Book Review

BOOK REVIEW INSTRUCTIONS
You will write 2 book reviews (see list of books to choose from). For Book Review 1, choose from the list designated Book Review 1. For Book Review 2, choose from the list designated Book Review 2. Requests for books not on this list will not be accepted. Important note: you should choose a book you have not already read and/or written a review on. Each book review should be 2-3 pages of text. You should also include a title page as well as a bibliographic entry of the book (in current Turabian style) on a separate, last page. The paper should be in 12 point Times New Roman font and have 1-inch margins.

Each Book Review should contain the following:
• An introduction of the book (first paragraph);
• An identification of the main argument or theme (last sentence of the first paragraph. This will serve as your thesis);
• An organized and detailed analysis of the book’s primary argument or theme (body of the paper. This will be approximately 3-4 paragraphs); and
• A conclusion (last paragraph).

Note: It is fine to give a short summary of the book, but the crux of the Book Review must be a critique or analysis of the book’s main argument or theme. Also, your thesis statement must show the reader the direction you are going in your review. You are expected on some level to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the book within the review.

Book Lists for Book Reviews 1 and 2:

Book Review 1 (Choose one book from this list below and write a 2-3 page review).
James Axtell, The Invasion Within: The Contest of Cultures in Colonial North America
Warren Billings, Sir William Berkeley and the Forging of Colonial Virginia
Patricia Bonomi, Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America
Francis Bremer, John Winthrop: America’s Forgotten Founder
Jon Butler, Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People
Verner W. Crane, The Southern Frontier, 1670-1732
Lawrence A. Cremin, American Education: The Colonial Experience, 1607-1783
Alfred W. Crosby Jr., The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492
John Demos, The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America