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HIS 132 American History II - Miller

Library resources for the book review assignment

Book Review Requirements

One short Book Review of two pages is required for History 132. Keep in mind that a book review is not a book report which you may have done in high school. For a book review you must include the following elements:

1. Author: Who is the author? What are the author’s qualifications for writing a book on the history of whatever is covered in your chosen book? Has the author ever won any awards?

2. Genre: What type of book is it? Is it history or is it biographical? Who do you believe is the intended audience for your book (in other words, do you believe it was written primarily to be used as an academic or scholarly source, like students writing term papers, or was it written for a wider, more general audience?).

3. Title: How does the title apply to the work? Does it convey what is in the book? Is it an interesting title? Is it not an interesting title?

4. Preface, Introduction, Table of Contents: Is there any information given by the author about the text in a preface or introduction? Is the preface or introduction written by the author or by a guest author? Is the book arranged logically by section or chapters?

5. Book Jacket, Cover, Printing: Book jackets can be like short previews of the book’s content. Does the book jacket provide any interesting facts about the book or author that grabbed your interest? Does the book contain informative or helpful photographs, maps, or graphs?

6. Formal book reviews may contain even more information and opinion. However, for the purposes of this class, you may limit your review to the items listed above.

ALSO:

a. One inch border

b. Times New Roman font

c. Font size: 12

d. Double Space

e. Number pages

f. Must be a minimum of 500 words

g. Cover sheet must be formatted as you see in the example posted in Moodle!

The book you choose for your Book Review must be selected from the following list:

(RCC) = Owned by RCC library (listed in Bold)

(RPL) = Owned by Randolph County Public Library


Book Title / Author / Call Number / (Owning Library)

  1. After Appomattox: Military Occupation & the Ends of War / Gregory P. Downs / 973.14 Dow / (RCC)
  2. All the President’s Men / Woodward & Bernstein/ 364.132 Ber / (RCC & RPL)
  3. An American Life: The Autobiography of Ronald Reagan / 973.927 Rea / (RCC & RPL)
  4. Breach of Faith: The Fall of Richard Nixon / Theo. H. White / 364.132 Whi / (RCC & RPL)
  5. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President / Candice Millard (RPL)
  6. FDR, Into the Storm, 1937-1940 / Kenneth S. Davis (RPL)
  7. Flight 93: The Story, the Aftermath, & the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11 / Tom McMillan / 973.931 McM / (RCC)
  8. Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation & Reconstruction / Eric Foner / 973.8 Fon / (RCC & RPL)
  9. Guests of the Ayatollah / Mark Bowden (RPL)
  10. Iran-Contra: Reagan’s Scandal & the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power / Malcolm Byrne / 320.973 Byr /  (RCC)
  11. Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America / Chris Matthews / 973.922 Mat / (RCC & RPL)
  12. Ministers of Reform: The Progressive’s Achievements in American Civilization /Robert M. Crunden (RPL)
  13. My Life / Bill Clinton (RPL)
  14. No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II / Doris K. Goodwin / 973.917 Goo / (RCC & RPL)
  15. Schooling the Freed People: Teaching, Learning, & the Struggle for Black Freedom, 1861-1876 / Ron E. Butchart / 371.829 But / (RCC)
  16. TR: The Last Romantic / H.W. Brands (RPL)
  17. The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story & Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory / David Plouffe / 324.973 Plo / (RCC & RPL); RCC copy is titled: The Audacity to Win: How Obama Won and How We Can Beat the Party of Limbaugh, Beck, and Palin
  18. The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War / Hew Strachan / 940.3 Oxf / (RCC & RPL)
  19. The First World War / John Keegan / 940.3 Kee / (RCC & RPL)
  20. The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence / Gerald Blaine (RPL)
  21. The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, & the Rush to Empire, 1898 / Evan Thomas / 973.891 Tho / (RCC & RPL)
  22. To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty & Rebellion, 1914-1918 / Adam Hochschild (RPL)
  23. The Wright Brothers / David McCullough / 629.13 Wri (RCC & RPL)
  24. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl / Timothy Egan / 978.032 Ega / (RCC & RPL)
  25. Truman / David McCullough (RPL)
  26. William McKinley / Kevin P. Phillips / 973.88 Phi / (RCC & RPL)
  27. 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers / Tim Dwyer (RPL)
  28. 1938: Hitler’s Gamble / Giles MacDonogh (RPL)

List updated 11/12/19