A book review tells not only what a book is about, but also how successful it is at what it is trying to do. Professors often assign   book reviews as practice in careful analytical   reading. As a reviewer, you bring together the two parts of accurate, analytical reading and strong, personal response when you indicate what the book is about and what it might mean to a reader. In other words, reviewers answer not only the WHAT but the SO WHAT question about a book. Thus, in writing a review, you combine the skills of describing what is on the page,analyzing how the book tried to achieve its purpose, and expressing your own reactions. Most book reviews start with a heading that includes all the basic information about the book, like: Title. Author. Place of publication, publisher, date of publication. Number of pages. The review usually begins with an introduction that lets your readers know what the review will say. The first paragraph usually includes the author and title again, so your readers don't have to look up to find this information. You should also include a very brief description of the contents of the book, the purpose or audience for the book, and your reaction and evaluation. Then you move into a section of background information that helps place the book in context and discusses how to judge the book. Next, you should give a summary of the main points, quoting   and explaining key phrases from the author. Finally, you get to the heart of your review -- your evaluation of the book. In this section, you might discuss some of the following issues: *How well the book has achieved its goal. *What possibilities are suggested by the book. *What the book has left out. *How the book compares with others on the subject. *What personal experiences you've had related to the subject. It is important to use labels   to carefully distinguish your views from the author's, so that you don't confuse your readers. Then, like other essays, you can end with a direct comment on the book, and tie together issues raised in the review in a conclusion. There is, of course, no set form, but a general rule is that the first one-half to two-thirds of the review should summarize the author's main ideas and at least one-third should evaluate the book. What is suggested for a book review in this text?
Quoting from other similar books. Commenting on the book in a fixed form. Analyzing the author's writing experience in the past. Comparing the book with others on a similar subject.