Your critical review will have 5 sections. Each section must include a subheading (except for the introduction, which never has a subheading). Your book review must be 5 -6 pages, no more and no less. Remember that page counts for assignment NEVER include the title page or reference page. Everything must be in TNR 11 or 12-point font, double-spaced. Your goal is to show you have read and understood the book in its entirety and can engage in an analytical manner about the strengths and weaknesses of the book.
READ through the previous examples on Avenue.
The 5 sections of your book review are as follows: (each section is approx. 1 page)
Introduction introduce the book and give your thesis statement (i.e., what are you arguing?) (Approximately page)
Precis (Summary of the most important aspects of the book the reader should know) (approximately 1 page)
Evaluation assess the books merits. (Approximately 1-2 pages)
A-Ha Moment add your personal opinion (approximately 1 page)
Context of Health/Illness narrative – social factors that influenced the life and/or illness & coping strategies of person/patient and/or caregivers. Integrate course concepts (approximately 1 1 pages)
**This assignment is 5-6 pages in length, you can play around with how long each section is, baring in mind that the most important sections are your evaluation, a-ha and context sections. You dont want to spend more than page on the introduction. You dont want to spend more than 1 full page on the precis.
Introduction: Introduce the book youre reviewing and state the authors full name and main thesis. At the end of the introduction you need to state what YOUR thesis will be (what are you arguing in this book review?). The thesis will have 2 main components:
The authors thesis
Your evaluation of the book (what will you be arguing in your evaluation section?) make that clear in the introduction.
Thesis Example 1: In Professor Jovanovics book Hey Ladies, Stop Apologizingand other career mistakes women make (hitherto known as Hey Ladies) she argues that womens internal barriers have prevented them from achieving success and leadership positions [authors thesis]. However, what she neglects to discuss is_________, therefore in my review Ill be focusing on_________. [my thesis, what Im arguing]
Thesis Example 2: In Prof. Jovanovics book Hey Ladies Stop Apologizingand other career mistakes women make (2016), she articulates all the internal problems women face in their careers and lives in general by highlighting their poor communication habits [authors thesis]. Although one could argue she neglects to _________, however I believe the book provides a convincing argument of empowerment by focusing on _____ and _____ and _______. [my thesis].
Precis A precis is an executive summary of the book. This section ONLY summarizes the most important aspects of the book. You do NOT evaluate or analyze the book in the summary section. Try your best to summarize the most salient aspects of the book so that if someone hadnt read the book, theyd have a very good idea of what the book was about just based on your summary of it. This is your opportunity to convey the maximum amount of valuable and relevant information with a minimum of words.
Evaluation this is your opportunity to give a reasoned argument as to the books merits, weaknesses, strengths, problems etc. This is a critical assessment of the value of the book. Your evaluation should be analytical, reasoned, and well-thought out. What you discuss in the evaluation section should flow logically from your thesis statement in the introduction. You dont have to disagree with something to think or write critically about it. Think about whether your evaluation of the book will focus on a specific issue or section or speak to the books arguments in general. To help you think through your evaluation section and focus your thinking, consider the following questions (remember, these are suggestions to help you get started, Im not asking you to answer all of these questions):
Did the author achieve their purpose?
Did the author have any biases?
Did the author neglect certain viewpoints? Is there something that could have made the book better?
Is the book relevant or timely?
Did the book convince you of the main arguments?
How has this book enriched your understanding of the subject matter?
Would you recommend this book to someone else to read?
How does the author support their arguments? What evidence did they give?
A-ha moment this is a new component not typically found in academic book reviews. This is your opportunity to insert your *personal opinion* as to what (if any) were your a-ha moments, whether good or bad, positive or negative. Ask yourself, what material or sections struck out at you the most? What were the sections that you saw yourself in or recognized some of your behaviours in? Did reading this book clarify things for you? OR d
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