critical book review
in essay format write a critical book review on Backhouse and Backhouse, The Heiress vs the Establishment, Mrs. Campbell′s Campaign for Legal Justice or Strong-Boag′s Fostering Nation? the analysis must have a discernable introduction, body of critical analysis/critical argument, and conclusion. If critical reviews of the book chosen are consulted, they must be cited in the bibliography. Students are encouraged to base their analysis on their own perceptions and conclusions rather than consulting published book reviews. Original analysis is preferred for this assignment.
- Isolate the thesis: what is the author’s principal argument? Is it clearly laid out?
- Summarize the approach/method: briefly describe how the author organizes the material. Is there a particular method that is specified, for example, demographic analysis, or statistical analysis? Does the historian identify him/herself as marxist or feminist or post-structuralist [to name a few approaches]? Can you identify a variety of methods used, ie. a combination of literary analysis [looking at literature, that is to say, novels, poetry] and analysis of government documents, or a media analysis [focusing on newspapers, magazines, etc.] combined with a quantitative [statistics] analysis? What are the main themes covered?
- Examine the sources: look carefully at footnotes and bibliography. Focus on the primary sources [those contemporary to the time covered in the book/article] used. What is the nature of the primary sources–for example, government documents, published newspapers, unpublished letters, legal records? Is there a variety of sources? Is there reliance on a particular type of source? What effect might this have for the analysis? What are the strengths and weaknesses of a particular type of source? What other sources might have been useful? What do you think would be the “ideal” source for this topic?
- Assess the overall effect: does the author present a convincing case for the argument posed? Is there an evident “slant? Be careful how you use the term “bias”–this is a very serious charge that suggests a deliberate distortion of evidence. Is the use of primary sources thorough and effective? Is the material clearly organized? Does she/he retain the reader’s interest? Is anything significant missing, ie. themes/issues that might have been covered, other types of sources, other approaches? What questions does the article or book raise for historians [that may or may not have been answered by the author]? What more do you want to know?
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