Writing Book Reviews

Writing a good book review for a class isn't the same as writing a book report that you did in High School. You are looking for many different things which help you determine if this is a good source to recommend that others read for knowledge on your topic. You are not just reporting your own thoughts about the book.

Some things to look for to comment on would be

• The purpose for writing the book and who or what audience it is intended to reach.
• What thesis the author is supporting.
• What additional help will this book give in understanding a topic or discipline.
• If the material presented is primary or secondary, or what other material is included.
• If the author backs up their research with other references or a bibliography.

For other thoughts, see the list of links in the topics on the left side of this page.