Writing A BOOK REVIEW

Book Reviews: How to Write Book Reviews
A book review is both a description and an evaluation of a book. It should focus on the
book's purpose, contents, and authority.
Scan the Book's Preliminaries
Before beginning to read, consider the following:
1. Title - What does it suggest?

2. Preface - Provides important information on the author's purpose in writing the
book and will help you to determine the success of the work.
3. Table of Contents - Tells you how the book is organized and will aid in
determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed -
chronologically, topically, etc.
HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW
 Before you begin writing, make a few notes about the points you want to get across.
 While you're writing, try thinking of your reader as a friend to whom you're telling a
story.
 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!
 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.
 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!
 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? If it is a book
of NON-FICTION, say how the chapters are divided up. Is the order of the chapters
chronological? Are they divided into different topics? Does the author use quotes or
anecdotes to illustrate his points?
 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?
 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.
 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.
 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
gives your review a "depth." Remember, a book doesn't come directly from a printing
press, it's a product of an author's mind, and therefore it may be helpful to know
something about the author and how she or he came to write the book.
a. Theme: The theme is the subject or topic. It is not necessarily the title, and it is
usually not expressed in a complete sentence. It expresses a specific phase of the
general subject matter.
b. Thesis: The thesis is an author’s generalization about the theme, the author’s beliefs
about something important, the book’s philosophical conclusion, or the proposition the
author means to prove. Express it without metaphor or other figurative language, in one
declarative sentence.
Example
Title: We Had it Made
General Subject Matter: Religious Intolerance
Theme: The effects of religious intolerance on a small town
Thesis: Religious intolerance, a sickness of individuals, contaminates an entire social
group
4. Explain the method of development-the way the author supports the thesis. Illustrate
your remarks with specific references and quotations. In general, authors tend to use the
following methods, exclusively or in combination.
a. Description: The author presents word-pictures of scenes and events by giving
specific details that appeal to the five senses, or to the reader’s imagination. Description
presents background and setting. Its primary purpose is to help the reader realize,
through as many sensuous details as possible, the way things (and people) are, in the
episodes being described.
b. Narration: The author tells the story of a series of events, usually presented in
chronological order. In a novel however, chronological order may be violated for the
sake of the plot. The emphasis in narration, in both fiction and non-fiction, is on the
events. Narration tells what has happened. Its primary purpose is to tell a story.
c. Exposition: The author uses explanation and analysis to present a subject or to clarify
an idea. Exposition presents the facts about a subject or an issue as clearly and
impartially as possible. Its primary purpose is to explain.
d. Argument: The author uses the techniques of persuasion to establish the truth of a
statement or to convince the reader of its falsity. The purpose is to persuade the reader
to believe something and perhaps to act on that belief. Argument takes sides on an issue.
Its primary purpose is to convince.
5. Evaluate the book for interest, accuracy, objectivity, importance, thoroughness, and
usefulness to its intended audience. Show whether the author's main arguments are true.
Respond to the author's opinions. What do you agree or disagree with? And why?
Illustrate whether or not any conclusions drawn are derived logically from the evidence.
Explore issues the book raises. What possibilities does the book suggest? What has the
author omitted or what problems were left unsolved? What specific points are not
convincing? Compare it with other books on similar subjects or other books by the same
as well as different authors. Comment on parts of particular interest, and point out
anything that seems to give the book literary merit. Relate the book to larger issues.
6. Try to find further information about the author - reputation, qualifications,

influences, biographical, etc. - any information that is relevant to the book being
reviewed and that would help to establish the author's authority. Can you discern any
connections between the author's philosophy, life experience and the reviewed book?
7. If relevant, make note of the book's format - layout, binding, typography, etc. Are
there maps, illustrations? Do they aid understanding?
8. Check the back matter. Is the index accurate? Check any end notes or footnotes as
you read from chapter to chapter. Do they provide important additional information? Do
they clarify or extend points made in the body of the text? Check any bibliography the
author may provide. What kinds of sources, primary or secondary, appear in the
bibliography? How does the author make use of them? Make note of important
omissions.
9. Summarize (briefly), analyze, and comment on the book’s content. State your general
conclusions. Pay particular attention to the author's concluding chapter. Is the summary
convincing? List the principal topics, and briefly summarize the author’s ideas about
these topics, main points, and conclusions. Use specific references and quotations to
support your statements. If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should
follow naturally. It can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not
introduce new material at this point.

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Book Reviews: How to Write Book Reviews

Scan the Book's Preliminaries

Before beginning to read, consider the following:

1. Title - What does it suggest?

HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW

6. Try to find further information about the author - reputation, qualifications,

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