Your book review should be 3-4 pages in length.
Below I have reworded some of the things from the assignment to make them a bit more directly stated. Please do not simply list answers to these questions in your book reviews. Instead, view them as possibilities for reflection.
I am looking for a coherent, organized narrative about the books that comments on the Confucianism the author describes in Japanese culture or the Islam the author describes in Pakistani and American culture, your reaction to it, and what you are taking away from the book into your own life.
I am looking to see that you read the book and are intelligently engaging with the material in it.
For the first review:
What are some specific things described by Reid that demonstrate Confucianism and/or the Confucian ethos during their residency in Japan?
How is Confucianism and/or the Confucian ethos expressed in contemporary Japanese culture?
From the book, provide some evidence/examples of the 5 Confucian Virtues (jen, yi, li, chih and hsin); the 5 Confucian Key Relationships and corresponding 10 Appropriate Attitudes; the Confucian Doctrine of the Mean; Rectification; etc.
What lessons can we can take from the Confucian/Japanese experience that might help our culture improve and/or that might improve ourselves?
What anecdotes from the book struck you in either positive or negative ways? Why? Offer a discussion of education, crime, cultural rites of passage, or interpersonal relationships that you can relate to your major or field of work.
For the second review:
1. How is the theme of a journey expressed in this book and what effect does the journey have on Eteraz's evolving self-understanding,
spiritual maturation, understanding of Islam, etc.?
How does Eteraz's family's experience differ when in Pakistan and when in America?
What are some of the central Islamic ideas that are expressed in Pakistani culture and experienced by the author?
How do Eteraz's experiences in America show him how Islam is perceived in America, and how do those experiences shape his view of Islam?
What lessons can we learn from Eteraz's spiritual journey that can help inform our own?