Book Review

A book review is a thorough description, critical analysis, and/or evaluation of the
quality, meaning, and significance of a book, often in relation to prior research on the
topic. Reviews generally range from 500-1000 words, but may be longer or shorter
depending on the length and complexity of the book being reviewed, the overall purpose
of the review, and whether the review is a comparative analysis examining two or more
books that focus on the same topic. Professors assign book reviews as practice in
carefully analyzing complex scholarly texts and to assess your ability to effectively
synthesize research so that you reach an informed perspective about a research
problem or issue.
What is a review?
A review is a critical evaluation of a text, event, object, or phenomenon. Reviews can

consider books, articles, entire genres or fields of literature, architecture, art, fashion,
restaurants, policies, exhibitions, performances, and many other forms. This handout
will focus on book reviews. For a similar assignment, see our handout on literature
reviews.
Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that
it is a commentary, not merely a summary. It allows you to enter into dialogue and
discussion with the work’s creator and with other audiences. You can offer agreement
or disagreement and identify where you find the work exemplary or deficient in its
knowledge, judgments, or organization. You should clearly state your opinion of the
work in question, and that statement will probably resemble other types of academic
writing, with a thesis statement, supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. See
our handout on argument.
Typically, reviews are brief. In newspapers and academic journals, they rarely exceed
1000 words, although you may encounter lengthier assignments and extended
commentaries. In either case, reviews need to be succinct. While they vary in tone,
subject, and style, they share some common features:
 First, a review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes
a relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument,
or purpose.
 Second, and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the

content. This involves your reactions to the work under review: what strikes you
as noteworthy, whether or not it was effective or persuasive, and how it
enhanced your understanding of the issues at hand.
 Finally, in addition to analyzing the work, a review often suggests whether or not
the audience would appreciate it.
I. Common Features
While book reviews vary in tone, subject, and style, they share some common features.
These include:
1. A review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a
relevant description of the research topic and scope of analysis as well as an
overview of the book's overall perspective, argument, and/or purpose.
2. A review offers a critical assessment of the content, often in relation to other

studies on the same topic. This involves documenting your reactions to the work
under review--what strikes you as noteworthy or important, whether or not the
arguments made by the author(s) were effective or persuasive, and how the work
enhanced your understanding of the research problem under investigation.
3. In addition to analyzing a book's strengths and weaknesses, a scholarly

review often recommends whether or not readers would value the work for
its authenticity and overall quality. This measure of quality includes both the
author's ideas and arguments as well as practical issues, such as, readability and
language, organization and layout, indexing, and the use of non-textual elements.
To maintain your focus, always keep in mind that most assignments ask you to discuss
a book's treatment of its topic, not the topic itself. Your key sentences should say, "This
book shows...,” "The study demonstrates...," or “The author argues...," rather than "This
happened...” or “This is the case....”

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A book review is a thorough description, critical analysis, and/or evaluation of the

A review is a critical evaluation of a text, event, object, or phenomenon. Reviews can

 Second, and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the

2. A review offers a critical assessment of the content, often in relation to other

3. In addition to analyzing a book's strengths and weaknesses, a scholarly

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