Talking at Trena's: Everyday Conversations at an African American Tavern
In a scholarly yet highly readable book, May (sociology, Univ.  of Georgia) depicts the safe haven of Trena's, a tavern on the  South Side of Chicago where African American men gather on a  daily basis and it's clearly not just for a drink. Their  camaraderie (closely observed by the author himself, who became  one of the "regulars" during the 1990s) is reflected in  conversations, often literally transcribed, about everyday life.  By turn sad, hilarious, shocking, and touching, these  conversations are always revealing: May makes good use of them  in suggesting what they tell us about how these men experience,  for example, racism and class bias and how they behave in  various social contexts. May is rigorous in describing his  methodology, but readers might be surprised that neither his  narrative overview of related literature nor his bibliography  includes mention of Elliot Liebow's classic Talley's Corner: A  Study of Negro Streetcorner Men (LJ 6/15/67. o.p.), of which  this book is very reminiscent. Recommended for public and  academic libraries. Ellen D. Gilbert, Rutgers Univ. Lib., New  Brunswick, NJCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.