Eng 102. Book Reviews.

ENGL 102, Fall 2018

Due Dates:

Peer Review: October 30th

Book Review: November 13th

Purpose:

This assignment asks that you select, read, discuss and review a seminal work of literature which represents and questions the notion of the American Dream. These works will help you understand how the American Dream has been sought and challenged over time.

My hope is to model an approach to inquiry in which you first conduct broad or horizontal research on your topic. This includes finding and surveying (scanning, reading, analyzing, understanding, synthesizing) important works that engage your topic. You then delve deeply into one aspect of your topic that interests you for your research. This is sometimes called “going vertical”. Ultimately, the work you undertake this quarter will help you develop an informed critical perspective and a model for future scholarship.

You will work together small groups, diverse and complex, to plan your work, delegate roles and share perspectives on your reading. Your weekly group discussions will help you as you draft your individual book reviews.

Finally, you will follow provided guidelines and write a formal book review (note: this is not the same thing as a book report). An in-class peer review session is scheduled for your book review draft.

Skills:

Reading, annotating, re-reading, analyzing, synthesizing, group collaboration, delegation, discussion, research, drafting, revising, editing, peer review.

Task:

Select and read a novel, dramatic play or short story collection and write a 3-page book review.

First, you need to select and acquire a text from list below. You can download an e-text, purchase a book or borrow a book from the library. Audio books are acceptable; however, you will want to have a printed or e-text in hand in order to thoughtfully consider the work as you draft your review.

Before you select your title, you might want to find out more about each book online. The selected works vary in page length and differ in literary genre.

· In Our Time (short story collection), Ernst Hemingway

· Invisible Man (novel), Ralph Ellison

· Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

· Death of a Salesman (dramatic play), Arthur Miller

· A Raisin in the Sun (dramatic play), Lorraine Hansberry

· The Joy Luck Club (novel), Amy Tan

· Fight Club (novel), Chuck Palahniuk

· When They Call You a Terrorist, Patrisse Cullors and Angela Davis

Over the next four weeks you will read the selected text. You will be working with other students who are reading the same text to discuss the book (online and in class) in order to get at some of the work’s finer intricacies. Online groups for each text will be established on CANVAS.

As a group, you will divide the chapters, stories or acts into weekly reading assignments. Remember, you might all have different editions or e-texts, so you can’t rely solely on page numbers to plan your weekly reading.

Finally, you will each write your own book review. You will need a draft of your book for the in-class peer review session.

The format for the book review is as follows:

3-pages, double spaced using MLA page formatting.

I. Introduction (includes the following elements):

· Title of work

· Genre

· Author

· Authorial purpose

· Topicality of the work or its significance

· Comparison of the work to others by the same author or within the same genre if relevant

II. Author biography

III. Synopsis

IV. Characters

V. Setting

VI. Style

VII. Analysis of prevalent motifs or themes (including The American Dream)

VIII. Conclusion

After the book review due date, I will ask your reading group to informally share with the class the title of your book, a brief author bio, a synopsis and an analysis of prevalent motifs and themes.