BOOK REVIEW GUIDELINES - Sam Houston State University



BOOK REVIEW GUIDELINES

• Your reviews will be approximately 500 words in length.

• Please complete the review in Microsoft Word, double-spaced, with a 12-point, Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.

• To receive an “A” on a review, it must contain no grammatical errors, and its content must be sufficiently analytical.

• Bind your work with a staple (don't get "fancy" on me!).

• For each book, you will look up at least two reviews in scholarly journals for your own edification. You should be prepared to relate to the class how scholars appraised the work at hand.

• For each book you read, you will look up some information on the author or authors. Try to see if/how their backgrounds shaped their work. Once more, be prepared to discuss this with the class.

TITLE FORMAT (examples):

Tejano Empire: Life on the South Texas Ranchos. By Andres Tijerina. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1988. Illustrations, preface, introduction, notes, glossary, bibliography, index. $29.95 cloth).

Science on the Texas Frontier: Observations of Dr. Gideon Lincecum. Ed. by Jerry Bryan Lincecum, Edward Hake Phillips, and Peggy A. Redshaw. Foreword by A. C. Green. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1997. Pp. xiv + 211. Illustrations, introduction, five appendices, notes, bibliography, index. $35.00 cloth, $17.95 paper).

Note on where to place your name: The reviewer’s name (that’s you!) should be typed at the end of the review, three spaces below the last line of the review. If you look at the reviews published in the journals you find, you will notice this format.

SUGGESTED BODY FORMAT:

Include a "gripping" or provocative introduction (normally one or two sentences; it might even be a quote from the book you are reading, one that epitomizes yours or the author's thoughts). If your first words are "This book . . . " I will conclude that you did not expend much thought in enlisting my attention. A concise description of the book's purpose, scope, and importance should follow the "baited" opening sentence and complete the first paragraph.

The body of the review should address several areas. What theses, tendency, or bias does the book uphold, suggest, or evince? Do you think historians view this book as important? Why or why not, and, to what extent? Identify the author’s main contentions and discuss them; try to provide evidence and/or examples. You might also voice any objections or summarize the book's shortcomings (do not, however, expect the author to have written the book you had in mind). Some word about the author might also be appropriate, especially if you feel some life experience led her/him to write this book.

The conclusion should strike a balance of the book's merits and faults. The author and work (through you) should have the last word.

Think about the following as you prepare the review: What is the author trying to accomplish? How well or how badly has she/he done this? How does the book provoke debate about Texas? Does it help you better understand the state? What other insights can you offer?

SOME TIPS:

• Do not paraphrase the book—this is a review, not a report.

• Use topic sentences (a topic sentence is one that unifies the paragraph; it does not have to be the lead sentence).

• Cite any quotes by placing the page number in parentheses following the sentence. Example: "In 1836 the Texans were revolting" (23).

• Complete the review in a timely manner; allowing it to "cool off" for a couple of days will enable you to proofread it more effectively.

GRADING:

• A good paper will follow the guidelines and tips

• A perfect paper will receive a perfect grade

• Avoid common mistakes in spelling, syntax, using passive voice, and basic grammar

• Do not write in first person, unless you have some compelling experience that you are relating to the text (in this case, feel free to do so)

• At the same time avoid using “one,” as in this stilted example: “One would expect a book on the Alamo to appeal to the red-blooded American.”

• A wise and accomplished professor once told me: “The difference between an ‘A’ paper and a ‘B’ paper, is that an ‘A’ paper is a ‘B’ paper that is interesting!” In other words, you can produce a flawlessly written paper, but if it is lifeless and boring, then it is not “A” work.

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