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History of the American West Book
Review Assignment – Spring 2007
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This is just a short list of the things I will be looking for in your
book review papers. If you have specific questions about how to structure your
paper, please see me. Also remember that you can get help at the
Paper Guidelines: a five page typed paper, double-spaced with
one-inch margins all around. Please do not include a title page or any
type of a cover; they just get in the way.
On the top left corner of your paper list the following: your name, the
course name, the author’s name, and the title of the book. Please
staple the pages together.
Content: You must address three areas in your paper.
1. A basic description or synopsis of the book – generally
speaking, what was it about? This is pretty straightforward, but do not
let this become the bulk of your paper. This is not a book report – it is
a book review. Getting caught up in this section can really hurt the rest
of your paper. If your whole paper is a
description of the book, you are not doing the assignment and will be graded
accordingly. A general guide is to limit this section of the paper to no
more than two pages.
2. Critically and analytically evaluate the author and their
work. Authors write books because they are interested in a topic and want
you to understand their point of view or the conclusions they draw about the
event, person, period, etc. You can usually find out what it is they are
up to by closely reading the introduction and/or conclusion of the book.
In this section you need to be able to identify their argument(s) or point of
view. What major points did they make in the book? Do you agree
with the author’s point of view or the conclusions they draw regarding
the topic? In what way do you disagree with the author? If you are
reading a play or a historical fiction book, the author is still trying to
convince you of something…a major or recurring theme, the moral of the
story, etc. Comment on these in a similar fashion. This section
should be at least two pages long.
3. Explain your opinion of the book and the subject discussed in
it. In this section, spend a bit of time assessing the topic. What
do you think about the topic discussed? What is your point of view?
Has this book changed your opinion regarding its topic? Did you enjoy the
book? The use of phrase like: “this was a good book…I liked
it…it was well written, had good ideas, and was interesting…or it
was boring…the author used big words…the chapters were too
long” tell me nothing! Tell me specifically WHAT you liked or
disliked, and WHY you liked or disliked it! This section should be at
least a page and a half long.
At some point you will be asked, at work or in other classes, to express your opinions in a clear and concise manner in writing. Your papers should make sense, be cogent, logical, and concise. Consistently bad spelling and poor grammar are signs of too little attention being paid to the paper itself and your grade will reflect this inattention. Please take the time to proofread your papers; your grade will depend on how well you communicate your ideas. A better approach would be to have someone else do it for you. Any draft submitted to me must be submitted at least one week before the paper is due. Once again, if you have any questions, please come and see me. Plagiarism, especially from the Internet, will be dealt with according to College guidelines.