Instances of Book Review Writing Format

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John Doe

Mr. Logan

AP Lang/Period 3

17 September 2010

                                Sample Book Review: Nonfiction

1.     Madden, Kerry. Harper Lee: A Twentieth-Century Life. New York: Viking, 2009.

2.     This biography chronologically reports on the life of Nelle Harper Lee from her

childhood during the Great Depression to the present. For the most part, the book succinctly

addresses key events and figures in Lee's life with some topics described in more details than

others. Childhood friends (like Truman Capote), family members, and other influential people

are discussed with mentions of their possible connections to characters in To Kill A

Mockingbird. The author covers Lee's education including her years at Huntingdon, the

University of Alabama, and her brief studies overseas in England thanks to the exchange

program at the university. She ultimately decided to drop out of school before attaining a law

degree after her experience in England made her fully realize her love of literature and desire to

write (which seems to have started at childhood when she wrote stories on a typewriter with

Truman and acted them out). This leads the book through the Harper Lee's life as a writer in New

York, from her humble beginnings working in an airline by day and writing by night to the

uproar of praise and fame she reluctantly received after the publication of To Kill A

Mockingbird. During this period, the biography makes mentions of how she would often travel

back and forth, to and from Monroeville, Alabama and New York City, New York for various

reasons often pertaining to issues in her family such as illness and death. Despite her desire to be

the Jane Austen of Alabama, Lee withdrew from the public eye and has not written a book since,
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perhaps in recoil of the unexpected popularity of her novel and her distaste of the resulting fame

and publicity. The last chapter ends the book recounting some experiences of those that have

seen her in recent years and some recent appearances, and also brings forth a rumor about the

posthumous publication of another book said to be authored by her.



3.     Author of one of the most widely read books, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nelle Harper Lee 's

life remains elusive to many readers. Lee is one of a rare breed of people who disdain the

limelight and actually keeps their private lives private. Lee has refused every request for an

interview regarding her work since 1964, including that of Kerry Madden. In her biography of

Harper Lee, Harper Lee: a twentieth-century life, Madden seeks to provide the reader with a

greater understanding of this beloved author and present her story to those interested. In

particular, this book is aimed toward young adults (this is part of a series of biographies from the

publisher for young adults) and is reflected as such by the style used by Madden.

       One of the few rhetorical strategies noticeably used by the author of this biography is that

of juxtaposition. Throughout the book there are instances where the lives of Harper Lee and her

childhood friend Truman Capote are set in comparison and contrast. For example, during Truman

and Nelle's investigation for In Cold Blood, Madden writes of how people were suspicious and

distrustful of Truman because of his “odd attire” and how he “appeared flamboyant”(113-114)

while Nelle “was like the girl next door, with her sense of humor and easy ways” and “made

people feel comfortable in her presence” (115). This shows a clear contrast between the

character of the two of them. Furthermore, this can also be seen in Truman's obsession with fame

and attention and Nelle's aversion to them, Truman is believed to have even been jealous of her

achievements like the Pulitzer Prize. Whether it was Madden's intention to juxtapose Nelle and
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Truman or if it was only an inevitable result of the two's close ties and differing personalities,

the book contained many instances emphasizing traits of Nelle through comparison to Truman.

       Madden has been fairly successful in achieving her purpose of providing those interested

with information on Harper Lee. The biography is informative yet concise in its style, making it

easily accessible to its audience of young adults. The contents of this book cover her life with

sufficient detail, with chapters describing her relationships, personality, education, career,

success, and other substantial aspects of Nelle. Those who were completely ignorant of Lee's life

will gain a good deal of insights after reading this book.

4.     Reading this book was like a review of aspects in Harper Lee's life that I had already

learned reading a different book. The biography maybe a helpful tool in order to look for

information in the research essay since it is fairly concise, but I did not enjoy reading this book

as much as I did reading Mockingbird, by Charles Shields. The latter went into much greater

detail on Lee's life and characterized her a lot better and I think I connected more personally to

Harper Lee in that book. It was sort of boring for me reading the same things all over again; the

information was interesting the first time I learned about it, but not so much the second time.

There may have been a few tidbits that I do not remember hearing before, but that did not really

make the experience all worthwhile. I remember reading about the development of The Reverend

(the book rumored to be published posthumously according to this biography), however the

information given by this book differs from what I recall hearing about it. I could have sworn

that I read that she started researching a murder case like she did for In Cold Blood but gave up

writing on it, however I am not completely sure if I am remembering this correctly.