Assignment Question
Use the JSTOR version of the book (use link below):
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvjghwn3
Make sure it is 4 pages double spaced, 12 point font. A book review falls somewhere between a book report and an analytical essay. It is more demanding than a book report because it requires that you do more than summarize the book. It is not quite an analytical essay because you do not have to develop an original argument that you support with evidence from the text(s). You do, however, have to critically engage the ideas raised by the author.
The following are the three standard components of a book review (follow the directions below):
1) an explication of the book’s thesis – What is the author arguing? What overall ideas is the author trying to impart to the reader? Your paper should explain the book’s thesis/theses in your own words and fairly early in the review.
2) a discussion of the book’s arguments – How is the author going about proving his or her thesis? This constitutes the bulk of the review and is the part where you summarize the content, major points, and conclusions of the book.
3) an evaluation of the book’s thesis, arguments, overall value, etc. – Has the author persuasively proven his or her thesis? Why or why not? Your evaluation can also address the conceptualization or framing of the topic, the execution of the argument, the organizational structure, the book’s readability, etc.
Use quotes from “Black Silent Majority” & they must be accompanied by a page number in parentheses. That is the 1 source required as indicated above, do not use any other sources. Make sure to talk about the social and political trends occurring throughout the book & during the time periods mentioned in the book.
