Essay Review of a Book on Michigan History

Our course is a survey of the grand sweep of Michigan history, as presented in a textbook. In order to give you the opportunity to learn more about a particular aspect of the state's history, I want you to read a book on the history of Michigan to be selected from the books listed in the Michigan History Bibliography (see Blackboard/Course Information/Bibliography of Michigan History), selecting from a category that most interests you. I suggest that you take the list with you to the library and leaf through potential books before you make your selection. I want you to enjoy reading this book!

For this assignment, you will write a 5-7-page paper that critically analyzes and reflects on the subject matter of the book. Note that this assignment is not a book review but rather asks for you to write an essay review of the chosen book. In addition to the particular information included in the work, you should think about how the author put the work together-the sources he or she used, the particular approach taken, whether it is intellectual, social, or cultural history, etc. That is, I want you to explore the kind of process that historians engage in.

Body of the paper:

In fashioning the essay review, be sure to follow the format listed below (although you may find that the questions you ask of your book are different from these general ones!):

1. Identify the thesis of the book.

a. Why is the author writing?

b. What is the message he/she is attempting to convey?

c. Why does it matter, that is, what is the significance of the topic?

2. Summarize the book.

a. How is it organized?

b. What is the focus of its chapters?

c. What kinds of historical evidence does the author use to support his/her argument (that is, archival records, oral histories, secondary sources, etc.)?

3. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the book.

a. In what way is the author's argument compelling?

b. What aspect is particularly persuasive?

c. Where does it fall short?

d. Is anything missing?

4. Place the book in the context of the course.

a. How does the book fit in with the material we have covered in the textbook, our lectures, and discussions?

b. What does it add to your understanding of the historical topic it addresses that is different from the textbook?

c. How does it compare to the coverage of the particular topic (if any) given in our textbook?