedly old-fashioned advice, such as to hold a date's chair at the dinner table, insisting that such a gesture is charming and will endear you to your companion. The volume is filled with common-sense recommendations for everyday life and formal occasions. Post spells out her advice in detail, telling, for example, exactly how much to tip for a haircut at the salon. The book is fun to read, whether teens need to know what to wear to a black-tie party or they just want to imagine themselves at one."Heidi Dolamore, San Mateo County Library, CA"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.