Reading Review Guidelines

Your review should be 2-3 pages (i.e., at least four paragraphs), double-spaced, and written in a 12pt font. While there are many ways to write a reading review, one possible format is the following:

Paragraph #1: [identifying the thesis of the text]

          Why is the author writing this?
          What is the message that s/he is attempting to convey?
          Why does it matter?
Paragraph #2: [contains brief summaries of the text]

          How does the author organize her/his work?
          What historical evidence does the author use to support her/his argument?
          Why is the evidence that the author uses important?
Paragraph #3: [analyzing the strength and weakness of the text]

          Where is the author’s argument compelling?
          Where does it fall short?
          What is particularly persuasive?
          What is missing?
Paragraph #4: [putting the text into the context of the course]

            How does the work fit in with the discussions that we have had in class?
            What does it add to our understanding of the historical object at hand?
            How does it compare to the other readings we have done?