Teachers instructions for the Book Review

A critical book review is a thoughtful discussion of a text’s contents, strengths, and
limitations. A book review should reflect your capacity to read critically and to evaluate
an author’s arguments and evidence. Compose your review as you would any essay,
with an argument supported by evidence, and a clear, logical structure.
Initial Steps

1. Read the book carefully, taking notes on material that you think may be relevant
or quotable and on your impressions of the author’s ideas and arguments.

2. Determine the author’s principal argument, the chief themes of the text, the
kinds of evidence used, and the way in which the author uses them.
Organizing the Review:

1. In no more than two paragraphs, introduce the book. Give your initial appraisal
of the work, including your key observation on the text. This key observation
will be your thesis.

2. Clearly set out the author’s purpose in writing the book, and whether or not
you think the author has succeeded.
Questions to Consider
1. What is the author’s principal argument? What are her/his conclusions?
2. What does the author choose to emphasize?
3. What methods of analysis does the author employ?
4. What sorts of evidence does the author employ?
5. Who is the author? Is he/she qualified to write this work?
6. When was the work written? How relevant is it today?

Evaluation of Content:
1. Is the book convincing in style and substance? Why or why not?
2. Does the author accomplish her/his purpose?
3. Is the author fair to his/her subjects, or is the author overly biased? Is the
book accurate or misleading?
4. Is the book well-organized? Are all parts of the book equally well reasoned
and developed?