Book Review

• Book Review

  Specialized form of academic writing in which a reviewer evaluates the contribution to knowledge of scholarly works such as academic books and journal article.
• Introduction

  •Title of the book/article

  •Writer’s name

  •Writer’s thesis statement
• Summary

  •Writer's objective or purpose

  •Methods used (if applicable)

  •Major findings or claims
• Review/Critique


  •Appropriateness of methodology to support the arguments

  •Theoretical soundness

  •Soundness of explanation in relation to other available information and experts

  •Sufficiency of explanation

  •Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas
• Guidelines in Writing a Book Review


  1. Read the work carefully to understand its main concept

  2. Relate the content to what you already know about the topic

  3. Focus on discussing how the work treats the topic, not the topic itself

  4. Situate your review based on the theories presented by the author

  5. Examine whether the findings are adequately supported

  6. Suggest ways the author can improve reasoning or explanation

  7. Point out other conclusions or interpretations that the author missed

  8. Examine the connections between ideas and their impact on conclusions

  9. Show your reaction to the author's ideas and present an explanation

  10. Suggest alternative methods and processes of reasoning for a more conclusive interpretation
• Conclusion


  •Overall impression of the work

  •Scholarly value of the reviewed article/book

  •Benefits to the intended audience

  •Suggestion for future directions