– In the first section/paragraph, you should think about questions like: What is the thesis or core argument? What is the message the author tries to convey to the reader? What does he hope to achieve by publishing the book? Is he writing the book from a particular angle or bias?

– The second section/paragraph should contain a brief summary of the book. What is its basic story? What do the chapters cover? How does it progress, and how does it conclude?

– The third section/paragraph should analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the book. What does the book reveal to us about the founding generation of the United States? What does the book tell you about manipulations of the historical record for political or other purposes? Where is the author’s writing compelling? Where does it fall short? What is particularly persuasive about the book? What is missing?

– The fourth section/paragraph should tie the book to the class. How does the book fit with the lectures? What does it add to our understanding of religion in the context of the founding of the nation that the lectures could not or did not address? How does the book illustrate problems of presentism (having the present influence the study of the past) in history?