A book review is a description,critical analysis ,and an evaluation on the quality,meaning,and significance of a book,not a retelling.It should focus on the book's purpose,content,and authority.A critical book review is not a book report or a summary.It is a reaction paper in which strengths and weaknesses of the material are analyzed.It should include a statement of what the author has tried to do,evaluates how well(in the opinion of the reviewer) the author has succeeded, and presents evidence to support this evaluation.
There is no right way to write a book review.Book reviews are highly personal and reflect the opinions of the reviewer.A review can be as short as 50-100 words, or as long as 1500 words,depending on the purpose of the review.
The following are the standard procedures for writing book reviews;they are suggestions,not formulae that must be used.
1)Write a statement giving essential information about the book: title,author,first copyright date,type of book,general subject matter,special matter,special features(maps,color plates,etc.),price and ISBN.
2)State the author's purpose in writing the book.Sometimes authors state their purpose in the preface or the first chapter.When they do not,you may arrive at understanding of the book's purpose b asking yourself these questions:
a.Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject?
b.From what point of view is the work written?
c.Was the author trying to to give information, to explain something technical.to convince the reader of a belief's validity by dramatizing it in action?
d.What is the general field or genre,and how does the book fit into it?(use outside sources to familiarize).
e.Who is the intended audience?
fWhat is the author's style?Is it formal or informal?Evaluate the quality of the writing style by using some of the following standards:coherence,clarity,clarity,originality,forcefulness,correct use of technical words,conciseness,fullness of development,fluidity.Does it suit the intended audience?
g.Scan The Table of Contents,it can help determine how the book is organized,determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed-chronologically,topically.etc.
h.How did the book effect you?were any previous ideas you had on the subject changed,abandoned,or reinforced due to this book?How is the book related to your own course or personal agenda?What personal experiences you've had relate to subject?
i.How well has the book achieved its goal?
j.Would you recommend this book or article to others?Why?
3)State the theme and thesis of the book.
a.
Theme:The theme is the subject or topic.IT is not the title, and it is usually
not expressed in a complete sentence.It expresses a specific phase of the general subject matter.
b.Thesis:The thesis is an author's generalization about the theme,the author's beliefs,the book's philosophical conclusion, or the proposition the author means to prove,Express it without metaphor or other figurative language,in one declarative sentence.
Example
Title: we had it made
General Subject Matter:Religious Intolerance
Theme:The effects of religious intolerance on a small town.
Thesis:Religious intolerance,a sickness of individuals,contaminates an entire social group.
4.Explain the method of development-the way the author supports the thesis.Illustrates your remarks with specific references and quotations.In general,authors tend to use the following methods,exclusively or in combination.
a.Description:The author presents word-pictures of scenes and events by giving specific details that appeal to the reader's imagination.Description presents background and setting.Its primary purpose is to help the reader realize,through as many sensuous details as possible,the way things (and people)are,in the episodes being described.
b.Narration:The author tells the story of a series of events,usually present in chronological order.In a novel however,chronological order may be violated for the sake of the plot.The emphasis is narration,in both fiction and non-fiction,is on the events.Narration tells what happened.Its primary purpose is to tell a story.
c.Exposition:The author uses explanation and analysis to present a subject or to clarify an idea.Exposition presents the facts about a subject or an issue as clearly and impartially as possible.Its primary purpose is to explain
d.Argument:The author uses the techniques of persuasion to establish the truth of a statement or to convince the reader of its falsity.The purpose is to persuade the reader to believe something and perhaps to act on that belief.Argument takes sides on a issue.Its primary purpose is to convince.
5.Evaluate the book for interest,accuracy,objectivity,importance,thoroughness, and usefulness to its intended audience.Show whether the author's main arguments are true.
-Respond to the author's opinions.What do u agree or disagree with?And why?
-Illustrate whether or not any conclusions drawn are derived logically from the evidence.
-Explore issues the book raises.What possibilities does the book suggest?What has the author omitted or what problems were left unsolved?What specific points are not convincing?
-Compare it with other books on similar subjects or other books by the same as well as different authors.
-Is it only a reworking of a previous books:a reflection of previous positions?
-Have newly uncovered sources justified a new approach by the author?
-Comments on the parts of particular interest, and point out anything that seems to give the book literary merit.
-Relate the book to larger issues.
6.Try to find out information about the author-reputation,qualifications,influences,etc..-any information that is relevant to the book being reviewed and that would establish the author's authority.Can you discern any connections between the author's philosophy,life experience and reviewed book?
7.If relevant,make a note of the book's format-layout,binding.typography,etc.Are there maps,illustrations?Do they aid understanding?
8.Check the back matter.is the index accurate?check any end notes or footnotes as you read from chapter to chapter.
-Do they provide important additional information?
-Do they clarify or extend the points made in the body of the text?
-Check any bibliography the author may provide.What kinds of sources,primary or secondary,appear in the bibliography?
-How does the author make use of them?Make note of important omissions.
9.Summarize(briefly),analyze,and comment on the books content.State your general conclusions.
-Pay particular attention to the author's concluding chapter.
-Is the summary convincing?List the principal topics,and briefly summarize the author's ideas about these topics,main points, and conclusions.
-Use specific references and quotations to support your statements.
-If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally.It cam include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis.DO not introduce new material at this point.
Some considerations when Reviewing some specific genres:
Fiction(above all, do not give away the story)
Character
1.From what sources the characters are drawn?
2.What is the author's attitude toward his characters?
3.Are the characters flat or three-dimensional?
4.Does character development occur?
5.Is the character delineation direct or indirect?
Theme
1.What is/are the major theme(s)?
2.How are they revealed and developed?
3.Is the theme traditional and familiar,or new and original?
4.Is the theme didactic,psychological,social,entertaining,etc. in purpose or intent?
Plot
1.How are various elements of the plot of plot(eg,introduction,suspense,climax,conclusion) handled?
2.What is the relationship of plot character delineation?
3.To what extent,and how,is accident employed as a complicating and/or resolving force?
4.what wre the elements of mystery and suspense?
5.What other devices of plot complication and resolution are employed?
6.Is there a sub-plot and how is it related to the main plot?
7.Is the plot primary or secondary to some of the other essential elements of the story(character,setting,style,etc.)?
Style
1.What are the "intellectual qualities" of the writing(e.g.,simplicity,clarity)?
2.What are the "emotional qualities" of the writing(e.g., humor,wit,satire)?
3.What are the "aesthetic qualities" of the writing(e.g., harmony,rhythm)?
4.What stylistic devices are employed(e.g., symbolism,motifs,parody,allegory)?
5.Hoe effective is the dialogue?
Setting
1.What is the setting and does it play a significant role in the work?
2.Is a sense of atmosphere evoked, and how?
3.What scenic effects are used and how important and effective are they?
4.Does the setting influence or impinge on the characters and the plot?
Biography
1. Does the book have a "full-length" picture of the subject?
2. What phrase of the subject's life receive the greatest treatment is its treatment justified?
3. What is the point of view of the author?
4. How is the subject matter organized : chronologically,retrospectively,etc.?
5. Is the treatment superficial or does the author show extensive study into the subject's life?
6. What source materials were used in the preparation of the biography?
7. Is the work documented?
8. Does the author attempt to get at the subject's hidden motives?
9. What important new facts about the subject's life are revealed in the book?
10. What is the relationship of the subject's life to contemporary history?
11. How does the biography compare with others about the same person?
12. How does it compare with the other works of the same author?
History and other notification
1. With what particular subject or period does the book deal?
2. How thorough is the treatment?
3. What were the sources used?
4. Is the account given in broad outline or detail?
5. Is the style that of reportorial writing, or is there an effort at interpretive writing?
6. What is the point of view or thesis of the author?
7. Is the treatment superficial or profound?
8. For what group is the book intended(textbook,popular,scholarly,etc.)?
9. What part does biographical part play in the book?
10. Is the political history or social history emphasized?
11. Are the dates extensively, and if so, are they used intelligently?
12. Is the book a revision?How does it compare with earlier editions?
13. Are maps.illustrations,charts,etc. used and how are these to be evaluated?
Poetry
1. Is this a work of power,originality,individuality?
2. What kind of poetry is under review(epic,lyrical,elegiac,etc.)?
3. What poetical devices have been used(rhyme,rhyme,figures of speech,imagery,etc.), and to what effect?
4. What is the central concern of the poem and is it effectively expressed?
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