ASK THE FOLLOWING WHEN WRITING A BOOK REVIEW

When writing a book review or article critique, make sure to ask the following:
1. What is the topic of the book or article?
2. What is its purpose?
3. Who are its intended readers?
4. Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
5. What theoretical assumptions (i.e., a scientific/logical explanation without evidence) are
mentioned in the book or article? Are they explicitly discussed?
6. What are the contributions of the book or article of the fields (e.g., language,
psychology) it is situated in?
7. What problems and issues are discussed in the book or article?
8. What kinds of information (e.g., observation, survey, statistics, historical accounts) are
presented in the book or article? How are they used to support the arguments or thesis?
9. Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or thesis asides from the information
used in the book or article? Is the author silent about these alternative ways of
explanation?
10. What is your overall reaction to the work?