Writing a book review

1. Writing a book review Postgraduate research training John Canning25 February 2011

2. About book reviews Found in academic journals, newspapers, magazines, online Could be as little as 50-100 words to 1000+ for a review essay. A book review is youropinion about a book Good opportunity to get published as a postgraduate student. Useful for keeping up to date to scholarship in your field. This session is mainly about reviews in academic journals

3. Questions to address in your review: Introduction • What is the general topic of study? • Who is the book for? • What is the place of the book in the field of study? • What issues is the author trying to address?

4. Book contents and highlights • What are the author’s key arguments? • How do these arguments support or contradict existing scholarship? • What are the highlights/ key sections of the book?

5. Evaluating the book • What contribution does the book make to the field of study? • Is the book good value for money? Is it worth purchasing for individuals or the library? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?

6. Other tips • Don’t be rude– authors have feelings! The author could be your future boss. • Avoid gushing praise (almost as bad as above). • Review the book, not the writer! • Read the book carefully. • Think about your audience (the publication you are reviewing for)

7. Thinking about your audience J. I. Little (2009) Loyalties in conflict: A Canadian Borderland in War and Rebellion (University of Toronto Press). How might this be reviewed differently in… • British Journal of Canadian Studies • Journal of American History • Journal of Military History • Journal of Eastern Townships Studies?

8. Five Kinds of Reviewer* • The Spankersare out to administer discipline over anything from ill-conceived plot-lines to misplaced commas. • The Young (and Old) Turk sees the review solely as an opportunity to demonstrate her or his own intellectual superiority and above-average intelligence. • The Self-Abusers feel they could have written a better book on the subject, given half the chance, and describe it at great length. • Gushers skip over discussion of the book; they just want to communicate the enjoyment of reading it. • The Good Reviewer will represent the book (without lapsing into long-winded summaries) so the reader gets a sense of what the book is like whether the reviewer likes it or not. The good reviewer will also offer an interesting or revealing point of view from which the book can be perceived critically. *(adapted by Roger Shiner from Susan Swan, ‘Nine ways of looking at a critic’, Toronto Globe and Mail 30th November 1996. E23) http://web.uvic.ca/~pir/stylesheet.html

9. How to become a book reviewer • Find relevant journal which does book reviews and ask book reviews editor • Calls for reviewers on e-mail lists and subject association newsletters. • Worst answer you can get is “no thank you!”

10. Do I get paid? • You get a free book!

11. Further reading • J. Hartley (online) How to write a book review http://bit.ly/9X2CuY • How to write a book review (online) http://www.lavc.edu/Library/bookreview.htm

12. Activity (discuss with your neighbour) • What is the general topic of study? • Who is the book for? • What is the place of the book in the field of study? • What issues is the author trying to address? • How might the answer to these questions vary according to the journal you are writing for? • We will discuss at the end John Canning j.canning@soton.ac.uk

13. John Canning j.canning@soton.ac.uk