Writing Homework Help

BOOK ANALYSIS

Most of what you find on Wikipedia or read in textbooks or hear in lectures has come from monographs– nonfiction books, articles or   papers written by scholars. But you only hear the summarized version of their stories. I want you to read a book about a topic from the time period this course covers that is interesting to you. Really get into the details so that you get a picture in your head of what life was like for the people living in the place and time your book covers. You’ll write a 7-10 page analysis of the book; the details are in the Project 3 update instructions.Here is what you will need to do:•Choose a book written in the last thirty years: you can follow this link to the ebook guide for the Foothill Library. Normally, I would want you to go to the library and browse the shelves, but for now, you can search the ebook collection on topics that are interesting to you. You don’t have to choose your book from the Foothill Library.•Your book needs to be about a particular place, event or person. Avoid books that give an overview of a whole era or topic: if it looks or sounds like a textbook, it will not work for this project.•Your book needs to cover one subject from the historical period we cover in this course, roughly 1812 – 1914 in North America. There are some exceptions (like Native American cultures) but you should ask me about them first before choosing a book.•Your book needs to have been written in the last thirty years – the material will be more up to date and the reviews will be easier to find.•Your book needs to be nonfiction – not a novel – and needs to be written for an adult audience.Avoid illustrated or graphic (cartoon) histories. These aren’t bad books, just not thorough enough for this paper.•You will need to submit three updates on your analysis during the quarter. The forms for these updates are included in this document. They are:oProject Update 1:  The Book Topic and OverviewoProject Update 2:  Book Review SourcesoProject Update 3:  Paper First Draft (strongly advised for an A on the final paper)•Need help? Ask one of our librarians: they would love to help you find a book.

Project Update 1: BookName:Fully cite the book you are thinking of using here (include number of pages): Use Chicago/Turabian style to cite your book.Who is the author, what is their professional background, and why did they write this book (You might find this on the inside or outside of the book cover and in the introduction to the book)? Based on what you have read so far, what aspects of American life or history do you think you will learn more about by reading this book?

Project Update 2:  Book ReviewsName: What book are you reading? Find two professional reviews of the book you are reading. These will likely be in academic journals.Start by looking in the Journal of American History. Fully cite each of the reviews here (Use this Citation Guide and  Research Guide for help). Example: Carpenter, Daniel. “Capitalism, Counterfactuals, and the National State: Reflections on Richard White’s Railroaded.” California History89, no. 1 (December 2011): 16–27. https://ezproxyfh.fhda.edu/login?url=http://search…=70785887&site=ehost-live.1) 2) For each review, indicate how you know the information from the source is reliable (Who wrote the review and what are their credentials?  Where was the review published, and is the publication reputable?).1)2)

Project Update 3: First DraftPaper Structure:1.Include a descriptive title, a brief introduction and page numbers. Use standard font size and margins.2.You must cite quotations, specific data, specific ideas or opinions you get from your sources.  Citations should be numbered and noted as footnotes.1a.Include a works cited page at the end of your paper properly listing your sources in alphabetical order.  3.Edit your work: correct spelling, grammar, sentence structure and punctuation errors.4.Make sure the written part of your paper (not including the Works Cited page) is 7-  10 pages long. Papers can be longer than ten pages. If your paper comes up short, include more of your favorite details from the book5.Thesis: Why did the author write this book? What is their professional background? What point are they   trying to make? This is usually spelled out in the Introduction or Preface of the book.  6.Description: What happens in this book? Include the most interesting passages, events, characters, etc.You should not briefly summarize each chapter. This part should make up the majority of your paper.7.Context: If helpful, use a secondary source to provide context for what is happening in the book. Cite your source.8.Assessment: What did you like about this book? Which parts were confusing or less interesting? Was there anything you would have liked to know more about? 9.Application: How did this book enhance your understanding of what you have read or heard in this course or previously. 10.Reviews: What have at least two other professional reviewers said about this book? Do their reviews make sense to you? Do they make points you agree with? Do their reviews provide insights into the book that you had not considered? Don’t give me the reviewers’ credentials in your paper: you already did that in update 2. Go into some detail in this section: it should be about two pages. Cite your sources.11.What are some related books on this topic that you might want to read? Search for and include specific titles

Book:The Civil War in Missouri: A Military History  (attached below).