Write a 4-5 page, double-spaced, and typed book review of John Lindsay-Poland?s Emperors in the Jungle. The essay is to be a minimum of 4 full pages and a maximum
of 5 full pages. Use 12 point font. Start at the top of the first page without putting
information such as course number. I recommend that you use Time New Roman for
your font.
Your review needs to address the following items. [1] Inform the reader what the
author?s central question is. [2] Identify 3-4 central themes that the author deploys
in answering the question. [3] Explain what the author?s central argument is. [4]
Advance an argument about the significance of the book for understanding Modern Latin
American history. These elements of the essay do not necessarily have to be addressed in
the sequential order presented above.
Note that a book review essay is not a book report. The latter normally provides a
descriptive summary of the book, while the former is an analytical essay. The best
review interrogates the book using ideas, questions, themes, arguments, and debates
at play within our consideration of Modern Latin American history. Use parenthetical
citations for the material. You do not need a sources cited list.
Put your name on the back of the last page along with the course number. Staple your
essay. You are responsible for keeping an electronic copy of the essay in a secure place
until you have received your assignment grade.
You are responsible for producing an essay free of typographical errors and grammatical
flaws. Please consult the handouts on writing that have been provided throughout the
semester as tools for revising your essays toward a quality product.
Grading criteria
–substance and clarity of central question identified
–substance and clarity of themes analyzed
–clarity of presentation of the author?s argument
–strength of argument about the book?s significance
–errors of omission and commission
–clarity and substance of the writing
–quality of writing.