The book to be reviewed is Jefferson Cowie's Stayin Alive. It can be accessed at the following link:
Reviews should be a minimum of 600 words in length, and follow this basic format:
Publication info following Chicago formatting guidelines (author, title, place of publisher, name of publisher, date of publication)
Explanation of the author’s thesis (identify this—as well as the scope and subject of the book—in the first paragraph of your review, which should be at least 200 words)
A summary of the highlights of the book (in two or three paragraphs, at least 300 words)
Assessment of the book (how it compares to other books on the subject, strengths, weaknesses, original contributions, audience, etc., about 100 words)
Please note, book reviews are not book summaries. You are addressing the author’s argument, sources, and methodology, and you do not need to provide a chapter-by-chapter summary. To get a sense of the form and purpose of academic book reviews, I suggest you examine the book review sections of prominent historical journals like the Journal of American History
Sample Solution