Nursing Book Review
Before reading, consider:
- Title – What is the suggestion?
- Preface /Introduction – Provides vital information concerning the intentions of the author together with the book’s scope. Can you recognize any limitations? Did the author overlooked vital aspects in the subject?
- Table of Contents – indicates the sequential arrangement of book with the main ideas and how they have been developed either chronologically, topically, among others.
Points to ponder as you read theentire book:
- What entails an all-purpose field or the genre? Does the book merit?
- From what perspective has the book been written?
- Do you concur or oppose the perspective of the author?
- Make some notes in the process of reading and identify relevant passages that need to be quoted in the review.
- Are you able to follow the thesis provided by the author, “common thread”?
- What is the style that the author uses? Formal? Informal? Is the style appropriate to serve intended audience?
- Are the concepts defined properly? Is the language used comprehensible as well as convincing? Have the ideas been developed in the correct way? What areas have adequately been covered and which ones are not covered? What is the degree of precision in the information?
- Is the concluding chapter and the summary used by the author convincing?
- In case the author has incorporated some footnotes, have they been a good source of vital information? Do they elucidate or extend points that have been raised in the text?
- If pertinent, make some note concerning the format in the book that engrosses the layout, the binding, etc. Are there some maps and illustrations? If any, Are they resourceful?
- Is the index correct? What are the sources that were used by the author – are they primary or secondary sources? Make note of vital omissions.
- What important accomplishments can be associated with the book? Is there need for more work? Make a comparison of the book with others that have been written by the same author, or other books that are from similar field though written by other authors. (make use of the books that appear in the bibliography list).
Writing the Review:
- Include the title, the author, the place of publication, the publisher, the date of publication, edition, number of pages; any special features such as the maps, etc. the price and the ISBN.
- Hook the attention of reader using the opening sentence. Set an appropriate tone applicable in review. Be proverbial with available guidelines — some of the editors would desire to plot summaries while others do not. Other people try to seek explicit opinion concerning the books recommendations while others do not.
- Review the book that you have read — not the book that you think that the author could have written.
- If you think the book is the best, recommend the same giving reasons and if it is just another good book, comment so.
- Include the relevant details of the author including the reputation, the level of qualifications, etc. — anything that you find relevant concerning the book and the authority of the author.
- Consider the person who will read the review. The person could be a librarian who is interested in buying some books to make books collection or a parent who is interested in a good read-aloud. Consider if the review is intended for a reader who is interested information concerning a certain topic, or if the readers are just searching for a good read.
- The conclusion must give a summary as well as include a final assessment. New information should not appear in the conclusion.
- A good perspective is gained through allowing sufficient time prior to a revision.
