Book Review (Minimum of 2 pages) A college book review is not just a book summary. Instead, your review should have two goals: (1) to inform the reader about the book’s content; and (2) to provide evaluations about the book and author. The following sections, break down your review into more manageable, explained parts. Introduction (1 paragraph). Your introduction gives an overview of the book that includes a brief summary and a sense of your general judgement. It is the equivalent of the thesis statement in a research or explanatory paper. Summary (1 page). This consists of a discussion and highlights of the major arguments, features, trends, concepts, themes, ideas, and characteristics of the book. You may use direct quotes (SPARINGLY and ALWAYS give the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence), but much of your grade will depend on you describing and explaining the material in your own words. Some things to include in this summary are as follows:  What is the author’s main thesis/argument (explained in your own words)? Does the author find support for their argument? Provide evidence in support of or for the contrary.  What are the author’s aims? What do they want you – the reader – to get out of their book?  What are the author’s main points? How do they explain and support them? o Hint: Often, each chapter will have a main focus/point. Use that as an outline if you need. o Use the material presented by the author to support your arguments.  What conclusions does the author reach?  Do the conclusions follow from the thesis or argument the author was aiming for at the start of the book?  Overall, what is the book’s take-away message? Does the author recommend anything to their readers? If so, what? If not, what do you recommend after reading the text for next steps for readers of this book? Author Critique (3 paragraphs). Once you have summarized the book, I want you to think about what you have learned about the author through your experience. If you are unsure about them, do a simple Google search to learn more about them and then answer the following questions.  Who was the book written for (i.e., who was the expected audience of the book)? What assumptions does the author have about the people reading their work? Final Project – Book Review and Course Synthesis Social Stratification Due: Final Exam Time – see course schedule SOC 330  Who is the author? What is their educational background in (if anything)? Aside from writing, what do they do? What are their interests? Have they written anything else?  Are you able to detect any underlying beliefs or philosophies held by the author? What are they? How do you think these beliefs alter or influence their writing? o Does the author’s presentation seem fair and accurate? Is it biased? Provide evidence from the book to support your answers.