On Chicago's South Side, in the heart of a middle-class African American neighborhood, men gather after work to talk about their day, and their lives. The setting is Trena's, a popular, local watering hole where the conversation quickly turns to the hot topics of the day: race, the workplace, social class, sex, the media, and family. In this setting these men relax, open up and reveal themselves to the staff and their fellow patrons with remarkable frankness.
Following in the tradition of Elijah Anderson's A Place on the Corner and Mitchell Duneier's Slim's Table, Talking at Trena's reveals how these men whose economic and social status is precarious understand the racial dynamics of American society. We learn how they handle the racism and class bias that impacts their jobs, their social interactions with peers, and their relationships with loved ones. Their conversations frequently turn to television and how blacks and whites are represented, how it deals with men and women and how it shapes their perception of life. Talking at Trena's provides a window into the laughs, complaints, and experiences which Trena's regulars share and their strategies for managing daily life outside the safety and comfort of the tavern.