History 612
Book Review Assignment

Due Date:  Tuesday, November 4

The assignment is to choose a history book in your field that explores some of the issues of nationalism and/or transnationalism we have discussed in class and write a thoughtful and critical book review (3-4 pp.).

In selecting a book, start with the choices listed on our course web page under "Suggestions for Further Reading" for each class session.  The books marked with *s meet the minimum requirements for this assignment because they are:

monographs (that is, books about a single subject) rather than collections of essays by a single author or a collection of authors.

good enough to merit a careful review (bad books are easy to review quickly, but difficult to review well).

and published in the last few years (so you can use them to examine the current state of the field).

Go through these lists looking for a book in your field or a field you're comfortable writing about.  If you'd like to review a book that is not listed on the syllabus, please check the title with me first.

Good book reviews tell readers all of the following:

  1. The topic, sources, and thesis of the book 

  2. The strengths and weaknesses of the interpretation 

  3. How the book relates to other books on this topic

  4. How the book relates to other historical and interdisciplinary schools of thought 

  5. Which (or what kind of) readers will find the book most useful.

When you write your review, imagine that your audience is made up of professional historians in fields outside your own.  Make sure to include enough information so that a newcomer to the field can develop a clear picture of both the book and your critique, and learn something about the larger field as well. 

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