You will be reading a biography of your choice and writing a five paragraph essay.

The book must be a biography of someone related to American history and within the time frame of this class.

The book must be at least 200 pages (not including any end notes or bibliography) and cannot be an autobiography, coffee table book, or fiction of any kind.

The format of the paper MUST be as follows:

The first sentence of the first paragraph must read, "The main idea of the book was..." followed by your ONE WORD explanation.  The main idea is the thesis, the one idea that holds the book together.  It is NOT the same as the purpose of the book.  Be sure you understand the difference. 

The body of the paper must consist of the proof for the main idea.  Give three examples or reasons that the author uses to support their main idea.

The final paragraph must be your critique of the book.  Did you enjoy reading it or not?  Explain your decision.  Beware of generalizations and back up your decision with specifics.

There is a sample paper in the Course Documents section

The paper is worth a total of 100 points and will be submitted in three stages in the Assignments link:

1.  Submit the title and author of the book you chose by the end of the second week of class.

2.  Submit the Main Idea Draft by the end of the sixth week of class.

3.  Submit the final paper by the last day of class.

See the Course Schedule for specific due dates.

Marilyn Monroe: The BiographyBook by Donald Spoto, M.A., Ph.D.

That is the book it will be based on.