normal people book review

normal people book review

The Importance of Book Reviews for Normal People

1. Introduction

If anyone really wants to obtain an objective indication of the value of any particular book, he had better turn at once to a review. Reviewers work because they feel that they have some experience which is worth communicating, but their function is one which is of its nature transitional: they should be talking to people who have not yet made up their mind. If their readers have already turned against the book which is being considered, their own judgment is of very little value. And just because a review is essentially an expression of opinion, it is worth reading only if it is fairly typical of some reasonable body of opinion. It is to stimulate interest in the book, to excite curiosity and to induce a frame of mind in which the reader will be in sympathetic tune with one at least of the probable ways of looking at it, that the reviewer uses persuasion. It is quite fair for the possible reader to refuse to submit to any such influence, but if he does not, he must realize that he is still without the data on which his decision would best be based.

2. Benefits of Reading Book Reviews

Overall, reading book reviews for normal people is an inherently worthwhile task. It both stimulates the mind and gives the reader insight into the opinions of other people – some of whom, they might already have ideas in particular regard to. Whether they were considering reading a book, or had just finished it – writing a review is both a pleasurable pastime, and thus reading them can be far more enriching than the text it critiques. Reviews are also plentiful and easily accessible. There are many sites that host many reviews on various books and could be found with a simple search. They can be found in newspapers, periodicals, and through search engines on the net. They provide a solid background of knowledge on a book and thus a solid understanding would be to someone who is time poor and does not wish to waste their time reading an unsatisfactory book. The abundance of reviews would also prove useful to students in an English class, or any students who required information on a particular book as a majority of the book’s themes and characters would be encapsulated in a review. Valid historical books are essential to reviewers and readers. In some scenarios, a book itself can store historical information. Many people go searching for exact details on events, peoples, or places. This information would often be hard to come across because many newer sources would unknowingly generalize or miss details on the topics. Book reviews are a way to decipher whether a book would be a good source and give precise details on historical content. Popular history book reviews are often found on special history book websites and even these for university classes on any particular historical topics. These book reviews can save readers time and often money because the more recent the history book and the book’s content was more specific to what the reader wanted, the higher the chance they would read a book reiterating the same information.

3. How to Write an Effective Book Review

3. Balance the positive and negative. It can be very easy to skim over the parts that you didn’t quite agree with in the book, but pointing out the book’s weaknesses is an important part of the review. It’s important to be honest; if you skimmed over a part, and it shows, mention it. At the same time, the review should not consist of just negative comments; it’s important to sprinkle in some praise, else the review will come off as a diatribe. A good way to do this is by comparing the book to others of its kind, or other books from the author. This can give an astute reader a good feel for whether or not the book is worth their time.

2. Provide a catchy lead-in. Try to draw the reader in with a quick, snappy, fun tidbit about the book. It could be something controversial, or something interesting, or something to make the reader laugh. The idea is to make the reader want to read more.

1. Keep the reader in mind. The reader is looking for insightful, well-supported critical comments on the book at hand. But, the reader is also looking to make a decision about the book; they want to know whether they should buy it or borrow it from the library. The review should give the reader a good feel for the book without giving away all the best parts.

Writing a good book review is an art in and of itself, with the lofty goal of entertaining the reader while offering thoughtful opinions. Whether you are a book professional or academic scholar, or just a consumer, here are the key steps to nailing your review:

4. Tips for Finding Reliable Book Reviews

Do not simply choose a random review and take the reviewer’s word for it. Look at the underlying reasons that a particular reviewer may have liked or disliked a book. The New York Times Book Reviews are quite long and detailed, and its approach has pluses and minuses. The positive side is that you get a detailed understanding of how the reviewer felt about the book. On the other hand, the review is so detailed that it can give away a bit too much of the book’s content. So in gauging a review, consider whether it sounds like it was giving a report on the book or an analysis. It should be the latter. And always remember to avoid reading a review for a book you’re interested in if the review contains too many phrases that sound like “spoiler.” Remember also that there are vast differences between the opinions of a professional literary critic, academic, amateur reader, and person with an ax to grind. A literary critic (whether it’s in a professional journal or just someone with an academic background in literature) will tend to focus on the technical aspects of a book and compare it to others by the same author or in the same genre. They usually make the most objective and universal recommendations. But people with an academic background might be more prone to giving a long-winded and one-dimensional analysis without considering a holistic portrayal of the book and the author’s intentions. This type of analysis is akin to taking a portion of a book out of context and it can sometimes be as misguided as the intentions of the author. A student should always ask his teacher for some book recommendations and whether the book would be suitable material for a holistic approach of the material being taught in class. This is more preferable to having the teacher give a small analysis of the book on the spot. An amateur reader will usually give a review based on whether he/she likes the book or not and a personal connection with its content. This type of review is the most subjective and the furthest from the plight of the student who just wants to find out if the book is really suitable material. This does not mean that amateur readers cannot provide a reliable analysis, but the student must be mindful to differentiate the criterion of book suitability from the personal criterion. Any biased phrase like “this book is fantastic because the main character’s qualities resemble my own in so many ways” can be a double-edged compliment. People who have negative sentiment about a book due to a personal disconnect with its content can often make it seem as if the book is simply no good, when in fact it just means that it was not the right type of material for the reader. Lastly, a person with an ax to grind is not a very reliable authority on any book and it just may be best to avoid reading any review of a book which is besides his direct mention of the book’s title accompanied by his pent-up emotions. A slight stereotype may have been used in the description of some of these review types, but this is just to clarify a general differentiation between the criteria often used in writing or speaking a review of a book.

5. Conclusion

When a reviewer analyses and evaluates a piece of literature such as a book, it shows their level of critical thinking and how deeply they have delved into the book. This is a valuable characteristic as it is one that is transferable to many real-life situations and can help people to maneuver and develop their own lives. But the greatest reason that these people should dedicate time to read and write book reviews is that it will lead to the overall improvement of the literary world. High-quality books deserve recognition and acclaim, and by reviewing a book, positive feedback can encourage the author to continue to produce fine works and even possibly exceed in their endeavors. On the other hand, negative feedback can help authors to identify weakened areas and improve in their future works to achieve an overall better standard of writing.

It is widely accepted that book reviews are critical in helping people to understand the qualities of a book. But it is book reviews for the best books that are the real valuable. Without question, taking the time to consider shows a deeper appreciation and understanding, whether it is a detailed plot or a complex character that is well developed.