Writing book reviews - non-fiction
January 30, 2024 12:06 AM Subscribe
I would like to stretch my book-reviewing and writing muscles — do you have any tips or guidance on how to do that in the year 2024?
These reviews are primarily "just for me" to consolidate my knowledge, but in modern times, I suck at writing and processing my reads beyond making highlights. There's also a secondary need for my employer, which is that book content is the most popular stuff they share online — despite not doing it very well. Think of a one-sentence overview. I want to be more expansive.
Do you have any favourite book reviews or reviewers you can share? Can I repeatedly use any structures or tips to approach this task? I'm primarily interested in nonfiction. I don't think I am interested in booktok-style videos unless they are exceptional, however I am open to any other novel formats!
These reviews are primarily "just for me" to consolidate my knowledge, but in modern times, I suck at writing and processing my reads beyond making highlights. There's also a secondary need for my employer, which is that book content is the most popular stuff they share online — despite not doing it very well. Think of a one-sentence overview. I want to be more expansive.
Do you have any favourite book reviews or reviewers you can share? Can I repeatedly use any structures or tips to approach this task? I'm primarily interested in nonfiction. I don't think I am interested in booktok-style videos unless they are exceptional, however I am open to any other novel formats!
Best answer: Jacques Barzun's advice from the book review section of his book “The Modern Researcher” has been really useful for me. It might be a bit academic for your needs, but most of it works more generally too, I think. This is my summary of what he recommends for a 10 paragraph review:
¶ 1 Idea of interest. Enlist the attention of the readers. Opening statement takes the readers from where they stand in point of knowledge and brings them to the book under review.
Describe the aim, scope and place in the world of the work.
¶ 2 What thesis, tendency, bias does the text uphold, suggest, harbor?
¶ 3-5 Discuss the author’s main contentions. Give detailed evidence of the grounds of your classification above.
¶ 6-7 Deal with additional or contrary points to be found in other authors or in your own research.
Up to this point, only amend or qualify what is acceptable in the book.
¶ 8-9 Deliver chief objections and summarize shortcomings.
Mention only important errors, if any. Modulate into the broad field: How is our conception of the topic changed by the book? What further work is needed? Are there any gaps to be filled?
¶10 Strike a balance of merits and faults, ending with some words about the author, not yourself or the subject.
The author and work should, through you, be given the floor.
posted by umbú at 2:40 AM on January 31, 2024 [1 favorite]
¶ 1 Idea of interest. Enlist the attention of the readers. Opening statement takes the readers from where they stand in point of knowledge and brings them to the book under review.
Describe the aim, scope and place in the world of the work.
¶ 2 What thesis, tendency, bias does the text uphold, suggest, harbor?
¶ 3-5 Discuss the author’s main contentions. Give detailed evidence of the grounds of your classification above.
¶ 6-7 Deal with additional or contrary points to be found in other authors or in your own research.
Up to this point, only amend or qualify what is acceptable in the book.
¶ 8-9 Deliver chief objections and summarize shortcomings.
Mention only important errors, if any. Modulate into the broad field: How is our conception of the topic changed by the book? What further work is needed? Are there any gaps to be filled?
¶10 Strike a balance of merits and faults, ending with some words about the author, not yourself or the subject.
The author and work should, through you, be given the floor.
posted by umbú at 2:40 AM on January 31, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This essay is about writing, reading and reviewing - and the principles can be applied to both fiction and non-fiction: Tina Makereti - Bleeding on the Page: On writing, community and reviews
Here’s an extract:
“If one of these books gets through years of writing and rewriting, the author’s own self-doubt, first readers and writing groups, lack of time, lack of money, expert readers, the vicissitudes of the publishing world and more self-doubt; if a book finally makes it out the other end of that, thoroughly tested and angsted over, by all means review it, but let’s remember how much guts and graft it took to put it out there.
This doesn’t mean giving the book a free pass on all the complex questions it raises, but giving it the benefit of the doubt, as a starting point. Let’s imagine an author who has done their due diligence. Let’s imagine a writer who has worked and worried over the very questions at hand for many years (it will be clear, I think, if the writer hasn’t!). Let’s begin with compassion, recognise the work that has been done, and then, if the writer appears to have missed a beat, or a few beats, or tripped over and broken their nose on the hard wooden floor of our history, gushing blood everywhere, let’s raise some questions. The questions can be raised with sensitivity and aroha.”
posted by The Patron Saint of Spices at 3:20 PM on January 31, 2024
Here’s an extract:
“If one of these books gets through years of writing and rewriting, the author’s own self-doubt, first readers and writing groups, lack of time, lack of money, expert readers, the vicissitudes of the publishing world and more self-doubt; if a book finally makes it out the other end of that, thoroughly tested and angsted over, by all means review it, but let’s remember how much guts and graft it took to put it out there.
This doesn’t mean giving the book a free pass on all the complex questions it raises, but giving it the benefit of the doubt, as a starting point. Let’s imagine an author who has done their due diligence. Let’s imagine a writer who has worked and worried over the very questions at hand for many years (it will be clear, I think, if the writer hasn’t!). Let’s begin with compassion, recognise the work that has been done, and then, if the writer appears to have missed a beat, or a few beats, or tripped over and broken their nose on the hard wooden floor of our history, gushing blood everywhere, let’s raise some questions. The questions can be raised with sensitivity and aroha.”
posted by The Patron Saint of Spices at 3:20 PM on January 31, 2024
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