Book Review Guidelines
Fall 2004
GUIDELINES FOR BOOK REVIEWS Your Book Review (BR) should reflect critical analysis and sociological evaluation. Briefly, a BR should consist of a summary of the ideas and arguments in the book, and a critical evaluation of the latter, the author’s purpose, argument, and/or assumptions. This extra-credit option should also reflect “critical thinking” ability. “Critical thinking” entails a willingness "to ask any question, no matter how difficult; to be open to any answer that is supported by reason and evidence; and to openly confront one's biases and prejudices when they get in the way" (Appelbaum and Chambliss 1995:4). It should also reflect “critical writing” ability: Being able to concisely analyze/explain major themes, ideas or concepts, and to offer critical evaluation and/or (when possible) an alternative or more nuanced interpretation to material content. Also, “critically evaluate,” that is, carefully evaluate the information that you are reading and: 1) Be “critical” of the author (question the author's assumptions or challenge the author's arguments), 2) determine whether or not concepts/material/ and modes of argumentation are convincing and well explained, and 3) determine whether the author’s argument/presentation is logically consistent (i.e., are there any glaring contradictions, inconsistencies, or conflicting views that undermine the author’s purpose, propositions, or intentions?). Keep in mind that extra-credit is extra-credit. None of the course requirements can be substituted with extra-credit. All four requirements must be completed in order to do well in this course AND for extra credit to count. Your BR should be double-spaced, standard sociological journal format (1.25 margins), page numbered, typed, and 6-8 pp. in length. Please ONLY use the last 4 digits of your student ID# to identify your work when submitting your BR. POOR GRAMMAR, SPELLING, REFERENCING, AND SYNTAX WILL COUNT AGAINST YOU! Consider the following sources on reviews: Contemporary Sociology* Sociological Abstracts (Review section) Please find below additional guidelines on How to Write a Book Review for your consideration. I have edited the guidelines for clarity and succinctness. You may want to access the provided URLs for the complete versions of these two sets of guidelines.
How to Write a Book Review
(http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/h634/br.htm) By John Cheng George Mason University (Edited by Jean-Pierre Reed) Your reviews should be analytical and critical, rather than descriptive. This does not mean you shouldn't give any descriptions or that you shouldn't try to give a sense of the book's organization, argument, flavor, or style -- these are important parts of any review. But you should include these descriptions and discussions in the course of advancing an argument or thesis of your own about the book. Questions to consider in writing a book review:
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What is the author's argument? Is the argument presented clearly and concisely, and does it make sense? Is it logically consistent, or do different points the author makes contradict each other? Does the author present sufficient evidence to support his/her argument? Based on your knowledge of the subject matter, do you agree with the substance of the author's argument? (Note: this is different from whether or not they make the argument well).
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Book Review Guidelines
Fall 2004
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What is the author's methodology? What sources, and what kinds of sources, do they use? What kinds of theories or assumptions do they bring to their sources? What sort of [sociological] tradition is the author working within, or reacting to? What sort of [sociological] impact does the author wish make? How successful are they in making it? In what ways do you think they might have done things differently?
Critical Book Review
(http://alpha.furman.edu/academics/dept/sociology/SOC11PKf02.htm) By Paul Kooistra Furman University (Edited by Jean-Pierre Reed) Why Write a Book Review There are a number of things to be gained, aside from a grade of some sort, from writing a critical book report. Consider the following: • • • • • One gains a deeper knowledge about a particular topic covered in class or related to the course. One also can learn how to critically analyze and think about a particular topic and how a writer presents it. One can learn how better to present formally written work. One may learn about (and how to use) valuable resources contained in the library. Finally, what is gained from this exercise can be applied to most of the courses a college student will confront.
General Guidelines Keep in mind that: • • • • • • Your Book Review should be interesting and informative. Your Book Review should be simple and clear -- Do not use technical terms that you do not fully understand. Taking notes as you read the book is a useful strategy – Your notes should be brief; a few words and a page number is usually sufficient. Direct quotes are not needed in a review unless the use of language or the example described is so interesting that it really adds to it. Direct quotes are often a good idea when a definition is being explained (E.g., if a book on child abuse is being reviewed, it would be a very good idea to tell the reader how child abuse is defined by the author). An outline might be helpful in organizing what it is you are writing about.
What to Keep in Mind When Writing the Review: Key Questions • • • • • • How does an author go about constructing an argument? Is the use of language effective and does it clearly and easily communicate ideas to the reader? Do the author's biases distort what he is writing about? What authors the author relies upon for his work and what he says about them? What type of book are you reviewing? Is it an autobiography? Is it narrative history? Is it a sociological study? What methods do the author use to argue his/her point? What data are employed? Is it a content analysis, case study, survey of the population, demographic analysis, experiment or something else?
Specific Guidelines • • A sentence describing the method is often sufficient. Summarize the material covered -- Simply highlight those parts of the book that are important and interesting, and just state in general terms other things covered by the book.
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Book Review Guidelines
Fall 2004
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The purpose of the book should be included in your review. (The purpose may be stated in then book’s introduction or first chapter. It is usually a good thing for you to quote the author on his/here purpose!). Use the author's purpose as a framework and try to show how the author supports his or her argument. Critically Evaluate: o Has the author really succeeded in doing what he/she set out to do? o Did the author present a good argument? o Can you find flaws in the logic used or the way the study was designed? o OFTEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN "A" AND A "B" IS YOUR EVALUATION OF THE BOOK. IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO TRY AND CONNECT WITH TOPICS OR ISSUES FROM THE COURSE OR FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES. Include your personal reaction to the book: Is the book readable? Does it explain too much or not enough? Would you recommend it to others? Form/Style o Any other authors quoted directly or paraphrased must be cited properly and included in a bibliography at the end of the review. o Do not use caption headings (e.g. PURPOSE OF BOOK, METHODS) in writing the review. It makes it awkward. o When citing/referencing the book just use the page #s (e.g., (P. xx).
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