Book Review Assignment
Section 1
This is the first of five assignments for the Book Review. Each section is detailed within the
Book Review Rubric and each of the five assignments deals with one specific section. You will
want to review your Book Review Rubric before you begin this assignment. In this assignment,
you will deal only with Section 1 which will cover the authentication of the author (why the
author is a reliable source of information on the subject matter). I am expecting at least 3 full
pages of text on this assignment. You can make it more if you wish.
Section 2
This is the second of five assignments for the Book Review. Each section is detailed within the
Book Review Rubric and each of the five assignments deals with one specific section. You will
wan to review your Book Review Rubric before you begin this assignment. In this assignment,
you will deal only with Section 2 which will cover the writing style of the author (the point of
this section is to pay attention to and learn from the authors you read or the speakers you listen
to). Pay attention to how they use the words to paint pictures of the things you see in your
mind. Writing is an artform and you are the artist. the writer directs your attention to the details
of their story by using various things. The writer creates characters that you care about and you
need to learn how to do that. If the point of your paper is not keenly felt, the purpose of your
paper is lost. Remember, you are writing to influence the way people think and your words must
inspire them to action in some form. When you care about a character it is because the writer has
directed you to do so. How did they do that? Really think about what you are reading and how
that writer (artist) is directing your emotions. Use the rubric I supplied to investigate various
elements of writing. This is a learned talent, and you are just starting so do not be
discouraged. Learn. Over time you will get better and better just like in gym class when you
were given exercises that were hard for you to do. Over time those same exercises become
easier. The exercises did not change, you did. In your analysis you may find things your author
did that you did not like. Mention those too. Sometimes our best teachers are those who teach
us what NOT to do. Think about what you like about the writing so you can improve your own
talent. The best teachers are those who do what you want to learn to do. Learn to pick out the
best and learn from them. Someday some person will be doing the same thing to your own
writing, trying to be as good as you! I am expecting at least 3 full pages of text on this
assignment. You can make it more if you wish.
Section 3
This is the third of five assignments for the Book Review. Each section is detailed within the
Book Review Rubric and each of the five assignments deals with one specific section. You will
wan to review your Book Review Rubric before you begin this assignment. In this assignment,
you will deal only with Section 3 which will cover the themes present in the book you are
reading. Every book, every speech, every movie or song is created with at least one message that
the author wants to share with you. I want you to get into the habit of looking for those
messages. Sometimes the message is very subtle and you have to really look but it is there. I
am reminded of an old movie I saw called Avatar, about ten years ago or so. It is the one James
Cameron directed for those of you who might have seen it too. On the surface it was an action
movie about an alien planet and wonderful blue people with tails who rode around on flying
dragons, very exciting. How many of you realize that the message Mr. Cameron was sending
was the story of our own Native American brothers and sisters and their struggle with invaders
who threatened to destroy them and their culture? It is all there my friends and wonderfully
told. In our book there are messages as well and I want you to find FOUR themes that stand out
to you and I want THREE examples of each theme from your book. I do not want a grocery list,
I want a discussion. Talk to me about why you felt each of the themes you pick were important
both to the story and to you. Each of you will pick different themes so don’t bother looking at
someone else’s paper because they are not you. I want you to find the messages that speak to
you. I am expecting about 3 pages here as you flesh out your feelings about these themes. You
can make it more if you wish. The themes can be simple or complex. You might pick love as a
theme, or bravery, or discrimination or something entirely different. You tell me.
Section 4
This is the fourth of five assignments for the Book Review. Each section is detailed within the
Book Review Rubric and each of the five assignments deals with one specific section. You will
wan to review your Book Review Rubric before you begin this assignment. In this assignment,
you will deal only with Section 4 which will take each of the four themes you found in Section 3
and bring them into your own life. I do not want you to imagine being in the concentration camp
with Sarah, I want you to take each theme and remember a real incident in your life when that
theme played out. I do not want to see you tell me that the theme you picked in Section 3 does
not apply to you. If that is the case, pick a different theme for Section 3. If you picked bravery
as a theme in Sarah’s Key, remember a time in your own life when you were brave. Talk about
why you felt you were being brave. Why was that a brave thing for you? The purpose of this
section is to explore that inner you, the inner child that remembers everything. You have a
lifetime of experiences in your emotional library and I want you to learn how to access those
emotions so you can use them in your writing and in your speaking. Think about a time when
you were telling someone about something that happened to you or about someone who was or is
especially important to you. Remember how you felt when you were talking about the person or
the experience. That is what I want you to feel. Every one of you is a game changer and each of
you has the ability to make a big difference in this world. Remember, whether in speaking or in
writing, it is not enough to just inform, you must INSPIRE. I want you to learn how to move
people emotionally so you can achieve the mighty plans in store for you. Make your readers,
your listeners feel the passion of your words so they can understand their importance. This is
what great actors do when they perform in films or on stage and this is what I want you to learn
to do in your life. I want people to look to you as the example by which all others are judged. I
want people to look at you and say “I want to be just like you.” You can be the beacon of light
that reveals the road less traveled. It is your legacy. We do not physically live forever but if we
do it right, our words and our deeds are the things that give us immortality. Remember the line
from that great film “Coco” when they said that as long as you are remembered, you still
live. Of course, you want to be remembered for something good but that goes without
saying. Our purpose in this life is to leave it better than when we arrived. Be the instrument of
change that will make this world better for the thousands that follow you. Whether they
remember you or not is not the point. You will know. I am expecting at least 3 full pages of
text on this assignment. You can make it more if you wish.
Section 5
This is the fifth of five assignments for the Book Review. Each section is detailed within the
Book Review Rubric and each of the five assignments deals with one specific section. You will
wan to review your Book Review Rubric before you begin this assignment. In this assignment,
you will deal only with Section 5 which will discuss how reading this book changed you. I know
you likely learned much about concentration camps and such but my real interest here is in you,
as a person. What did you learn about YOU from reading this book? I want you to get in the
habit of finding yourself in the things you read, the things you see and in the the things you
hear. As you read stories, your mind travels down distant roads you have traveled in your
lifetime. There are experiences you endured and perhaps there were choices you made that you
were either pleased with or perhaps have some regrets. I want you to explore these avenues to
see how this book made you a better person. This is your opportunity to add that final flourish to
the brilliant work you have done on the previous four sections. Remember that as in all things
you do, this is your opportunity to shine, to show the world how wonderful you are.
One final analysis of the historic accuracy is needed before we go. Now that you are done with
the book and you have done your own personal research on the subject, I would like you to
discuss how this book was accurate to the historic timeline and how it was not. This does not
have to be long but it needs to be significant. You can’t just say it was accurate or not, you must
provide support for your statements. Your own research will serve well here as you look at the
events depicted in the book, I want you to discuss the deviations from what really
happened. Additionally, I want you to discuss why those changes were made, if you know (from
listening to the taped interviews with the author) or what you speculate, if you are not sure. As
always, if you do not have exact support for a statement, you must inform your reader that the
comments made are yours and are drawn from educated speculation, not absolute fact. This is
what every historian worth their salt does when defending an idea. Honesty is always the best
policy.
I am expecting at least 3 full pages of text on this assignment. You can make it more if you
wish.
