Miss Manners Rescues Civilization

In an era of American history that has shown a heightened sensitivity toward the ideals of democracy, self-expression, freedom, and individual rights, we are paradoxically experiencing a breakdown in our nation's ability to function as a civil people.
From athletes who shout obscenities on national television to surgeons who blast their favorite music while operating, from gang members who kill those who've -dissed- them to mourners who treat funerals casually, we trample over the rights of others in a savage pursuit of individual agendas. We have cashed in etiquette (yes, the -E word-) for a generous helping of self-importance, and the exchange is crippling our ability to function as a civil society.
In her ground-breaking new book, MISS MANNERS RESCUES CIVILIZATION: From Sexual Harassment, Frivolous Lawsuits, Dissing and Other Lapses in Civility, Judith Martin puts etiquette on the public agenda in response to our nation's cry for a return to civility.
A thought-provoking book that calls on etiquette to champion the quest for civil decency, MISS MANNERS RESCUES CIVILIZATION discusses the futility of using the law to correct our ever-increasing list of societal offenses cluttering the courts and declaring new laws has proved to be both costly and ineffective. However, a rebirth of good manners places the privileges and challenges of a civil society back where it belongs in the hands of the individual. This witty, thoughtful, and timely book responds to the public cry for a return to civility and puts etiquette on an equal plane with morality as society's most powerful guiding force.