write a 3-4 page historical, analytical critique\/review. evaluating the work to show that you are
\nreading and thinking critically about history. Part I: As you Read
\nAs you read the book, you should consider a number of different things. I also recommend that you take
\nnotes as you are reading so you don\u2019t have to go back and search for things once you start to write. ALL of
\nthese should be addressed in your essay in some way, some more in-depth than others (for example, you
\ncould just barely mention style, but you absolutely must discuss sources, thesis, etc.)
\na. PURPOSE\/THESIS \u2013 What is the author\u2019s purpose or intent of the book? Does he\/she have a clear,
\ncentral thesis statement\/argument that you can identify and follow? (I will post material about
\nwriting\/identifying a thesis.) [THIS THESIS IS SEPARATE FROM YOUR OWN THESIS ABOUT YOUR
\nARGUMENT.]
\nb. INTERPRETATION \u2013 Does the author provide clear and definite interpretations of history and evidence
\nor does he\/she expect the reader to do the interpreting? (interpretation is when the author explains
\nwhat a fact or event means or how it should be understood) Are the author\u2019s interpretations logical and
\nconsistent? Or are they weak and inconsistent? Do the author\u2019s interpretations make things more
\nclear for the reader or make them more difficult to understand?
\nc. CONTEXTUALIZATION \u2013 Does the author place their thesis\/topic in the wider context\/picture of
\nhistory? Does he\/she make connections with what else is going on during the period, location, event,
\netc.? Do these connections make things easier to comprehend the material or more difficult to
\nunderstand? Or is the topic\/thesis too narrowly focused?
\nd. SOURCES \u2013 What kind of sources is the author using? (primary\/secondary, narrative\/analytical,
\ngovernment documents, popular writings, personal documents, etc.) Does the author do a good job of
\nusing those sources to support his\/her argument? (you should also judge whether those sources are
\nappropriate or not to the topic)
\ne. BIAS\/AGENDA \u2013 Is the author impartial or biased? (if so, what are they?) Is he\/she providing the
\nreader with objective observations and letting the reader decide or is he\/she making biased\/prejudiced
\npoints to serve a specific agenda? What is the author\u2019s agenda if he\/she has one?
\nf. CRITICAL OBSERVATION \u2013 Does the author prove their point(s)? Has he\/she answered all of your
\nquestions? Does the thesis\/argument still stand at the end of the book or has it been lost in the course
\nof the book?
\ng. STYLE \u2013 Is the book well-written? Is it easy to read or confusing and complex? Does it flow naturally?
\nIs it filled with jargon (technical language) making it difficult for a non-historian to understand?
\nh. AUTHOR\u2019S BACKGROUND \u2013 What are the qualifications of this author? What makes them someone
\nyou should listen to and believe? What else have they written? Is this a new topic\/area of interest for
\nthem? (requires a little outside research, don\u2019t just use what is on the back cover of the book [or
\nAmazon] \u2013 should be your ONLY outside source)
\nPart II: As you Write
\nAs you begin to write your review, you should be focusing on several major points and elements.
\na. Bibliographical citation \u2013 ALL reviews should begin with a bibliographical citation. You will find
\ninformation about how to do this at the end of this handout. Historians use Chicago Manual of
\nStyle for all their citations.
\nb. Introduction \u2013 You should have a brief introduction that lays out YOUR thesis of your review \u2013 what
\nyou are hoping to state\/argue about the book and your introduction MUST include the author\u2019s
\nthesis for the book (either paraphrased or as a direct quote).
\nc. Profile\/Summary of the book \u2013 You should have a short paragraph that gives a summary of the
\nbook \u2013 what it was about. Emphasis on SHORT (4 or 5 sentences at the most); it shouldn\u2019t be a
\ndetail by detail listing of the book.
\nd. Body \u2013 You should discuss your observations (from the AS YOU READ section) in the body. I won\u2019t
\ngive you expectations regarding how to put these observations together or how many paragraphs,
\nbut it should be logical and well thought out. Remember that paragraphs are dividing different
\ntopics (even sub-topics) and each paragraph should have a mini-main idea. You can\/should use
\nquotes to support your points, but keep them short. (QUOTES SHOULDN\u2019T BE LONGER THAN ONE
\nSENTENCE\/LINE OF TEXT) You will have to cite any quotes or specific details you use (again, using
\nChicago Manual of Style as described below and in a handout on Blackboard).
\ne. Conclusion \u2013 You should have a short paragraph that sums up your thesis\/argument and major
\npoints of your review. Ideally, it should leave your reader with some ideas about whether they
\nwant to read the book or not.
\nNOTE: Your review should be well written, so make sure you proofread it for grammar, punctuation, spelling,
\nand accuracy. I have read the book, so I will be checking your accuracy and thoroughness.
\nCITATIONS:
\nBibliographic Citation example: (for Part II\/a. above)
\nSmith, John Doe. How to Write a History Essay: The Secrets to Getting an A. (Harlingen, TX: Rodriguez
\nPublishing House, 2016).
\n1st \u2013 Author\u2019s name (last, first.)
\n2nd \u2013 Title of book in italics \u2013 make sure you capitalize all words except short prepositions and
\nconjunctions (in, and, to, etc.).
\n3rd \u2013 Inside parenthesis \u2013 City, State (unless it is a well-known big city like Boston or New York, then no
\nstate necessary) then colon followed by name of publisher, comma and date published. Close
\nparenthesis and period.
\nFootnote citations: (using the example above)
\n1. John Doe Smith, How to Write a History Essay: The Secrets to Getting an A, (Harlingen, TX: Rodriguez
\nPublishing House, 2016): 440.
\n2. Smith, How to Write a History Essay, 452\u201353.
\n1st time you cite the document use the version seen in #1 above \u2013 Author\u2019s name (first then last), Title
\nin italics, City, State published: Publishing company: year in parenthesis followed by a colon, last
\nthe page number ending with a period.
\n2nd time you cite the document, you can shorten the citation to what you see in #2 above \u2013 Author\u2019s
\nlast name followed by a comma, title in italics (can be shortened to main words) with a comma,
\nand finally page number (or range if you are using something from more than one page) ending
\nwith a period.
\nFORMAT: 3-4 page paper – NO COVER PAGE
\n1 inch margins (left, right, top, bottom)
\nDouble spaced (Times New Roman or Calibri 12 pt. font)
\nHeading: only your name & course:section number (ex. 1301:15) (DO NOT USE my name or the date)
\nTitle (centered \u2013 can be creative or not)
\nBibliographic citation of the book
\nBody
\nFootnotes (not endnotes <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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