Assignment
Write a book review of the following: Blackwell, Ben C., John K. Goodrich, Jason Maston, eds. Reading Romans in Context: Paul and Second Temple Judaism. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015.
You must follow the guidelines for the book review that are detailed below and in the grading rubric. Generally, the book review must consist of at least 700 words, double spaced, and typed in Times New Roman 12 point font. Maintain 1-inch margins on all sides of each page. The book review must include a title page. The review must provide an overview of the book's major content, an evaluation of the content, and an assessment of its importance.
More specifically, the book review should include four major components: (1) the complete bibliographical entry; (2) the author's information such as education, position, and scholarship; (3) a concise summary or synthesis of the major thrust of the book; and (4) an honest and courteous evaluation of the book. This exercise will require some research and diligent effort on your part.
The following questions may serve as a check list of sorts that guide you through the process of reviewing the book.
1. What is the author's thesis? How does the thesis develop throughout the book?
2. Where is the author coming from? What is his or her academic background? Can you detect the author's assumption, biases, or presuppositions?
3. Whom is the intended reader?
4. What is the author's position regarding the problem being addressed?
5. Has the author fulfilled his or her stated or implies purposes? How well has the author's objectives been met?
6. How does this book compare to similar works in the same field? Compare to other works of the same author as well as to similar works of different authors.
7. What is your assessment of this book? Does it benefit the particular field of study?