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Book Review

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Paul Jarrell Serna
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60 views

Book Review

Uploaded by

Paul Jarrell Serna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BOOK

REVIEW

Academic Writing
BOOK REVIEW

As a reviewer, you are given the responsibility of


It is both a description and an evaluation bringing together the two strands of accurate,
of a book. It should focus on the book’s analytical reading when you indicate what the book is
purpose, content, and authority. It tells about and strong, personal response when you
not only what a book is all about but also indicate what it might mean to a reader (by explaining
how successful the book is in terms of what it meant to you). In other words, as a reviewer,
delivering its message to the readers. you answer not only the WHAT but the SO WHAT
Book reviews are given by teachers to questions about a book. So, the combination of skills
their students as practice in careful of describing what is on the page, analyzing how the
analytic reading. book tried to achieve its purpose, and expressing your
own reactions, make up an effective book review.
It is obvious then that you cannot review a book without
reading it first, so consider the following book preliminaries:

1. Title. It suggests something.


2. Preface. It gives author's purpose in writing the book and also the
book's success.
3. Table of contents. It gives information on the book's organization,
the book's topics and sub-topics, and other pertinent information
of the book.
READING A BOOK
Before writing a book review, you
need to analytically and critically
read the book first. With that, bear
in mind the following questions:
READING A BOOK
1. What are the author's viewpoint
and purpose? You can easily find it
in the introduction or preface.
2. What are the author's main
points? This can be easily spotted
in the introduction.
3. What kind of evidence does the
author use to prove his or her
points? Is the evidence convincing?
Why or why not? Does the author
support his or her points
adequately?
READING A BOOK
4. How does this book relate to
other books on the same topic?
5. Is the book unique? Does it add
new information? What group of
readers, if any, would find this book
most useful?
6. Does the author have the
necessary expertise to write the
book?
READING A BOOK
7. What are the most appropriate criteria by which
to judge the book? How successful do you think
the author was in carrying out the overall
purposes of the book? This part would really
depend on the author's purpose for you to
judge its success. Take for instance, the purpose
of the author is to argue for a particular
solution to a public problem, such as school
reform or international relations, then the
review should judge whether the author has
defined the problem, identified causes, planned
points of attack, provided necessary
background information and offered specific
solutions. Also, a review should indicate the
author's professional expertise.
Other things to consider before writing a book
review are the following:
1. the general field or genre of the book
2. the authors point of view
3. the author's style and literary device (for
fiction)
4. the definition of concepts
Other things to consider before writing a book
review are the following:
5. the character, plot, and setting and how
they relate to the theme of the book (for
fiction)
6. the book's format - layout, binding,
typography, etc.
7. the back matter (e. g. index, references)
8. the book's accomplishment (compare it
with other authors by using the listing in
the bibliography)
Writing Tips
1. Before you begin writing, make a few notes
about the points you want to get across.
2. While you're writing, try thinking of your
reader as a friend to whom you're telling a
story.
3. Try to mention the name of the author and
the book title in the first paragraph -
there's nothing more frustrating than
reading a review of a great book but not
knowing who wrote it and what the title
is!
Writing Tips
4. If possible, use one paragraph for each
point you want to make about the book.
It's a good way to emphasize the
importance of the point. You might want
to list the main points in your notes
before you begin.
5. Try to get the main theme of the book
across in the beginning of your review.
Your reader should know right away what
he or she is getting into should they
choose to read the book!
Writing Tips
6. Think about whether the book is part of a
genre. Does the book fit into a type like
mystery, adventure, or romance? What
aspects of the genre does it use?
7. What do you like or dislike about the
book's writing style? Is it funny? Does it
give you a sense of the place it's set?
What is the author's/ narrator's "voice"
like?
Writing Tips
8. Try using a few short quotes from the book
to illustrate your points. This is not
absolutely necessary, but it's a good way
to give your reader a sense of the author's
writing style.
9. Make sure your review explains how you
feel about the book and why, not just
what the book is about. A good review
should express the reviewer's opinion and
persuade the reader to share it, to read
the book, or to avoid reading it.
Writing Tips
10. Do research about the author and
incorporate what you learn into the
review. Biographical information can help
you formulate your opinion about the
book, and give your review “depth."
a. To Kill a Mockingbird, which won the Pulitzer Prize, is the only book she's
ever published.
b. The town she called Maycomb is really Monroeville, Alabama. Many of the
residents thought the author had betrayed them by writing the book.
c. Some people think she based the character Dill on Truman Capote, a
famous writer who was her childhood friend.

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