HISTORY 112- World Civilization II

The Critical Book Review focuses on a scholarly work dealing with a person who lived or an event that took place over the course of this class (that is, from 1500 C.E. to the present). Therefore, the book is NOT a work of fiction. Its author is an expert in the field on which the book is written. As you do your reading and review, you should identify the author’s theme or thesis, show how the author supported that theme or thesis, and then your evaluation of how well the author did in making their argument. By “scholarly,” you should consider the following: Is the author a reputable historian or academic? Did the book come from a public or university library with a history section dedicated to college-level reading material?

The Critical Book Review should include:

• Bibliographic entry (top of the page)

• Author’s Thesis (what he or she is trying to prove/explain (1st paragraph)

• 3 examples the author uses to prove thesis (1 paragraph for each example)

• Types of sources the author uses and how cited

• Your opinion of the book (at least 1 paragraph) and why you think as you do

• Presentation – 3-5 typed pages, double-spaced, with one inch margins

  Note: Since this is a class in World Civilizations, the review should not be based on a book about any specific aspect of American history, including including biographies or autobiographies of famous or infamous Americans. Also, the book review should not be based on the textbook.