Book Review for History 1301
For this class, you are required to write a book review of a non-fiction book dealing with early American History history. You are to pick a topic that interests you. Slavery, the Atlantic World, Syncretism, the Columbian Exchange, the role of Women or many other sub-themes: commerce and trade, race and racial categories, and gender relations. ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW
Writing an Academic Book Review for History 1301
Format need
Your book review has different format rules than your Talking Points. The main difference is that the book review will be 1-3 typed pages in length. However it will be single-spaced with 11pt. font. When you use a direct quote or a summation of pages you will type a lower case p in parenthesis. This may be done within the sentence (p.157) or at the end of a sentence (p.157). Follow the format sample below as regards the title.
Content
A book review does not only tell you what a book is about, but also whether it achieves what it is trying to do. Therefore, a book review is more than a summary of the content (even though this is an important component), but a critical analysis of the book and your reactions to it. ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW
There are many ways in which you can accomplish the above. Consider the following:
While you are reading the book, take notes regarding the following
– What is the author’s main goal in writing this book? (Convince you of his position on a controversy? Explain the background of an event? Raise awareness of a particular issue?)
– What are the author’s main points?
– What kind of evidence does the author provide to make his or her points? How convincing is this evidence?
– Is the book well written? (Easily understandable? Good style?)
– What group of readers would find this book most useful (Lay people? Students? Experts in the area?)
Having completed the above, make sure your book review includes the following components:
1) Introduction (one paragraph)
– Bibliographic information (author, title, date of publication, publisher, number of pages, type of book)
– Brief overview of the theme, purpose and your evaluation
2) Summary of the content (about two to three paragraphs)
– Brief summary of the key points of each chapter or group of specific chapters
– Paraphrase the information, but use a short quote when appropriate
3) Evaluation and conclusion (one to two paragraphs)
– Give your opinion about the book. Is the book easy to read or confusing? Is the book interesting, entertaining, instructive? Does the author support his arguments well? What are the book’s greatest strengths and weaknesses? Who would you recommend the book to?
Obviously, this exercise is more than just stating whether or not you liked or disliked the book. Try to look for ways you can incorporate one or more themes from the course. Or you may chose to focus on one aspects. Try to select an aspect or angle of the book that you found especially interesting. I wish you well on this assignment.
Student Sample:
Book Review
David Cordingly. Under the Black Flag. New York. Random House Trade Paperbacks. 2006.Pp. xxi, 283. $16.00
Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly is an academically sound look at the culture of piracy in the nascent Atlantic World. Continue for at least two more pages. At the end of your review, state your name and your school in the following manner….Show More…