Book critique guidelines

1. Select book of interest. There are thousands of self-help books on the market today. These books address every imaginable topic from: improving communication, raising self-esteem, losing weight, streamlining your life, coping with stress, becoming a better parent, fighting depression, recovering from illness, changing your outlook on life and much, much more. Choose a book in an area that has special relevance to you. I would like this assignment to be meaningful to you and provide an opportunity to explore an area of emotional health that is personally important.

2. Use the guidelines to help you make your choice. Not all books are equal so use the nine guidelines discussed in class to help you make your selection. I am happy to assist if necessary.

3. Read the book and evaluate it. Again, use the criteria presented to help you in the process. As you read, consider these questions: Do the suggestions seem workable? Are they realistic? Is there much depth to the book? Does the author have the background necessary? Does the book provide evidence? What type of evidence? How do you react to the book? Write notes as you go to make it easier to write the report later.

4. Test some of the ideas. (REQUIRED). Put some of the ideas to practice in your own life. If you read a book on time management, try out some of the methods they recommend (i.e., prioritizing tasks). Test whether the recommendations by the author are practical, helpful, realistic, and whether they produce a change in your life.

• ⎯ Select from among the suggestions and state your goal. What exactly are you testing?
• ⎯ Try these techniques for at least two weeks – preferably longer.
• ⎯ Make a sincere effort. Recognize that change takes time.
• ⎯ Keep a detailed record of your experience that should be submitted with your paper.

TESTING OF IDEAS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PAPER.

5. Write an assessment of the book and your experience with the techniques using the questions listed below. Responses can be submitted in the question/answer format). In preparing your answers, demonstrate your ability to summarize what you have read and provide an overview. Do not describe the book in exhaustive detail (e.g., do not go through it chapter by chapter). Short quotes may be used selectively to illustrate your major points. Remember taking complete sentences from the book is not appropriate and represents plagiarism. The submitted assignment should answer the following questions and should be approximately five (5) pages in length, double-spaced.

Descriptive Component (20 points):

1. 1. Describe your decision to select this book. Why did you select this book? Which guidelines were important in this process? (5 pts.)

1. 2. What is the main premise of the book? (5 pts.)

1. 3. How does the author propose to bring about change? What steps does he/she recommend? 10 pts.)

Analytic Component (30 points):

The questions in this section address your evaluation of and reaction to the book. This section should include an objective evaluation of the book and your personal reaction to the ideas presented. Refer to guidelines and comments above. The analytic component should also include a discussion of your experience with putting some of the author’s ideas into practical use.

1. 4. How do you evaluate the book? Go beyond simply writing it is “good” or ”bad” and describe the strengths and weaknesses. Consider how you evaluate the writing style and presentation, the depth of information, the quality of the recommendations, the use of scientific evidence to support their position, the author’s credibility, and other points that you believe address the quality of the book. (15 pts.)

1. 5. Describe in detail the specific steps that you took to test the author’s ideas. Were the suggestions useful? How did testing the ideas affect your original impression of the book? Please attach any information (charts, etc.) that provide evidence that you tested the ideas. (15 pts.)

1. 6. Discussion Board: Later on in the course, you will also be asked to post a brief summary of your book on a discussion board. This post will be graded separately.

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