Uncommon Courtesy: The Basics of Good Behavior for a Badly Behaved World

by Jennifer M. Wood

This book is the short slap to the back of the head most people need nowadays. In a world that's more likely to flip the bird than hold the door, it's their reminder of proper behavior. You'll receive a (re-)schooling in manners with lessons split up by situation, then tackled by topic. Each note corrects conduct that's become all too common, like . . .

Bad Behavior : Popping a piece of gum into your mouth midconversation, and stressing your point by snapping it.

Courteous Fix : If you're going to have a piece of gum while talking to someone, be sure to offer your companion a piece--and keep your mouth closed as you chew. You want your breath to be fresh. Not your attitude.

It's a reminder that it wasn't always out of place to be polite.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Jennifer M. Wood was born and raised just outside of Boston. She attended Villanova University, where she earned a BA in Psychology, with a minor in Business and a concentration in Film (and yes, she's totally aware that's an odd educational combo).

She began her career in book publishing, working as an editor and writer for Adams Media (now an imprint of Simon & Schuster) and from there transitioned into the magazine world as an editor (and eventually Editor-in-Chief) of MovieMaker Magazine, an opportunity that allowed her to indulge her lifelong love of movies and television.

Over the past decade-plus, she has written extensively about television, film, pop culture, and travel for a range of outlets, including WIRED, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, Vulture, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The A.V. Club, Complex, and Mental Floss, where she is also an editor.

She currently lives in Bucks County, PA with her husband and a growing menagerie of rescue pets.