How to Write a Book Review
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
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 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 an understanding of the book’s purpose
by asking yourself these questions:
1. Why did the author write on this subject
rather than on some other subject?
2. From what point of view is the work written?
3. Was the author trying to give information, to
explain something technical, to convince the reader of a belief’s validity by
dramatizing it in action?
4. What is the general field or genre, and how
does the book fit into it? (Use outside sources to familiarize yourself with
the field, if necessary.) Knowledge of the genre means understanding the art form.
and how it functions.
5. Who is the intended audience?
6. What 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, originality, forcefulness, correct use
of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, fluidity. Does it
suit the intended audience?
7. Scan the Table of Contents, it can help
understand how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author’s
main ideas and how they are developed – chronologically, topically, etc.
8. How did the book affect 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 the subject?
9. How well has the book achieved its goal?
10. Would you recommend this book or article to
others? Why?
3. State the theme and the thesis of the book.
1. Theme: The theme is the subject or topic. It
is not necessarily the title, and it is usually not expressed in a complete
sentence. It expresses a specific phase of the general subject matter.
2. Thesis: The thesis is an author’s
generalization about the theme, the author’s beliefs about something important,
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. Illustrate your remarks with specific references
and quotations. In general, authors tend to use the following methods,
exclusively or in combination.
1. Description: The author presents word-pictures
of scenes and events by giving specific details that appeal to the five senses,
or 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.
2. Narration: The author tells the story of a
series of events, usually presented in chronological order. In a novel however,
chronological order may be violated for the sake of the plot. The emphasis in
narration, in both fiction and non-fiction, is on the events. Narration tells
what has happened. Its primary purpose is to tell a story.
3. 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.
4. 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 an 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
you 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 earlier books; a refutation of
previous positions? Have newly uncovered sources justified a new approach by
the author? Comment on 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 further information about the
author – reputation, qualifications, influences, biographical, etc. – any
information that is relevant to the book being reviewed and that would help to
establish the author’s authority. Can you discern any connections between the
author’s philosophy, life experience and the reviewed book?
7. If relevant, make 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 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 book’s 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 can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do
not introduce new material at this point.
FORMAT OF A BOOK REVIEW
Date:_________
Title of the Book: ………………………………………….
Author of the Book: …………………………………………
Name of the Publisher: …………………………………………
Place of Publication: …………………………………………
Year of Publication: ………………………………………..
Accession Number: ………………………………………
No. of pages: …………………………………………
Price : ……………………………………….
Summary of the Book:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overall Impression-
Theme/ Idea /Moral of the book/story -________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did you like the book? (Yes/No) Why?__________________________________________________
Which characters you liked most?
Why?__________________________________________________
Questions
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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