GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A BOOK REVIEW

(Adapted from Lee Cuba, A Short Guide to Writing about Social Science. Harper Collins Publishers, 1993, pp. 20-22)

"Unlike summaries, book reviews often reveal clearly what a writer thinks about a particular work, that is, they include evaluation. In moving beyond a succinct restatement of a book's or article's main points, they provide a forum for the reviewer's voice, and, at the same time, serve an important research function for social scientists....they provide (also) a cogent summary of work, point out both its good and bad qualities, and often place it within an established literature.....

First, don't try to cover everything in the book. True, you will want to give the reader and idea of the entire book ---perhaps in a one-paragraph summary --- but you can then go on to focus on its chief strengths or weaknesses or both. Organize the review around the thesis of the book (and its subthesis, if relevant); avoid using the table of contents as your organizing key.

Second, support your arguments with evidence from the book. Use examples that provide the best illustrations of the points you make, trying to phrase them in your own words while retaining their contextual meaning. Reserve the use of direct quotations for those times when they are essential to making your point... If you do include quotations, make them brief and include proper citations to the book.

Third, if you are reviewing a book in an area in which you have some familiarity, avoid using the review as an opportunity to display your own competence....readers are interested in the competence of the author whose work you are reviewing, not your own.

Fourth, don't criticize authors because they fail to write the book you think they should have written. Identify an author's intentions and judge the merits of the book based on those intentions.

Organization:

1. An introductory paragraph identifying the work and its author, presenting the thesis of the book, and giving some indication of whether the author achieves the stated purpose of the book.
2. A paragraph or more summarizing the book and relating it (where possible ) to other books in tis field.
3. A section noting the strengths of the book(if any)
4. A section noting the weaknesses of the book (if any)
5. A concluding section that conveys, on balance, your assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the book: does the book succeed?