Virginia History

Book Review Instructions

The student will review 1 scholarly book of his/her choice from the Book Review Approved Book List. Failure to use a book from this list will result in an automatic 50% grade reduction. All books will be available in e-format through the Jerry Falwell Library. 

The Book Review must be 3-4 pages and focus on the author’s argument in support of his or her thesis. 

Use parenthetical citations when citing material from the book. Due to the succinct nature of book reviews, footnotes are not used. Instead, you need to include just the page number (no other citation information) in parentheses for both your direct quotes and paraphrases of the author’s arguments. Also, instead of a bibliography at the end, the book information comes at the very beginning (top of page 1), and includes the number of pages in the book at the end of it. 

Here are some additional tips and suggestions.

1. Above      all, what is the author’s thesis? What is he or she trying to prove? In      other words, what is holding the book together?


2. Identify      the key arguments used to support the thesis. The student cannot describe      all of them in minute detail, but he/she must provide an overview of all      of them.


3. Always      thoroughly read the introduction and conclusion. Often, the author will      describe the thesis in the introduction and emphasize how it was proven in      the conclusion. Determine what the author considers to be the key chapters      offering support for the thesis. Thoroughly read those as well if time      allows. There is an “art” to skimming chapters that the student must      develop.


4. Do      not get bogged down in the minutia of details. Facts matter, especially      when the student relies upon evidence from books and articles to support his/her      own research agenda. In other words, the student will use historians'      arguments and the distinct facts and evidence to support the thesis      statements of his/her own research papers in future classes. But, those      facts and minor details are not part of a Book Review. Focus on the larger      themes.


5. Be      sure to tell the story or stories that make the book a work of history.      Retelling good stories we learn from other historians is an important part      of what we do.

Format:

[NO title page]

Top: Bibliographic citation format for a book review. Be certain to use title case, not all caps, and italicize the title. For example:

Religion and Resistance in Appalachia: Faith and the Fight against Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining. By Joseph D. Witt. (Lexington: The University of Kentucky Press, 2016. Pp. 284.)

Section 1: (1 paragraph)

At the start, provide a succinct statement of what the book is about. Mention the author’s full name and the full title and publisher of the book. Then, explain the author’s thesis.

Section 2: (1-2 paragraphs)

Explain the main arguments the author uses to support the thesis. Examine how the author lays out the main arguments. Do not provide a synopsis of the book, where the student walks through the book chapter by chapter. That is not the point of a Book Review. 

Section 3: (2-4 paragraphs)

Evaluate the effectiveness of the arguments and the evidence used. Always provide both positive and critical comments, and encourage ways the argument could be improved or otherwise sharpened.

Section 4: (1 paragraph)

The student’s concluding paragraph must very briefly restate the importance of the book to the study of the topic, the student’s general assessment of its conclusions, and the effectiveness with which the author defended the thesis.

[NO Bibliography]

Review the Book Review Grading Rubric before submitting, to be sure your submission fulfills all the assignment requirements. The paper must be submitted in 12 pt font and be double spaced.