1. Choose a non-fiction, social scientific book on, or related to, your research topic!
“Non-fiction” means the book must report on ‘reality’, as opposed to a speculative work, such as a novel.
“Social-scientific” means the book should report a research, be based on research, or review a body of research in the field or fields of sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, economics, epidemiology, social work, history, or any field which overlaps with sociology
“Related in some way” is relatively broad, but can include the following:
1) it is on your topic, e.g. the experience of people diagnoised with such and such kind of mental illness
2) it is on a topic similar too, or which includes your topic, e.g. the experiences of people with mental illness broadly speaking
3) it is a book which is not related topically to the subject of your research, but focuses on a sociological theory or concept which is important or useful to understanding or interpreting said topic, e.g. ‘The Social Construction of Reality’ by Berger & Luckmann, or ‘The Social Construction of What?’ by Ian Hacking, or ‘Suicide’ by Emile Durkheim, or (to zoom in on disability studies) ‘Disability Rights and Wrongs’ by Tom Shakespeare..
(Note – I had asked you to indicate a title of a book in workshop 1. If you wish to change this title, that is fine, but let me know ahead of time).
2. Read and take notes on the book!
3. Write a concise academic book review, in APA style, of maximally 1,000 words (but aiming for a maximum of 700). There is no word minimum, but it is difficult for me to imagine writing a substantive academic book review in fewer than 600 words.
How to Write an Academic Book Review
Step 1: Read the book in its entirety
Dont just read the chapters of the book, but also look at the foreword and preface. A real pro will also read the acknowledgments, look over the references and index (but let’s start small 😉
As you read, take notes in your own words
Note the following:
What is the central question or issue the book addresses?
What is the books argument or thesis?
How is the book organized to support this thesis? How are the chapters ordered? Chronologically? Thematically?
Ideally, it is best to read the book twice.
The first read through should be to familiarize yourself with the book and form initial impressions, followed by a break and a second reading to gather evidence to support your conclusions.
Step 2: Evaluate the Book
Once you have read the work, take a few days to evaluate it and think critically about the work
Evaluate the key arguments, how effectively they were presented and supported, and if they help or fail to help readers to understand a given topic
Consider the following questions
How and what does this work help us to understand about a topic or issue?
What types of evidence does the author draw on to support his or her argument?
Does the book do what the author claims it will do?
Are there other types of evidence that the author fails to acknowledge or ignores?
What theoretical perspective does the author work from? How does this shape of affect his/her argument?
How is the book similar or different from other books on the topic? Why are they similar or different? (This question may not be so relevant for you as beginning scholars in the field)
Are you convinced by the book? Why or why not?
Step 3: Write the Review
( Book: The Interactive Effects of Disability, Race, Age, and Gender by Fong Chan)
