Book Review for SOC100: Sociological Perspectives
Book Review Guidelines
This may be the first class in which you have been asked to write a book review. As such, it is important to make sure you know some guidelines for writing an effective review. The following is adapted from Indiana University’s online resource for writing book reviews (http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/book_reviews.shtml).
First, ask yourself these questions as you read:
- What are the author’s viewpoint and purpose? – keep in mind: Aziz Ansari didn’t write this alone
- What are the author’s main points (also called the author’s thesis)?
- How does the author support his/her main points/thesis?
- Does the author argue against or continue the work of other writers? In this sense, the book is not a singular entity, but part of a larger discussion about this particular issue in popular culture.
- Is this author considered an expert on the topic? What is the author’s educational/professional background?
- How successful is the author in conveying and supporting his/her main points/thesis?
Once you begin writing, your review should be arranged in the following way:
- Introduction (10%)
- This is where you can introduce the author, his backgrounds, and where he “fits” into the larger discussion surrounding this topic
- Summary of the book (20%)
- Restate the main points/thesis
- Provide the author’s most significant evidence and support of the thesis
- Focus on a few of the studies that stuck out most as you read
- Provide any conclusions reached by the author
- Evaluation of the book: answer these questions (65%)
- What makes Ansari’s book sociological? What kind of data/research did he draw from to make his arguments? What were the roles of history and social context in shaping dating and marriage patterns?
- Related to point 6 above. How successful was Ansari in supporting his thesis, in your view?
- This should NOT be simple guesswork or your uncritical opinion of the book. That the book was boring or long or not the type of thing you typically read is irrelevant. You are critically analyzing the argument, not superficial aspects of the book.
- Conclusion (5%)
- Restate your analysis of the book.
- Would you suggest this book to readers interested in the topic?
Book reviews should be at least three (3) pages long, double-spaced. Do not spend more than a page on summary. Simply restating the content of the book is not equivalent to critical analysis. Book reviews should flow like an essay. Please do not fragment your sections with individual titles. There should be clear transitions between sections. Reviews must be written in 12 point, Times New Roman font using 1” margins. Overly long headers (name, class, book title, date, etc) will not be counted toward the overall page length.
OPTIONAL considerations:
For some students, discussions of sexual assault and coercion may be difficult and/or triggering. With that in mind, I want to make this component of the assignment optional. There will be no additional points or incentives, but I would be remiss to ignore the allegations against Aziz Ansari in January 2018, especially considering our book is about romance and sexual relationships.
I have listed the original interview with “Grace,” as well as several pop articles responding to the incident and rape culture, more generally. Please read these articles and reflect on several of these topics. Do the revelations about Ansari affect your views of the book in any way? How much did you know about the allegations prior to beginning the book? Do the allegations against Ansari change or support your previous understandings of rape culture or male entitlement? Do any of these articles problematize or nuance your attitude? How do Ansari’s actions and attitude fit into the broader #MeToo movement? What other course concepts are relevant to this discussion? You DO NOT need to respond to every question I have asked here. These are simply to stimulate your thinking on the topic.
“I Went on a Date with Aziz Ansari. It Turned into the Worst Night of my Life.”
https://babe.net/2018/01/13/aziz-ansari-28355
This is a clip from Full Frontal with Samantha Bee about the #MeToo movement. I encourage you to watch the entire clip, but the specific discussion about Ansari begins at the 4:00 mark.
“Allegations Against Aziz Ansari are Forcing a Reckoning Around Intersectionality in the South Asian Community”
“On Aziz Ansari And ‘Bad Sex’”
http://bust.com/feminism/194067-aziz-ansari.html
“What Aziz Ansari’s ‘Apology’ Says About How Men View Their Encounters With Women”
https://www.themarysue.com/aziz-ansari-apology/
“Aziz Ansari Is Guilty. Of Not Being a Mind Reader.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/opinion/aziz-ansari-babe-sexual-harassment.html
“Babe, What Are You Doing?”
https://jezebel.com/babe-what-are-you-doing-1822114753