Book Review Guidelines
There are many formats for writing a book review, but book reviews for this course should follow a format that includes the following:
1. In the opening paragraph, the student should start by identifying the thesis of the book. Why is the author writing? What is the message he/she is attempting to convey? Why does it matter?
2. The following paragraphs contain a summary of the book. What do its chapters contain? How is the book organized? What historical evidence does the author use to support his/her arguments? This part of the review should not be more than half of the length of the review.
3. The student should then proceed to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the book. Where is the author’s argument compelling? Where does it fall short? What is particularly persuasive? What is missing?
4. In the concluding paragraph(s), the student is required to place the book into the context of the course. How does the book fit with the lectures and discussions0 What does it add to our understanding of the historical topic at hand? How does it compare or relate to the other books we have read?
All reviews should be at least three pages in length, and no more than four!

3.5 pages, in-text citations, no plagiarism. this is for a 200 level course so it doesn’t need to be sounding very educated. just following the instructions will get me an A.