Book reviews aren’t only for novels. They are widely written and read in academic circles as well. Often, they are also set as assignments for courses in disciplines other than literature. While having to review books as an assignment may baffle some students, there are good reasons why book reviews should be written often in college.
The Purpose of Book Reviews
Reviews of popular books appear in several media, the most visible one being the newspaper. However, specialized academic journals concerned with any subject or discipline publish book reviews too. This is because reviews don’t just express the reviewer’s personal opinion of the book, but also act as a commentary on how well this particular work fulfills its declared aim. Reviews also delve into what and how much the piece of work contributes to the body of knowledge under that discipline.
Another purpose that writing book reviews serves, particularly for students, is that it promotes a deeper analysis and understanding of the book itself and the subject matter at large. It forces the student to be more engaged with the book in order to critically analyze it, rather than just read it passively. The importance of critical analysis and questioning is quite high in academia as it prompts further work on the subject and hence a better understanding of it. Demonstrating this critical analysis in a book review effectively is also just as crucial and further indicates the writer’s grasp of the ideas in the book.
Since book reviews are used as a means of learning, academic book reviews can be written for old texts as well, and not just the latest ones.
Writing a Book Review: How Long Does it Take?
The amount of time needed to write a book review depends on the book being reviewed and the writer.
The length of the book establishes the time needed to first read it. The complexity of the work too may determine to a certain extent how long it would take to understand and analyze it.
How quickly the writer is able to form an opinion of the book depends on their preexisting knowledge and their grasp of the subject matter being discussed. However, these elements don’t determine whether or not the writer should review a said book, especially for academic reasons, as book reviews help greatly in learning well. It is alright even if the questions raised by the reviewer are those that have been answered in previous literature on the subject, as this prompts them to look for those answers and hence expand their knowledge. That being said, having a base of information about the subject of the book is likely to reduce the time needed to review it.
Once a proper understanding of the book has been formed, the only time needed is to articulate and write the review.
Analyzing a Book
In popular book reviews what is foremost is the reviewer’s opinion. Such reviews are highly subjective, so it is possible that the same book receives a wide range of judgments based on who is writing the review.
This is true to a certain extent for academic reviews as well. However, these cannot be as subjective and dependent on the writer’s personal opinion of the work. The opinion needs to be objective – backed up with good reasons and, when needed, evidence as well.
While there is no set method to analyze anything, the following points should be kept in mind when analyzing a book for a book review:
- Before forming an opinion, the reviewer needs to understand the context of the work. This is usually provided within the book itself. In the rare instances this is missing, some preliminary research should be done.
- Assessment of the book should take into consideration the proclaimed aim of the book as well as the structure and construction of its argument.
- The answer to the question of how well the author has supported their various arguments, through either sound reasoning or other forms of evidence, is an important part of the review.
- Very often, the author of the book too has a bearing on the review. Their previous work, the stance they are known to hold, and their reputation and standing should be included when analyzing the work. This is especially important when they are well established and widely recognized as, for example, Noam Chomsky.
- The reviewer should also assess how well the text has helped them understand the main topic and the subject.
- Another element that needs to be clearly determined by the reviewer and indicated in the review is the particular lens through which they are analyzing the book. For instance, a book on the anti-globalization movement could be analyzed based on various perspectives within modern history, development, politics, economics, and many others.
How to Write a Book Review
As with the analysis and in fact most writing, there is no absolute or uniform format for writing a book review. However, the following layout is the most commonly recommended one, especially for beginners. As the writer reviews more books, they may personalize and change this basic format according to their needs and creativity.
- Title of the book along with the publisher’s name and the date of publication
- Introduction: Here, the book can be contextualized within the larger field as well as with regard to the author’s previous work (if any) and their reputation. The aims and the main argument of the text should be stated here as well.
- Summary: A quick précis of the work can be made here. It should outline the structure of the book without going into details. Very brief quotes from the book can be included here and, if required, paraphrasing can be done too. This article on how to paraphrase effectively can be of some help.
- Evaluation: This part includes the reviewer’s opinions of the book. This is the key component of the review. Most of the conclusions from the analysis are to be included here. This is also the space to highlight the specific points in the book that the reviewer appreciated and/or disliked. The reviewer’s answers to the questions of how well the author has fulfilled their aim and supported their arguments are to be given here. Possible gaps in the book can be pointed out, and suggestions can be made with respect to future work on the subject. If the reviewer has read other texts on similar or related subjects, comparisons with those can be made too.
- Conclusion: The writer can conclude their review with a comment on the book as a whole. They can also include their recommendation of the book here.
The language used by the reviewer should be in keeping with academic standards, and not slip into a very informal tone.
Ideally, the reviewer’s final evaluation of the book should be balanced and moderate and not swing to extremes of like or dislike. In certain cases, however, such subjective judgments can be expressed.
