Write an analytical review (not a book report) of not more than 750 words (appro
Write an analytical review (not a book report) of not more than 750 words (approximately three pages).
The essence of the assignment is to determine the author’s thesis, and to evaluate how successfully he or
she presents it. Read critically. Ask questions of the book as you go. Why did the author choose this topic? With
what issues is the author most concerned? What other ways could the author have addressed the topic? Why has
the author chosen this approach? What is the author’s main argument? What evidence does the author use to
support the argument? Can you think of other evidence that the author should have considered? Are you
convinced by the author’s argument?
Give yourself adequate time to read the book. Don’t wait until the last few days to start.
Content of Your Review
This is a book review, rather than a book report. You are analyzing and evaluating the author’s
argument, not summarizing the book’s contents. Your review should answer these questions for the reader:
–What is the book about? Briefly (one paragraph) describe the subject of the book
–What is the author’s thesis? This is the most important analytical task of the reviewer.
–How does the author support the thesis? Describe the kinds of evidence the author provides, using
examples.
–Does the author convince you that to accept the thesis? Your opinion of the author’s success or failure
is a critical part of the review.
–What is your overall assessment of the book?
You can find examples of critical reviews of history books in professional historical journals like the
American Historical Review or the Journal of American History, as well as many others, available online
through Joyner Library.
Bibliographic information
Your review should begin with the book’s title, author, place of publication, publisher, and date of
publication. Example:
The Making of a Confederate: Walter Lenoir’s Civil War. By William L. Barney. (Oxford and New York, N.Y.:
Oxford University Press, 2008.)
You don’t need any other title for the review.
Please don’t consult or cite any outside sources for the review. Quotations from the book you are
reviewing should be cited by giving the page number(s) in parentheses in the text, after the quote, e.g. “The
records of the president’s actions were concealed.” (27)
Style
Use an outline to organize your review. Each paragraph should have a single main idea, expressed in a
topic sentence. Pay attention to transitions between paragraphs. Use a dictionary and thesaurus. Consult Strunk
and White, The Elements of Style or Baker, The Practical Stylist on questions of writing style. Your paper
should be free of spelling and grammatical errors.
Use active sentences with subject nouns, instead of passive sentences. For example: “Mistakes were
made” is passive; “I made a mistake” is active. The passive voice allows a writer to avoid identifying the subject
of the sentence.