ANALYTICAL BOOK REVIEW
History 1301

Rationale: This analytical book review will critically examine an important scholarly book covering some aspect of United States History from pre-contat America to 1877. The purpose of the review is twofold: first, to acquaint the student with a volume of historical scholarship and second, to allow the student to think critically about an important facet of American history and then to organize your thoughts in clear, cogent prose. You should not view this simply as a hurdle which you must overcome in order to earn a grade, but rather approach it as an opportunity to expand your creativity in thinking and writing, two very important aspects of any individual's necessary life skills. Therefore, be advised that I consider this a VERY important aspect of this course and your reviews will be read and graded VERY carefully.

General Requirements:

• Did I choose a book?  The class website contains a link leading to a pre-approved booklist. Most can be found in the ACC libraries and are also available in the UT and Austin Public libraries, and any may be read for the analytical book review.

• If I chose a non pre-approved book, did I receive the instructor’s approval before the due date specified on the syllabus?

• Is my book review 1500 typewritten or word-processed words?  Title pages and other miscellania do not count towards the 1500 words.

• Did I proofread my paper?  The ACC Learning Lab provides instructors who will help you proofread your review.

• Have I used parenthetical endnotes for all direct quotes taken directly from the text of the book?  Parenthetical Endnotes Example:  “There, on October 8, he took the oath to King Ludwig III of Bavaria.”(107).

• Is my review typed, doubled-spaced on standard letter-sized, white paper with margins approximately one inch on all sides?  Several ACC campuses have LRS Computer Centers have computers for your use and people that will help you if you have questions about their use.

• Have I included a full bibliographic citation at the beginning of my review?  Author last name, first name. Title of Book. Place published: publisher, year. Number of pages.

Part I
This is a brief outline of the contents of the book. In the space of one or two paragraphs you should be able to convey the parameters of the book's contents. DO NOT simply reproduce the book's table of contents.

Part II
Here is the place for a careful summary of the author's thesis. The thesis is the primary idea the author is trying to prove and convince the reader to accept as valid. You must first identify the thesis and then show how the author either substantiates or fails to substantiate this thesis. You should quote portions of the book in order to answer this part of the review, and you will need to cite page numbers for these quotations. This will undoubtedly take you a page or two to do a good job.

Part III
This is your personal evaluation of the book and is the most important part of your analytical book review. Here is where you describe your reaction to the book and put its contents in a comparative perspective with your textbook. Some of the questions you must answer include: Do you agree or disagree with the book's conclusions? Why or why not? Did you detect any biases on the part of the author? What was the author's background and why did he or she write the book? How in your opinion could the book have been improved? You must be specific and keep in mind there are NO perfect books. Did you enjoy reading this book? Why or why not? Would you recommend it to others?
You MUST quote some of the relevant passages, citing page numbers in parenthetical endnotes.

Any form of scholastic dishonesty, especially plagiarism, in the production of this review WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! Any student committing any form of scholastic dishonesty in this course will automatically receive the grade of "F" in the course and be reported to ACC authorities for further disciplinary action. The college policy states: "Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty: including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework."

Grading
70 % of the grade will be over content.
30% of the grade will be over grammar
1) the thoroughness with which you review your book;
2) your ability to follow directions.