1) Attention grabbing detail (1 paragraph)
2) Basic information about the item being reviewed, including a summary report (2-3 paragraphs)
3) Specific positive details (1-3 paragraphs)
4) Specific negative details (1-3 paragraphs)
5) Information specific to the audience of the review (2-3 paragraphs)
6) Overall recommendation (1 paragraph, usually short)
In this case, point 2 must include the title, the author, the publisher and the year of publication as well as a summary.
Point 5 will be about how this information relates to economically
important plants and what it adds to your understanding of ethnobotany.
Point 6 should not be “This book is fabulous,” or “This book is crap,” but rather it should explain who would benefit from reading it (e.g. While Title of Book I Read is too repetitive for pleasure reading, individual chapters can stand alone and a few are clear cases of what works and what does not work for farming in the future. The chapter, “Why Soil Scientists Love Round-up Ready,” made me think about genetically modified crops in a way I had never before considered. “Slash Burn and Sequester” presented a strong case for local management (and burning) in the Amazon Rainforest. These chapters are both highly recommended for case studies in a Conservation Biology class, even if the book as a whole is skipped.).
