Writing the Book Review:
A book review should critically describe, analyze, and evaluate a book on a number of levels, including, but not limited to, depth of research, quality of ideas and thinking, support for its thesis, writing ability, and originality. The first paragraph of your review should contain a description of the author's thesis. That is, explain what the author hoped to accomplish in writing this book. What is the main point? Next, briefly summarize the book in about one page. The rest of your review should be a critical examination of key topics in the book, followed by an analysis of the book as a whole. Key questions to consider are the author's qualifications, depth of research, use of evidence, indications of bias, and logical presentation. If possible, you should compare this book to others that you have read on the same subject. If it contradicts the textbook, you should mention that. Your last paragraph (conclusion), should sum up your arguments and make a final recommendation for or against the book (or somewhere in between).
It never hurts to consult other sources or read reviews of the book to see what others have thought. However, do not copy them! That is plagiarism! Book Review Digest and Book Review Index will help you find reviews. Also worth looking at is Contemporary Authors, which will give you some biographical information about the author.You may also be able to find information about your author on the Internet. Regardless, you must provide a full bibliographic citation for the book you read and for any other sources that you used.
Quick suggestions:
The first line of your paper should be a full bibliographic citation of the book. The paper should be neat, grammatically correct and well written. It should adhere to the above structural guidelines and contain solid introductory and concluding paragraphs that are in agreement with one another. Papers lacking these will be penalized. Avoid using too many quotations, quoting only when absolutely necessary. Be sure to mention who you are quoting and cite your source as well. Footnotes, endnotes, or MLA style parenthetical citations are all fine. Just choose one style and stick with it throughout your paper. Avoid contractions. Keep a copy of your paper. Organize your paper into distinct paragraphs. Avoid the passive voice. Write about the past in the past tense.
Remember: For each calendar day (which includes weekends and holidays) your project is late, I will deduct one letter grade!