Critical Book Review Essay
— essay should be written in a five-paragraph essay format. That means you need a clear introduction with a thesis statement that introduces the reader to the source evidence you plan to discuss. You can cite the evidence fully in your footnotes or endnotes. Introduce the reader to the topics & evidence you intend to discuss. You should have a minimum of THREE body paragraphs (not including the introduction and conclusion), but I encourage you to consider writing more. A well-developed body paragraph is between ½ – ¾ of a page according to the formatting requirements described below. You can organize your body paragraphs by types of source evidence or a thematic topic, e.g., religion, agriculture, gender, social structure, politics, economics, etc. The choice is yours. Be sure to include a conclusion paragraph.
You must use Chicago Manual of Style citation footnotes or endnotes. Your draft essay should be approximately three pages, typed, double spaced, 12 pt. font, New Times Roman. The word count for the draft should fall in the 1,000 – 1,250 range.
– review critically To Serve the People. As part of your review I would like you to consider and respond to the following questions:
What do you learn about California’s agricultural labor movement and civil rights history from the narrative? How effectively does the author create a historical narrative of California’s labor and civil rights past in your view? If you attended the book talk with the author, what did you learn about the author’s motivations in writing this text? What did you learn and what are your reactions to his presentation and the history he shared? In what ways do other secondary sources found through library research or shared in class expand your understanding of this important aspect of California history?
