Directions:
1. Choose a book Note: You will need to have a copy of the book in order to complete this assignment. Any book will do, as long as it's in front of you and you've read it. Ideally, it will be a book that you loved and that has had some impact on your life. However, you may wish to choose a book that you really hated, or thought was a failure in some way. You might also choose a book that didn't change your life in any earthshaking way, but that you found mildly amusing, useful or interesting. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
A favorite book from childhood (picture book or chapter book).
A non-fiction book about a subject that you know something about.
A book of poetry
A how-to or self-help book
A cookbook
A biography
A play
A book of short stories
A novel from a particular genre: mystery, fantasy, history, sci-fi, crime drama, horror, romance, etc.
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2. Read the following resources:
Indiana University at Bloomington
St. Cloud State University
Memorial University Libraries
Queen's University Library
3. Brainstorm ideas
Questions to consider: What type of book is it? What purpose does it seem to have? For whom was it written? What do you think the author wanted to accomplish with the book? What effect did the writer want to have on the intended audience? How well does the intended effect match the actual effect of the book? How successful was the author in meeting his or her goal? What are the book's main strengths and weaknesses? How does this book fit in with other works the author may have written? How does this book stand up to other books like it?
4. Organize ideas
Here is the typical organization of a book review. This organization is a tried-and-true method of writing a review, but you can feel free to deviate from the formula if you feel so moved.
| Intro: Identify the author, the title and the genre to which it belongs. Summarize the contents of the book. Give your overall impression of the book and a brief look at the factors that influenced your impression. |
| Body: One by one, go through the factors identified in the intro, and explain how that element contributed to your overall impression of the book. |
Conclusion: Summarize your reaction to the book, and end by making a declaration of whether or not you think the book is worthwhile, or whether you would recommend it (and if so, to whom).
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Tips
- You may want to do a little research about the book, to see what others have said about it. Often you can find good professional reviews at amazon.com. (Note: beware the examples of reviews written by ordinary consumers. While some of them are wonderful, as a whole they don't represent the requirements for an academic paper.)
- Avoid too much summary. You will need to summarize the overall content of the book, and perhaps summarize some of the key points in your evaluation. However, too much summary will simply bog down your evaluation without providing the reader with any insights about your book.
- Avoid inserting too many quotes. A few quotes are necessary, but too many will clog up your essay. Your review should be mostly your own ideas, with a quote or two thrown in occasionally to illustrate a particularly important or relevant point.
6. Revise draft/Submit.
7. Complete the self evaluation for this essay.
8 Relax in the sun with your favorite beverage.
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