Book review: A researcher's view

How to Write a Book Review

Rahul Pratap Singh Kaurav

“is to critically analyze and evaluate the quality, style and merit of a text content”

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Writing a Review

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Make a right choice to write a review

To write a good critical review follow these steps:

• Understand the material

• Know how to analyze

• Evaluate

• Follow a structure 44

Writing a Critical Review

A good book review does not have to be negative; it does have to be

fair and analytical!

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• Title and Introduction

• Bodya. Summary/Description

b. Evaluation/Arguments

• Conclusion

• References

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Book Review - Structure

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1. Title and Introduction• Mention title and Author• Brief overview of the topic of text• Evaluate the importance of topic

Example: Title: Jack Welch, 2001, ‘Jack: Straight from the gut’ Introduction: Jack Welch's memoir, JACK: Straight from the Gut, is part autobiography and part business theory text. Welch covers his fast trip from General Electric employee to General Electric CEO.

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2. Body - Summary• Summary/Description

Summary of key points

Example: Summary: The book is filled to bursting with anecdotes about the men and women who work at GE. Spreading the credit liberally, Welch tells stories of top–flight executives and union production workers with equal gusto, relishing the successes at every level of the vast company and its many divisions.

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2. Body - Evaluation• Evaluation/Arguments

Evaluate strengths and weakness of text

Example: Evaluation: This engaging storytelling keeps the book afloat during extended passages detailing the terms of leveraged buyouts, contract negotiations, or how GE increased its margins in this or that industry. However, it is not necessarily a general interest business book.

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3. Conclusion• Reiterate overall view of text

• State recommendations, if any

Example: Conclusion: If one word could sum up Jack Welch's career at GE it might be "results“. Those readers expecting a lot of new business theory or to learn how to repeat Jack's performance by reading about his secret methodology may be disappointed.

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4. References• List of sources/references used

Example: References: Rob Cline review - ‘Jack: Straight From The Gut’ , 2011 Bradley A. Swope Review, State College, PA USA, 2001

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Key questions to write a review

• What are author’s main points?• What evidence does the author use?• Is the text relevant to the topic?• What is the quality of evidence used by author?• What are strengths and weaknesses of text?• Is the aim of text clearly mentioned?• What are author’s major findings and conclusions?• Is the objective of text obtained?

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Title / Arthur / Illustrator

Characters

Settings and Plots’ Description

Characters I like / dislike ; Impressive parts / scene

Comments / Recommendations

Before You Begin• Remember, there is no right way to write a book

review. Book reviews are highly personal and reflect the opinions of the reviewer.

• A review may be as short as 50-100 words, or as long as 1500 words, depending on the purpose of the review.

• Before writing the review, be sure that you understand what type of review is required for your assignment.

• Keep your audience in mind! This will help define the emphasis you put on various parts of the review.

The Function of a Review

• Your review should do 3 things: – Describe what is on the page, – Analyze how the book tried to achieve its

purpose, – Express your own reactions to the book.

Summary or Review?

• A book review is distinct from a summary in that it demands an analysis of and reaction to content that a summary does not.

• Whereas a summary is a report of what is written, a review both reports on and evaluates a book.

What to Put in A Book Review

• Identify your book.

• Identify the author.

• Identify yourself.

Identifying the Book

• Be sure to give your readers this information:– the author– the full title– the publisher– the place and date of publication– the edition

Identifying the Author

• Where appropriate, identify the author's qualifications, and any other personal information that is relevant to your discussion of the book. This may apply more to non-fiction works.

• If you have read other works by the same author, try to place the book with reference to the author's other writings.

Identifying Yourself

• People’s reactions to and opinions of a book will vary according to what they bring to the book. Let your audience know anything about yourself which may color your experience of the book. This may help your readers to determine how to evaluate your opinions of the material.– For example, “As a recent graduate student and

new teacher, I found the author’s descriptions of classroom interaction to ring true, as the students in the book…”

Ways to Approach the Review

• Outline the contents of the book• Evaluate and make critical comments on the book• Use quotations or references to the new ideas in the

book to illustrate your theme• Compare the book with a similar work by a

contemporary• Point out the author's intentions, including the

audience for which the book is intended• Relate the work to a social or literary trend

Format for book review

Title_________________________________Date_____________________Author________________________________________________________Publisher______________________________________________________Place of publication ___________________ year of publication__________Pages _____________ Price ______________ Acc. no.__________________Subject of the book______________________________________________Summary/Content____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Suggestion____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Overall impression ______________________________________________

Thank

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