STC Usability SIG Newsletter
Usability Interface

Letter to the Editor

A reader writes, "I would like to write a book review but I don’t know how to get started. Can you please give me some suggestions?"

Answer:

Here are helpful suggestions from the good people of Write Place, St. Cloud State University to help you write a book review:

• Introduce the work
  • Identify the book by author, title, and publishing information.
  • Describe the book’s theme.

• Briefly summarize the content
  
• Provide your reactions to the book
  • Describe the book: Is it interesting, memorable, entertaining, and instructive? Why?
  • Respond to the author’s opinions: What do you agree with? And why? What do you disagree with? And why?
  • Explore issues the book raises: What possibilities does the book suggest?
  • Explain. What matters does the book leave out? Explain.

• Conclude by summarizing your ideas

Close with a direct comment on the book, and tie together issues raised in the review. Briefly restate your main points and your thesis statement. If you like, you can offer advice for potential readers.

This information was written by Maria Escales for LEO and the Write Place, St. Cloud State University. © 1995, 1996, 1997 The Write Place.

The original text is available at http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/bookrev.html.