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A book review is a thorough description, critical analysis, and/or evaluation of the quality, meaning,
and significance of a book, often written in relation to prior research on the topic. Reviews generally
range from 500-2000 words, but may be longer or shorter depending on the length and complexity
of the book being reviewed, the overall purpose of the review, and whether the review exams two or
more books that focus on the same topic. Professors assign book reviews as practice in carefully
analyzing complex scholarly texts and to assess your ability to effectively synthesize research so
that you reach an informed perspective about the topic being covered.

There are two general approaches to reviewing a book:

1. Descriptive review: presents the content and structure of a book as objectively as

possible, describing essential information about a book's purpose and authority. This is
done by stating the perceived aims and purposes of the study, often incorporating
passages quoted from the text that highlight key elements of the wo rk. Additionally, there
may be some indication of the reading level and anticipated audience.
2. Critical review: describes and evaluates the book in relation to accepted literary and
historical standards and supports this evaluation with evidence from the t ext and, in most
cases, in contrast to and in comparison with the research of others. It should include a
statement about what the author has tried to do, evaluates how well you believe the author
has succeeded in meeting the objectives of the study, and p resents evidence to support
this assessment. For course assignments, most professors will want you to write this type
of review.

Book Reviews. Writing Center. University of New Hampshire; Book Reviews: How to Write a Book Review. Writing and
Style Guides. Libraries. Dalhousie University; Kindle, Peter A. "Teaching Stud ents to Write Book Reviews." Contemporary
Rural Social Work 7 (2015): 135-141.

NOTE: Since most course assignments require that you write a critical rather than descriptive book
review, the following information about preparing to write and developing the structure and style of
reviews focuses on this approach.

While book reviews vary in tone, subject, and style, they share some common features. These
include:

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.
 1. A review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a
description of the research topic and scope of analysis as well as an overview of the
book's overall perspective, argument, and purpose.
2. A review offers a critical assessment of the content in relation to oth er studies on
the same topic. This involves documenting your reactions to the work under review --
what strikes you as noteworthy or important, whether or not the arguments made by the
author(s) were effective or persuasive, and how the work enhanced your un derstanding
of the research problem under investigation.
3. In addition to analyzing a book's strengths and weaknesses, a scholarly review often
recommends whether or not readers would value the work for its authenticity and
overall quality. This measure of quality includes both the author's ideas and arguments
and covers practical issues, such as, readability and language, organization and layout,
indexing, and, if needed, the use of non-textual elements.
To maintain your focus, always keep in mind that most assignments ask you to discuss a book's
treatment of its topic, not the topic itself. Your key sentences should say, "This book shows...,”
"The study demonstrates...," or “The author argues...," rather than "This happened...” or “This is the
case....”

There is no definitive methodological approach to writing a book review in the social sciences,
although it is necessary that you think critically about the research problem under investigation
before you begin to write. Therefore, writing a book review is a two-step process: 1) developing an
argument about the value of the work under consideration and 2) clearly articulating that argument
as you write an organized and well-supported assessment of the work

A useful strategy in preparing to write a review is to list a set of questions that should be
answered as you read the book [remember to note the page numbers so you can refer back to the
text!]. The specific questions to ask yourself will depend upon the type of b ook you are reviewing.
For example, a book that is presenting original research about a topic may require a different set of
questions to ask yourself than a work where the author is offering a personal critique of an existing
policy or issue.

Here are some sample questions that can help you think critically about the book:

1. Thesis or argument. What is the central thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the
author wanted you to get one main idea from the book, what would it be? How does it
compare or contrast to the world that you know or have experienced? What has the book
accomplished? Is the argument clearly stated and does the research support this?
2. Topic. What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Is it clearly articulated? Does the
author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in
a balanced fashion? Can you detect any biases? What type of approach has the author
adopted to explore the research problem [e.g., topical, analytical, chronological,
descriptive]?
3. Evidence. How does the author support their argument? What evidence does the author
use to prove their point? Is the evidence based on an appropriate application of the
method chosen to gather information? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why
not? Does any of the author's information [or conclusions] conflict with other books you've
read, courses you've taken, or just previous assumptions you had about the research
problem?
4. Structure. How does the author structure their argument? Does it follow a logical order
of analysis? What are the parts that make up the whole? Does the argument make sense
to you? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.
 5. Take-aways. How has this book helped you understand the research problem? Would
you recommend the book to others? Why or why not?
Beyond the content of the book, you may also consider some information about the author
and the general presentation of information. Question to ask may include:

•The author: Who is the author? The nationality, political persuasion, edu cation,
intellectual interests, personal history, and historical context may provide crucial details
about how a work takes shape. Does it matter, for example, that the author is affiliated
with a particular organization? What difference would it make if t he author participated in
the events they wrote about? What other topics has the author written about? Does this
work build on prior research or does it represent a new or unique area of research?
• The presentation: What is the book's genre? Out of what discipline does it emerge? Does
it conform to or depart from the conventions of its genre? These questions can provide a
historical or other contextual standard upon which to base your evaluations. If you are
reviewing the first book ever written on the subject, it will be important for your readers to
know this. Keep in mind, though, that declarative statements about being the “first,” the
"best," or the "only" book of its kind can be a risky unless you're absolutely certain
because your professor [presumably] has a much better understanding of the overall
research literature.
NOTE: Most critical book reviews examine a topic in relation to prior research. A good strategy for
identifying this prior research is to examine sources the author(s) cited in the chapt ers introducing
the research problem and, of course, any review of the literature. However, you should not assume
that the author's references to prior research is authoritative or complete. If any works related to the
topic have been excluded, your assessment of the book should note this. Be sure to consult with a
librarian to ensure that any additional studies are located beyond what has been cited by the
author(s).

Book Reviews. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Book Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North
Carolina; Hartley, James. "Reading and Writing Book Reviews Across the Disciplines." Journal of the American Society
for Information Science and Technology 57 (July 2006): 1194–1207; Writing a Book Review. The Writing Lab and The
OWL. Purdue University; Writing Book Reviews. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
Indiana University.

.
Provide the essential information about the book using the writing style APA as prescribed by your
professor. The bibliographic information represents the heading of your review. In general, it would
look like this:

The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History . By Jill
Lepore. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010. xii, 207 pp.)

Reviewed by [your full name].

. / /

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.
Begin your review by telling the reader not only the overarching concern of the book in its entirety
[the subject area] but also what the author's particular point of view is on that subject [the thesis
statement]. If you cannot find an adequate statement in the author's own words or if you find that the
thesis statement is not well-developed, then you will have to compose your own introductory thesis
statement that does cover all the material. This statement should be no more than one paragraph
and must be succinctly stated, accurate, and unbiased.

If you find it difficult to discern the overall aims and objectives of the book [and, be sure to
point this out in your review if you determine that this is a deficiency], you may arrive at an
understanding of the book's overall purpose by assessing the following:

• Scan the table of contents because it can help you understand how the book was
organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they were
developed [e.g., chronologically, topically, historically, etc.].
• Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject?
• From what point of view is the work written?
• Was the author trying to give information, to explain something technical, or to convince
the reader of a belief’s validity by dramatizing it in action?
• What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? If necessary, review
related literature from other books and journal articles to familiarize yourself with the field.
• Who is the intended audience?
• What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? You can evaluate the quality of the
writing style by noting some of the following standards: coherence, clarity, originality,
forcefulness, accurate use of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, and
fluidity [i.e., quality of the narrative flow].
• How did the book affect you? Were there any prior assumptions you had about the subject
that were changed, abandoned, or reinforced after reading the book? How is the book
related to your own personal beliefs or assumptions? What personal experiences have
you had related to the subject that affirm or challenge underlying assumptions?
• How well has the book achieved the goal(s) set forth in the preface, introduction, and/or
foreword?
• Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?

.
Support your remarks with specific references to text and quotations that help to illustrate the literary
method used to state the research problem, describe the research design, and analyze the findings.
In general, authors tend to use the following literary methods, exclusively or in combination.

• Description: The author depicts scenes and events by giving specific details that appeal
to the five senses, or to the reader’s imagination. The description presents background
and setting. Its primary purpose is to help the reader realize, through as many details as
possible, the way persons, places, and things are situated within the phenomenon being
described.
• Narration: The author tells the story of a series of events, usually thematicall y or in
chronological order. In general, the emphasis in scholarly books is on narration of the
events. Narration tells what has happened and, in some cases, using this method to
forecast what could happen in the future. Its primary purpose is to draw the reader into a
story and create a contextual framework for understanding the research problem.
• Exposition: The author uses explanation and analysis to present a subject or to clarify
an idea. Exposition presents the facts about a subject or an issue clearly and as
impartially as possible. Its primary purpose is to describe and explain, to document for
the historical record an event or phenomenon.

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.
 • Argument: The author uses techniques of persuasion to establish understanding of a
particular truth, often in the form of addressing a research question, or to convince the
reader of its falsity. The overall aim is to persuade the reader to believe something and
perhaps to act on that belief. Argument takes sides on an issue and aims to convince the
reader that the author's position is valid, logical, and/or reasonable.

. – most important!

Critical comments should form the bulk of your book review . State whether or not you feel the
author's treatment of the subject matter is appropriate for the intended audience. Ask yourself:

• Has the purpose of the book been achieved?

• What contributions does the book make to the field?
• Is the treatment of the subject matter objective or at least balanced in describing
all sides of a debate?
• Are there facts and evidence that have been omitted?
• What kinds of data, if any, are used to support the author's thesis statement?
• Can the same data be interpreted to explain alternate outcomes?
• Is the writing style clear and effective?
• Does the book raise important or provocative issues or topics for discussion?
• Does the book bring attention to the need for further research?
• What has been left out?

Support your evaluation with evidence from the text and, when possible, state the book's quality
in relation to other scholarly sources. If relevant, note of the book's format, such as, layout, binding,
typography, etc. Are there tables, charts, maps, illustrations, text boxes, photographs, or other non -
textual elements? Do they aid in understanding the text? Describing this is particularly important in
books that contain a lot of non-textual elements.

NOTE: It is important to carefully distinguish your views from those of the author so as not to confuse
your reader. Be clear when you are describing an author's point of view versus expressing your own.

Front matter refers to any content before the first chapter of the book. Back matter refers to
any information included after the final chapter of the book. Front matter is most often numbered
separately from the rest of the text in lower case Roman numerals [i.e. i - xi]. Critical commentary
about front or back matter is generally only necessary if you believe there is something that
diminishes the overall quality of the work [e.g., the indexing is poor] or there is something that is
particularly helpful in understanding the book's contents [e.g., foreword places the book in an
important context].

Front matter that may be considered for evaluation when reviewing its overall quality:

• Table of contents -- is it clear? Is it detailed or general? Does it reflect the true contents
of the book? Does it help in understanding a logical sequence of content?
• Author biography -- also found as back matter, the biography of author(s) can be useful
in determining the authority of the writer and whether the book builds on prior research or

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.
 represents new research. In scholarly reviews, noting the author's affiliation and prior
publications can be a factor in helping the reader determine the overall validity of the work
[i.e., are they associated with a research center devoted to studying the problem under
investigation].
• Foreword -- the purpose of a foreword is to introduce the reader to the author as w ell as
the book itself, and to help establish credibility for both. A foreword may not contribute
any additional information about the book's subject matter, but it serves as a means of
validating the book's existence. Later editions of a book sometimes ha ve a new foreword
prepended [appearing before an older foreword, if there was one], which may be included
to explain how the latest edition differs from previous editions.
• Acknowledgements -- scholarly studies in the social sciences often take many years t o
write, so authors frequently acknowledge the help and support of others in getting their
research published. This can be as innocuous as acknowledging the author's family or
the publisher. However, an author may acknowledge prominent scholars or subject
experts, staff at key research centers, people who curate important archival collections,
or organizations that funded the research. In these particular cases, it may be worth noting
these sources of support in your review, particularly if the funding orga nization is biased
or its mission is to promote a particular agenda.
• Preface -- generally describes the genesis, purpose, limitations, and scope of the book
and may include acknowledgments of indebtedness to people who have helped the author
complete the study. Is the preface helpful in understanding the study? Does it provide an
effective framework for understanding what's to follow?
• Chronology -- also may be found as back matter, a chronology is generally included to
highlight key events related to the subject of the book. Do the entries contribute to the
overall work? Is it detailed or very general?
• List of non-textual elements -- a book that contains numerous charts, photographs,
maps, tables, etc. will often list these items after the tabl e of contents in the order that
they appear in the text. Is this useful?

Back matter that may be considered for evaluation when reviewing its overall quality:

• Afterword -- this is a short, reflective piece written by the author that takes the form of a
concluding section, final commentary, or closing statement. It is worth mentioning in a
review if it contributes information about the purpose of the book, gives a call to action,
summarizes key recommendations or next steps, or asks the reader to consider k ey points
made in the book.
• Appendix -- is the supplementary material in the appendix or appendices well organized?
Do they relate to the contents or appear superfluous? Does it contain any essential
information that would have been more appropriately inte grated into the text?
• Index -- are there separate indexes for names and subjects or one integrated index. Is
the indexing thorough and accurate? Are elements used, such as, bold or italic fonts to
help identify specific places in the book? Does the index i nclude "see also" references to
direct you to related topics?
• Glossary of Terms -- are the definitions clearly written? Is the glossary comprehensive
or are there key terms missing? Are any terms or concepts mentioned in the text not
included that should have been?
• Endnotes -- examine any endnotes as you read from chapter to chapter. Do they provide
important additional information? Do they clarify or extend points made in the body of the
text? Should any notes have been better integrated into the t ext rather than separated?
Do the same if the author uses footnotes.
• Bibliography/References/Further Readings -- review any bibliography, list of
references to sources, and/or further readings the author may have included. What kinds
of sources appear [e.g., primary or secondary, recent or old, scholarly or popular, etc.]?
How does the author make use of them? Be sure to note important omissions of sources

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.
 that you believe should have been utilized, including important digital resources or
archival collections.

.
State your general conclusions briefly and succinctly. Pay particular attention to the author's
concluding chapter and/or afterword. Is the summary convincing? List the principal topics, and briefly
summarize the author’s ideas about these topics, main points, and conclusions. If appropriate and
to help clarify your overall evaluation, use specific references to text and quotations to support your
statements. If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include
a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new information in the conclusion.
If you've compared the book to any other works or used other sources in writing the review, be sure
to cite them at the end of your book review in the same writing style as your heading of the book
being reviewed.

Book Reviews. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Book Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina;
Gastel, Barbara. "Special Books Section: A Strategy for Reviewing Books for Journals." BioScience 41 (October 1991):
635-637; Hartley, James. "Reading and Writing Book Reviews Across the Disciplines." Journal of the American Society
for Information Science and Technology 57 (July 2006): 1194–1207; Lee, Alexander D., Bart N. Green, Claire D.
Johnson, and Julie Nyquist. "How to Write a Scholarly Book Review for Publication in a Peer -reviewed Journal: A Review
of the Literature." Journal of Chiropractic Education 24 (2010): 57-69; Procter, Margaret. The Book Review or Article
Critique. The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Reading a Book to Review It. The
Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Scarnecchia, David L. "Writing Book Reviews for the
Journal Of Range Management and Rangelands." Rangeland Ecology and Management 57 (2004): 418-421; Simon,
Linda. "The Pleasures of Book Reviewing." Journal of Scholarly Publishing 27 (1996): 240-241; Writing a Book Review.
The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Book Reviews. Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative
Teaching and Learning. Indiana University.

Always Read the Foreword and/or the Preface

A good place for understanding a book's purpose, organization, and relationship to other studies is
to read the preface and foreword. The foreword may be written by someone other than the author or
editor and can be a person who is famous or who has name recognition within the discipline. A
foreword is often included to add credibility to the work.

A preface is usually an introductory essay written by the author or editor. Both, although particularly
the preface, are intended to describe the book's overall purpose, arrangement, scope, and overall
contributions to the literature. When reviewing the book, it c an be useful to critically evaluate whether
the goals set forth in the foreword or preface were actually achieved. At the very least, they can lay
a foundation for understanding a study's scope and purpose.

Distinguishing between a Foreword, a Preface, and an Introduction . Book Creation Learning Center. Greenleaf Book
Group, 2019.

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.
It can be challenging to find the proper vocabulary from which to discuss and evaluate a book. Here
is a list of some active verbs for referring to texts and ideas that you might find useful:

• account for
• analyze
• argue
• assess
• assert
• assume
• claim
• clarify
• compare
• conclude
• criticize
• defend
• define
• demonstrate
• describe
• depict
• determine
• distinguish
• evaluate
• emphasize
• examine
• exemplify
• exhibit
• explain
• frame
• identify
• illustrate
• imply
• indicate
• investigate
• judge
• justify
• narrate
• persuade
• propose
• question
• recognize
• reflect
• refer to
• report
• review
• suggest

Examples of usage

• "The evidence indicates that..."

• "This work assesses the effect of..."
• "The author identifies three key reasons for..."
• "This book questions the view that..."
• "This work challenges assumptions about...."

Paquot, Magali. Academic Keyword List. Centre for English Corpus Linguistics. Université Catholique de Louvain.

Acknowledgement: This detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college -level research paper in the social and behavioral sciences is
adapted from The University of Southern California.