The following is a complete description provided by the instructor:
Your assignment is to write a book review of At the Dark End of the Street. There
is no set
length to your review, as you need to make sure that the
areas necessary are addressed,
but in general it should be around 2-5
pages in length. This does not mean that some of
yours might be longer
for you to fully develop these thoughts and ideas. The purpose is to
learn how to think critically and how to critique writers of history.
When writing a book review there are a few things to keep in mind. The
first is, what has this narrative contributed to the history of African
Americans? Here are some general guidelines for writing a book review
from the Purdue Owl. You can access this through the following link
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/book_reviews.html
Before you begin reading the narrative, there are some things that you can
consider:
Who is the author? What other work has the author done? Have they won awards?
What is the genre of this narrative? (It’s a nonfiction historic narrative about African American women’s history.)
How does the title fit the work? How does it apply to the narrative?
What is revealed to you in the prologue about the narrative? How could the table of contents be used within this work?
Does the cover provide any details or missing information?
While you
are reading, I have broken down questions for each part of the
narrative, the following are some general guidelines to consider:
Who are the main characters of the narrative? Why are these the characters that the author chose to write about?
What are the main themes that the author is trying to convey?
How is the author’s argument set up? What is the author’s argument?
What are the main ideas noted throughout the work?
What quotes stand out to you as you are reading?
Recommended Structure:
Start
with a short summary but be careful not to reveal too much which will
make the rest of your review lacking. Essentially you are giving the
basics of the argument but no real details or substance.
Next you will offer a review which will include:
Establish
the background of the narrative. Share details that set the stage for
the characters and the work that is being detailed.
Make sure to fully explore the key players from the narrative.
Make
sure that you are offering your own critique of the work. What things
confused you? Were there areas where you felt that the work was lacking,
and she should have explored deeper? Were there areas in which you felt
like you needed more to understand what the author was saying?
At
the end of the review, you should include publisher information, the
ISBN number (available on Amazon if you are unsure where else to look)
and price.
