History. Book review
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
The book review is a 3-5 page analysis of a book of your choice, APPROVED BY ME. Book reviews are a fundamental tool in the discipline and require critical analysis of your book. The book should be non-fiction over a topic relevant to this course, no less than 150 pages long, preferably written in the last 30 years (there are exceptions), and preferably written by a historian (there are exceptions here, as well).
Students will be graded on spelling, grammar, usage, mechanics, etc., as well as the quality of the analysis. There is a brief list of pre-approved books on Blackboard, or simply browse the library shelves for a book that looks good to you. If you have a topic in mind (or if not), I’ll recommend something for you. Guidelines are below.
rough outline of a good book review (3-5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font):
PAGE ONE:
I. Who is the Author? (one paragraph)
A. Does he/she teach? Write? Where? Living or dead?
B. Other works by this author on this topic?
C. Is the author qualified to write on this subject?
II. Summary of the book (one paragraph)
A. What is the book about?
PAGES TWO THROUGH FOUR:
III. Thesis
A. What is the author’s main point? What is the one main idea he/she is trying to convey?
IV. Support
A. What are the main supporting points of the work? Name 5 of the most important – provide details. Does the author support this main point convincingly?
PAGES THREE THROUGH FIVE
V. Sources (not the same thing as “Support”!) – what sources does the author use?
Summarize briefly. No need to itemize source (an impractical task).
1. Primary? Newspapers, diaries, court cases, letters, abstracts of title, etc.
2. Secondary? Books written by other historians
VI. Summary of your opinion of the book
A. Audience – For whom was the book written? Scholars? Students? The general public?
B. What did you think of the book, personally?
The heading on the front page should be as follows:
Douglas Blackmon, Slavery by Another Name (New York: Doubleday, 2008), 468 pp., including index and bibliography. Review by Your Name.
But use the title of YOUR book!!!
Text should begin 3 single spaces below the heading. Good Luck!!
-I provide a pre-approved list of book, You might have already read one too, that'd be great.
-choose a book that you are comfortable with and then write the book review.
-I also provide a sample book review that you can look at if you get confused
Students will be graded on spelling, grammar, usage, mechanics, etc., as well as the quality of the analysis. There is a brief list of pre-approved books on Blackboard, or simply browse the library shelves for a book that looks good to you. If you have a topic in mind (or if not), I’ll recommend something for you. Guidelines are below.
rough outline of a good book review (3-5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font):
PAGE ONE:
I. Who is the Author? (one paragraph)
A. Does he/she teach? Write? Where? Living or dead?
B. Other works by this author on this topic?
C. Is the author qualified to write on this subject?
II. Summary of the book (one paragraph)
A. What is the book about?
PAGES TWO THROUGH FOUR:
III. Thesis
A. What is the author’s main point? What is the one main idea he/she is trying to convey?
IV. Support
A. What are the main supporting points of the work? Name 5 of the most important – provide details. Does the author support this main point convincingly?
PAGES THREE THROUGH FIVE
V. Sources (not the same thing as “Support”!) – what sources does the author use?
Summarize briefly. No need to itemize source (an impractical task).
1. Primary? Newspapers, diaries, court cases, letters, abstracts of title, etc.
2. Secondary? Books written by other historians
VI. Summary of your opinion of the book
A. Audience – For whom was the book written? Scholars? Students? The general public?
B. What did you think of the book, personally?
The heading on the front page should be as follows:
Douglas Blackmon, Slavery by Another Name (New York: Doubleday, 2008), 468 pp., including index and bibliography. Review by Your Name.
But use the title of YOUR book!!!
Text should begin 3 single spaces below the heading. Good Luck!!
-I provide a pre-approved list of book, You might have already read one too, that'd be great.
-choose a book that you are comfortable with and then write the book review.
-I also provide a sample book review that you can look at if you get confused