Overview
Readings in Medicine & Society
Book Review Assignment: Instructions and Guidelines
An academic book review is the summary, analysis, and critique of a book. For this assignment you should aim for 3 – 4 pages.
1. Summary
Generally, a book review begins with a summary of the book’s primary purpose and/or arguments and any key context needed to understand the author’s presentation.
If you are reviewing a scholarly book or research monograph, your summary should capture the main arguments that the author has made throughout their work. (The introduction and conclusion are often key places to find succinct statements of the author’s key arguments.)
If you are reviewing a memoir or an autobiography, your summary should describe how the author defines themselves, central life events that the author presents, and key rationales for writing their story
Your summary should remain brief and strive to present the key ideas.
2. Analysis and Significance
For this assignment, I would like you to analyze two things:
the author’s ability to narrate the experience of illness in ways that are illuminating or compelling. If they succeeded, why did they succeed? If they did not, why not? Consider, for instance, the author’s research methodology (if scholarly), storytelling (if memoir), writing style, organization of the book, etc.
the author’s ability to narrate illness in relation to the social. Does the book enhance your understanding of the social structures that make some bodies vulnerable and / or consider how the illness experience is socially constructed? If so, how? If not, should it have?
3. Critique and Recommendation
A crucial part of an academic book review is your scholarly opinion. What are the benefits or drawbacks of this book? What audience is this book best suited for? Would you recommend that this book be part of the next “Readings in Medicine & Society” syllabus?
In good scholarly fashion, close the book review with your full name and your university affiliation.
ASSESSMENT
An excellent book review will present a succinct and clear picture of the main premises and contributions of the book reviewed.
The review will be well organized. It will utilize proper paragraph structure and smooth transitions. The writing will be clear and direct, with a minimum of grammatical and spelling errors.
The analysis will demonstrate the book’s relation to (or departure from) the materials and discussions of the course.
The critique and recommendation will be thoughtful and persuasive.