Write a book review on Leadership Theory and Practice 7th edition by Peter G. Nothouse.
Instructions for Book Review
A book review is a critical evaluation of the book. The most important element of a book review is that it is a commentary, not merely a summary of the book.
First, a review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
Second, and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the content. This involves your reactions to the work under review: what strikes you as noteworthy, whether or not it was effective or persuasive, and how it enhanced your understanding of the issues at hand.
Developing an assessment: before you write
What is the thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? What has the book accomplished?
What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion?
How does the author support her/his argument? What evidence does she use to prove her point?
How does the author structure her argument? What are the parts that make up the whole?
How has this book helped you understand the subject?
Writing the review
Once you have made your observations and assessments of the work under review, carefully survey your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review.
Your arguments should develop the thesis in a logical manner. That logic, unlike more standard academic writing, may initially emphasize the author’s argument while you develop your own in the course of the review.
The review should be composed of 4 main parts: introduction, summary, evaluation, and conclusion. The content of each element is explained below.
Introduction
The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
Relevant details about who the author is and where he/she stands in the genre or field of inquiry.
The context of the book (where does it stand in the study of political sociology?).
The thesis of the book. The specific contribution the book.
Your thesis about the book.
Summary of content
This should be almost half of the whole text. In the course of making your assessment, you’ll hopefully be backing up your assertions with concrete evidence from the book, so some summary will be dispersed throughout other parts of the review.
Analysis and evaluation of the book
Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into paragraphs that deal with single aspects of your argument. This arrangement can be challenging when your purpose is to consider the book as a whole, but it can help you differentiate elements of your criticism and pair assertions with evidence more clearly. You do not necessarily need to work chronologically through the book as you discuss it. Given the argument you want to make, you can organize your paragraphs more usefully by themes, methods, or other elements of the book. Avoid excessive quotation and give a specific page reference in parentheses when you do quote. Remember that you can state many of the author’s points in your own words.
Conclusion
Sum up or restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book. You should not introduce new evidence for your argument in the conclusion. You can, however, introduce new ideas that go beyond the book if they extend the logic of your own thesis. This paragraph needs to balance the book’s strengths and weaknesses in order to unify your evaluation.
Format
Between 8-10 pages
