Modified Critical Book Review
A critical book review is typically an essay that evaluates a book and demonstrates critical thinking on the part of the reviewer.
For the purposes of this course, you will respond to specific questions that would be covered in a critical book review, but you will do it in a question-and-answer format, rather than an essay.
One of my pet peeves is that students often use the word “novel” as a synonym for “book”. A novel is a particular type of book, specifically a work of fiction. All of the books you will be reading for this course are non-fiction, so none of them can correctly be called novels. Points will be deducted for this particular mistake, since it is an important distinction of which you should be aware. If you have questions about the difference between fiction and non-fiction, you can find a more in-depth explanation at http://www.criticalreading.com/fictionvnonfiction.htm
The detailed questions to which you will respond, and associated point values, are:
1. Identify the author’s thesis (according to Merriam-Webster, a thesis is “an idea that is the starting point for making a case) and explain it in your own words. How clearly and in what context is it stated and, subsequently, developed? To what extent and how effectively (i.e., with what kind of evidence) is this thesis supported or proven? Use examples to expand on your responses. If arguments or perspectives were missing, why do you think this might be? (1 pt)
2. What are the author’s aims or purpose? How well have they been achieved, especially with regard to the way the book is organized? Are these aims supported or justified? (You might look back at the introduction to the book for help). How closely does the organization follow the author’s aims? (1 pt)
3. How effectively does the author draw conclusions from the material being presented? Are connections between the conclusions and evidence made clearly and logically? Here you should definitely use examples to support your evaluation. (1 pt)
4. Identify the assumptions made by the author in both the approach to and the writing of the book. For example, what prior knowledge does the author expect readers to possess? How effectively are those assumptions worked into the overall presentation? What assumptions do you think should not have been made? Why? (1 pt)
5. Does the author’s presentation seem fair and accurate? Is the interpretation biased? Can you detect any distortion, exaggeration, or diminishing of material? If so, for what purpose might this have been done, and what effect does it have on the overall presentation? (1 pt)
6. What is your overall opinion of the book? On what basis has your opinion been formulated? That is, tell the reader what you think and how you arrived at this judgment. Note that your opinion should be based on your responses to the earlier questions and should demonstrate your ability to think critically about the book. What did you expect to learn when you picked up the book? To what extent – and how effectively – were your expectations met? Amplify upon and explain your reactions. (5 pts)
Format:
You will submit your work in the “Assignment” block on Blackboard, as usual. That is, do not attach a file.
Your completed assignment should follow this format …
Author’s thesis
Your response
Author’s aims
Your response
Author’s conclusions
Your response
Author’s assumptions
Your response
Author’s presentation
Your response
Your opinion
Your response
Parts of this assignment were adapted from “Words to the Whys: Crafting Critical Book Reviews,” The History Teacher, 27.2 (Feb. 1994): 159-66, as posted by S. Zabin at https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/history/resources/study/criticalbookreview/
