Book: Lincoln and the Irish Author: Niall O’Dowd
A book review consists of 5
main parts:
1. A brief overview of what the book is about.
2. A description of the author’s main thesis.
3. An analysis of the author’s arguments and evidence
in support of the main thesis.
4. A brief examination of the author’s background and
possible bias.
5. A discussion of the book’s viability (whether you
agree or disagree with the author’s
thesis and conclusions).
When preparing a book
review, it helps to imagine that the person you are talking to (the
instructor or anyone else who is reading your review)
knows absolutely nothing about the
book or its ideas. Therefore, the only information
that the reader will know about the book
is what you tell them.
1. Your first paragraph
should immediately describe what the book is about and the
topics it covers. Remember that the reader has no idea
what is in the book, so you
have to tell them. What is it about? Who is it about?
What time period does it
cover? What audience is the author trying to
reach—students, academics, anyone?
2. The next paragraph should identify the main thesis
and arguments the author makes
in the book. Why is the author writing the book? What
is the author trying to
prove?
3. The next 3 to 4 paragraphs should discuss the
author’s arguments and the evidence
used to support those arguments. What evidence does
the author use to support
his/her arguments? Are there problems with the
evidence? Do you agree or disagree
with the evidence? You should also briefly talk about
how the book was written and
organized and whether this aided in the author’s
arguments or made the ideas hard
to understand. Did the author write the book a certain
way for a reason? Did the way
the book was written effect the author’s arguments?
4. The author’s background, perspective, and possible
bias etc., can all affect the
conclusions, thesis, and evidence. You should briefly
describe the author’s education,
perspective, and motivation for writing the book, and
whether or not this effects the
book’s outcome or usefulness.
5. In the final one or two paragraphs you should tell
me if you liked the book (why or
why not), and, more importantly, if the author
persuaded you of his/her thesis and
conclusions. This is your opportunity to critique the
book. Do not be afraid to
criticize the author if you feel criticism is
necessary. But you must explain your
criticism or lack thereof. Did you enjoy the book? Do
you buy-in to what the author
is saying? Did the author convince you of what they
were saying? Why or Why not?
MOST IMPORTANT: DO NOT
just write a summary of the book!
Citations
and Format of a Book Review
In a
book review, you do not normally quote from any other source outside of the
book you
are
reviewing. Thus, there is no need to cite the name of the book every time you
quote
from it
as it is assumed that you are quoting only from the book you are reviewing. In
order
to
discuss the ideas, arguments, and evidence in the book you will need to quote
from it,
and cite
your quotes. Do not quote from any other source except the book you are
reviewing
(unless otherwise told by your instructor).
There is
no need for MLA or Chicago style citations in your book review. Simply follow
the
end of a
quotation with the page number in parenthesis after the quotation marks and
before
the period.
Example:
“Nor has a fear of power in the hands of women disappeared along with witch
trials”
(170).
The
biographical information of the book should appear only once at the top of your
first
page—NO
title page—with your name beneath it. For an exact example, see below.
Henderson,
Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States. Hill
and
Wang,
2007.
Book
Review by _______________
Font
should be 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced, with 1-inch
margins.
