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A book review is an evaluation of an author's work. It
attempts to explain the author's main and supporting
arguments and judge how well the author accomplished what he
or she set out to do.
It may also be helpful to imagine
yourself as a history professor and comment on whether or
not you would recommend this book as required reading for
your class - always explaining "Why?".
I encourage you to include a few direct
quotations from the book you are reviewing, demonstrate that
you have thought reflectively about the author's
work, and refer to the author directly (by last name).
Remember to evaluate the author's work.
Do not summarize what he or she has written and do not make
the mistake of evaluating the author's subject, rather than
her or his work.
Sample Book Reviews
PDF files - acquire the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader if necessary.
MacKay, Donald.
Flight from Famine: The Coming of the Irish to Canada.
Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1992.
Reviewed by F. L. Foster, Ph.D. |
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Thomas H. McLeod and Ian McLeod, Tommy Douglas: The
Road to
Jerusalem,
Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1987.
Reviewed by John
McLeod |
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To view Dr. Foster's Marking Sheet for Book
Reviews -
click here
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| The most
effective review will place the work within a broader
context, explaining what important issues are worth the
attention of scholars.
Reviews
should go beyond description to evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of the work, paying attention to the use of
sources, methodology, organization, and presentation.
Evaluation should consider the work's stated purpose.
Whether
the evaluation of a work is favorable or unfavorable,
reviewers should express criticism in courteous, temperate,
and constructive terms. Reviewers are responsible for
presenting a fair and balanced review and for treating
authors with respect.
from
H-Net
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