Book selection
Students will select the book they are going to review. The choices are vast, but they must meet the following criteria:
• Books must have a minimum length of 150 pages, not including index, endnotes, etc. Students choosing particularly lengthy books (over 250 pages) may, with my approval, elect to review a portion of the book.
• Books must be “serious” historical works (no fiction, no books made up primarily of photographs, no juvenile books, etc.).
• Books should be a secondary works, not first-hand accounts. For example, a book written about Ulysses S. Grant would be OK, but a book written by Ulysses S. Grant would not.

• HIST 1306: Books must deal with some aspect of American history after 1877.
These stipulations still leave you with a very wide range of book choices. Remember that although the book must deal with America’s past, it does not necessarily have to be about such “hardcore” history topics as elections, wars, or which president did what. Those subjects are fine, but books about such things as clothing fashions, sports, religion, and daily life are perfectly acceptable also. To ensure that book choices are suitable for this assignment, all students must get their selections approved by me by the date specified on the course syllabus. Getting your book approved earlier is even better as it allows you to get an early start on this assignment.

Basic requirements
The paper should meet the following requirements:
• Length of 1,000-1,500 words
• Must be typed or computer printed
• Must be double-spaced
• Must include a word count
• Must include the bibliographical information of the book at the top of page one; use the following format:
Morison, Samuel Eliot. The European Discovery of America: The Southern Voyages, 1492-1616. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977, 578 pp.

Format of the paper
Your paper does not need a title page. At the top of page 1 list your name, the course number (HIST 1306), the date, and the word count of the paper. Below that, have the bibliographic information of the book arranged in the format specified above. After that should be the body of the paper. Do not put your paper in any sort of plastic or paper folder; just staple it together.

Content
This is to be a book review rather than a simple book report. That means it is a critical analysis of the book, not just a rehashing of what the book is about. Good book reviews are a blending of the content and scope of the book, the author’s thesis and conclusions, and most importantly, the reader’s critique/assessment of the book. In some ways they are like movie reviews; movie reviewers do not just say what happens in the film, they also give it a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down.” While I want you to be more specific and sophisticated than that, in a general sense that is what you will be doing. I want your “take” on the book. The following are the sorts of questions that good book reviews address:

• What seems to be the author’s purpose in writing the book?
• What is the scope of the book? In terms of content, what does the author try to cover?
• What is the book’s thesis or primary argument? Are the author’s arguments in support of that thesis convincing?
• Does the author show evidence of bias?
• Does the writer appear to have researched the book thoroughly? Are the right sources used and are there enough of them?
• How would you rate the quality of the writing itself? Is the book flowing, clear, and colorful, or verbose, drab, and hard to follow?
• Is the book organized well?
• What contribution does the book make to the field of study? Has it changed your understanding of the subject?
• Who seems to be the author’s target audience? (scholars? students? the general public?)

Be sure to support your statements with specifics.

Grading
When grading, I primarily look for evidence that you have carefully read and considered the book; I want you to produce a thoughtful critique in which you take positions and support them. However, the quality of your writing is important, too. In other words, I do count off if there are significant problems with spelling, organization, punctuation, and grammar. This review is to be a polished, college-quality paper that represents the best of your writing. Try to make this the best paper you have ever written (something you should strive to do with every paper you write). You will be graded on a 0-5 point scale with a 5 being a perfect paper. Those points will be added to your overall final grade for the course. A good paper could mean a higher letter grade.

Submitting the paper
Papers will be turned in to me, in class, on the day of the final exam. No late papers will be accepted after the final exam is over. Be on time and bring your paper with you when you come to take your final.

YOU WILL NEED THESE ARTICLES
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30036938
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30239179