- 21 Mar, 2021
- 0 Comments
- 3 Mins Read
WEST WITHOUT WATER BOOK REVIEW
link for downloading the book: https://www.sendspace.com/file/p1ft4c
Instruction from my professor on the writing:
• The ability to write effectively is one of the most important skills that you will learn in
college. Although I plan to do my best to help you learn more, teaching you how to write
is beyond the scope of this class. Writing competence comes with practice, supported by a
serious commitment of time and energy, and the development of self–assessment and critical
thinking abilities. There is no other way!
• As a model, read a book review written for a professional news organization such as the
Fresno Bee, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time Magazine, etc. Then follow that style.
• A book review is one of the most commonly misunderstood assignments in college. All
too often students simply summarize the contents of a book. Please note that a term
paper-style (this person said this and that, and this again, and that again) is
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not enough. An insightful evaluation of the content is required! Indeed, a good
book review should provide a critical commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of the
book: the thesis and major arguments, the organization and style, the scholarly apparatus,
the author’s values and assumptions.
• Use the following checklist as a guide for writing critical book reviews.
1. What does the book cover? (i.e., this is the summary part.)
2. Who is the author, what are his or her potential biases, and who is the intended audience
(i.e., this is the background part.)
3. What are the major points that the author makes in the book? Please understand that
an author did not spend sometimes years to write a book, research a topic extensively,
gather opinions and stories, etc. just to hear himself or herself talk. She or he uses
arguments to persuade you, the reader, of something. In other words, it is unlikely to
be meaningless writing.
4. Do you think that the arguments and ideas presented in the book are correct? Do you
accept them? Why or why not? Specifically, does the author substantiate his or her
points satisfactorily with information, logic, examples, etc.?
5. Do the author’s ideas agree with your experience and knowledge?
6. If you have read material from other resources (news articles for the current event
assignment, for instance) on the same general topic, how does this book compare? It is
important to realize that knowledge evolves and thus, a book might be outdated; hence,
you must keep a critical mind while reading.
7. Are there special features about this book which interest or disturb you, such as unusual
information or new ways of looking at an issue?
8. Are there questions raised for you in this book which the author does not answer?
9. Are there additional comments you should include in order to make the essence of this
book understood by someone reading your review?
10. Does the thesis of the book make you reconsider what you knew? One can argue that if
an argument does not persuade you to change in some way, then it is pointless. Typically,
reviewers will structure this kind of review by expressing 3-5 remarkable ways in which
the book affected them. Note that there is a difference between a book that affects you
and a book that teaches you. Sometimes, the difference is subtle, but it is worthwhile
to distinguish these two qualities.
• The questions above may be answered in any order, but all of them should be addressed,
however briefly. Remember, also, that a book review, like any other piece of writing, should
observe the basic requirements of literary discourse: there should be an introduction that
includes the author’s thesis, a middle section in which you give a brief synopsis of the book,
and a brief conclusion.
• I strongly urge you to read the book with a pencil in hand, to mark paragraphs that you
like, or do not like, so you may go back to those sections when you write your paper.
• Feel free to use direct quotes from the book to discuss how certain passages affected you.
Be aware that you must enclose the quotes in quotation marks, or for extended quotes, the
paragraph must be indented on both the left and right side.
• Do not plagiarize chunks of text!
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• Make sure you proof read your paper before submission; If on the one hand my
oral skills in English are ridiculous, on the other hand my written skills are good!
Thus, I will bust you like a cheap plate if your spelling and grammar are bad.