Your book review should be approximately 1,000 words, roughly 4 double-spaced pages in length.
The format and citations should follow the Chicago Manual of Style. The following link contains instructions on how to properly cite your sources. Focus on the examples in the “Books” and “Periodicals” tabs on the left-hand side. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.htmlLinks to an external site.
You may choose any book written by a historian that covers your chosen topic from the last half-century. Remember that for your final assignment you will be reviewing at least one more recent book (published since 2000).
The point of a scholarly book review is to assess the historical merit of the book and to evaluate the author’s purpose, thesis, contentions, and methods of analysis.
Here’s how the historian Jacques Barzun discussed the importance of the beginning of a book review:
The beginning should be like click bait in academic form. Find something interesting or provocative about the book in question and communicate it to the reader. Follow that with the briefest possible description of the book’s aim, scope, and place in the historiography. Is it a traditional history? Is it revisionist history? Is it political, social, cultural, economic, or a mix of these categories? Does the author take a micro- or macro approach to the subject. Who is the author? Introduce the author somewhere in the introduction. See the examples posted of book reviews on Canvas.
Among the features you will want to include in a strong review are:
A discussion of the author’s main assertions.
An analysis of the sources the historian utilized, and some of the methods the author chose to assess those sources.
Your opinion of the merits of the historical arguments offered in the book
Finally, you will want to make references to a few noteworthy portions of the book to highlight the author’s general and specific arguments. Aim for a middle ground here. Don’t include too many specific details or longish quotes, but do include noteworthy events, descriptions, episodes, etc. Remember that you have limited space.Your book review should be approximately 1,000 words, roughly 4 double-spaced pages in length.
The format and citations should follow the Chicago Manual of Style. The following link contains instructions on how to properly cite your sources. Focus on the examples in the “Books” and “Periodicals” tabs on the left-hand side. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.htmlLinks to an external site.
You may choose any book written by a historian that covers your chosen topic from the last half-century. Remember that for your final assignment you will be reviewing at least one more recent book (published since 2000).
The point of a scholarly book review is to assess the historical merit of the book and to evaluate the author’s purpose, thesis, contentions, and methods of analysis.
Here’s how the historian Jacques Barzun discussed the importance of the beginning of a book review:
The beginning should be like click bait in academic form. Find something interesting or provocative about the book in question and communicate it to the reader. Follow that with the briefest possible description of the book’s aim, scope, and place in the historiography. Is it a traditional history? Is it revisionist history? Is it political, social, cultural, economic, or a mix of these categories? Does the author take a micro- or macro approach to the subject. Who is the author? Introduce the author somewhere in the introduction. See the examples posted of book reviews on Canvas.
Among the features you will want to include in a strong review are:
A discussion of the author’s main assertions.
An analysis of the sources the historian utilized, and some of the methods the author chose to assess those sources.
Your opinion of the merits of the historical arguments offered in the book
Finally, you will want to make references to a few noteworthy portions of the book to highlight the author’s general and specific arguments. Aim for a middle ground here. Don’t include too many specific details or longish quotes, but do include noteworthy events, descriptions, episodes, etc. Remember that you have limited space.