Whether your family is nuclear, blended, extended or unrelated; whether you are single, divorced, living together or married; at a family dinner or dinner party; engaged in combat with the neighbors or the relatives -- there is simply no substitute for the core of civility that must reside at the heart of every house, condo or apartment if it is truly to be a home. With her trademark wit and insight, Miss Manners knocks household discourteousness off its foundation by revealing the secrets of: Getting the housework done when you can't complain about the servant problem -- because the servant is you Kindling warm memories rather than heated conflict at family occasions Making use of common rooms instead of turning them into a mess or a museum -- while everyone huddles in their respective allotted upstairs spaces alone Reviving the art of entertaining to make friends who will love you for yourself (it beats staying home alone watching TV) Being pleasant enough to the neighbors so you're not afraid to walk out your own front door Refusing to recognize that the harried household cannot meet proper standards of behavior, especially since all households are now harried, Miss Manners explains how to return a sense of propriety -- and most of all, tranquility -- to domestic life.

To solicit these stories, Paul Krassner contacted 250 friends and acquaintances and announced the project in High Times and on the air. Including "The Bust at Ken Kesey's Place, " "How the Yippies Mailed 30,000 Joints to Perfect Strangers, " and "The Acid Trip of a Death Row Prisoner, " these true tales range from funny to bizarre to poignant.

Kim Chernin is renowned for her prolific writing -- including fiction and memoir -- on issues affecting women's lives, ranging from eating disorders and sex to relationships. In The Woman Who Gave Birth to Her Mother, she offers readers a culmination of that work -- a fully integrated vision that will help women resolve their lifelong struggles with their mothers and become fully independent, capable people. Exploring six compelling case histories of women who have resolved these issues in unique and creative ways, Chernin offers her own insights based on years of working with women in therapy, and on her own problematic relationship with her daughter. A tour de force of analysis, compassion, and erudition, this exciting, important work is further evidence that Chernin is "blessed with the eloquence of a poet and the gifts of a born therapist" (San Francisco Chronicle).