Your book review must cover the following SIX areas using the formatting presented here and in the examples.

Learning Goal: I’m working on a history writing question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

Your book review must cover the following SIX areas using the formatting presented here and
in the examples. Failure to format correctly will cost you 10 points! Addressing each of these
areas will assist you in being more critical of the works you examine.
You will need to provide the title of the work as a citation using Chicago Manual of Style
Citation system (no MLA, please). You can Google for citation examples. Precis by nature are
short you may not exceed one page! Doing so will result in the loss of 10 points. You may
change the font size or alter the margins, but you may not exceed the 1-page length without
penalty. You have been warned!
Thesis: What is the author’s main argument? What point is the author trying to prove?
You may have to hunt for this main idea it is not always evident. Quote the sentence in
your review using proper notation! 10 points
Sources: Where is the author drawing his information from? Are these sources
credible? 5 points
Strengths: Was the author’s argument solid? Was the work well written? Was the style
of writing conducive to the subject the author chooses to write upon? Was the work well
supported by academic notation? What types of references are used? For example, are
they primary or secondary works? Does the author provide a bibliography, an index, an
annotated bibliography, or a glossary of terms, etc.? 10 points
Weaknesses: Does the author cover the topic or is there an area (or areas?) left
unexplained? After examining the sources, are they appropriate for the area being
researched? Is the work well organized? How would you improve the work? 10 points
Other Notes: Some Provocative Statements- pertinent to the view of the author and the
work. 5 points
Overall Impression: Here is your chance to state how you felt about the work. Was this
work informative? Would you recommend it to another person interested in the subject?
Did the work provoke other thoughts or ideas on the subject? 10 points