Book review

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

 A book review is a reaction paper. It focuses on purpose content and authority in which strengths and weaknesses of the material are analyzed. In a book review you look at what the author tried to do, you evaluate it and then you provide evidence to support that. 

HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW


 •Reading part:

                         -Read actively and critically 
                         -Underline and highlight passages
                         -Write notes in the margins 
                         -Make predictions 
                         -Ask questions 

Once you have finished the reading process you can start the writing process. 


 •Writing part: A book review has four parts: 

 1) INTRODUCTION: In your introduction you should include:

• The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
• Relevant details about who the author is and where he/she stands in the genre or         field of inquiry.
• The context of the book and/or your review.
• The thesis of the book.
• Your thesis about the book.

 2) SUMMARY OF CONTENT: In this part of the book review you write in your own words what the book is about. It restates the main purpose of the author. 

TIPS: Avoid chapter by chapter summary. Avoid excessive quoting from the source. The length of the introduction must be between a quarter and a third of your paper. 

 3) ANALYSIS: This is a detailed evaluation of the thesis presented by the author. Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into paragraphs that deal with single aspects of your argument. In order to write the analysis you need to:

• be able to be objective.
• avoid excessive quotes.
• ask and answer questions of the text. For example:                                                        Who is the audience? Is the author communicating effectively to that audience?            Does the author assume that you as a reader have certain background or information?  Does the author have the necessary expertise to write this book? Is the author an expert in the field? Has the author written other works on the same topic? Does the book relate to other sources on the same topic? Does the author use appropriate terminology? Does the author present a clear thesis? What is the purpose and does the author fulfill that purpose? Does the author contribute anything new  to the field? Is this a fresh perspective? Are there any errors in the author’s logic? 
• Look at the sources that were used. 
• Look for the author’s preconceived notions or presuppositions. 

 4) CONCLUSION: Sum up or restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book. This paragraph needs to balance the book’s strengths and weaknesses in order to unify your evaluation. 

 sources: [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_IWMoKJMRw 

(n.d.). Writing Center of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Books review.