1. The mandatory book report must be at least seven (7) double-spaced pages (typed).
2 . This report is to reflect an analytical review of the work read and IS NOT TO BE A
LENGTHY RE-HASH OF THE BOOKS CONTENTS.
3 . How does a student analyze a book?
a. Determine the authors purpose and thesis (theses).
b. Does the work successfully develop the purpose of thesis (theses)?
c. Why does it develop them or why does it not develop them?
d. What are the strengths or weaknesses of the work?
e. Does the author write well or poorly?
f. What are the sources the author consulted in his or her study? (Look at the
bibliography.)
g. Was the book edited careful?
h. Is it a work of scholarship?
4.Use a cover sheet for your report and on this cover sheet put your name, the date, the
course, and the author and title of your book
At the top of the page one, type the following type of information about the book you
read:
The Last Empire: Nationality and the Soviet Future, edited by Robert Conquest. Stanford,
Calif.: Hoover Institution Press, 1986, 406 pp., Index, and Bibliography. (EXAMPLE)
5. After typing the bibliographical entry, skip two spaces and start your report by stating the
authors purpose(s) and thesis (theses). From this point your report will be showing your
reader how the author develops or fails to develop why he or she has written this work.
6. Make analytical remarks about the work (see #6 above for some suggestions — bare in
mind that the suggestions are not exhaustive but are supplied to you in an attempt to
challenge your thought processes).
7. Conclude your report with an evaluation of the book. Base your conclusion(s) upon your
analytical view(s).
8. You may find it advisable to consult a book review or book reviews written by colleagues
of your author. Check library holdings for the Book Review Digest or consult a reference
librarian for reviews in scholarly publications.
