Book Review Assignment -
Dr. Quirk
As part of the course you will read four historical monographs and complete reviews of each one. Your reviews should be a minimum of four pages in length, there is no maximum page length. These should be in a twelve point font, double spaced, and with one inch margins. You do not have to include footnotes. Direct quotations from the books should be documented using parenthetical notation in MLA format. The title of the book, publication information, and the author's name should appear at the top of the first page. A book review should demonstrate that you have read the book and understand it. Any assertions you make should be supported by specific facts from the book. Additional research may improve the quality of your book review. Reviews of the books may be found online and in the Journal of American History and The American Historical Review.
Questions for Book Reviews should answer -
1. What is the publication information for the book? Author? Publisher? Date of Publication? Place of Publication?
2. What is the thesis of the book? Often found in the introduction.
3. What is the scope or outline of the book? What are the key points and major events?
For example: This book discusses the events surrounding the abduction of the John Williams family.
4. What does reading the book add to your knowledge or perspective on the historical subject? For example, this book illustrated the crucial role Ulysses Grant played in the Civil War and the period afterwards.
5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book? For example the strength of this book was using a single incident to make larger points about race in Early America.
Sample Book Review Outline
1. First paragraph contains the thesis of the book.
2. Basic outline of the book two and a half pages.
3. Answer to question #4 above. Four to six paragraphs a page to a page and a half.
4. Conclusion. Restatement of the thesis. Strengths and Weaknesses. Last page.
Book - O pioneers by Willa Cather.
Attachment:- Assignment Files.rar