Jacoby, Karl. Crimes Against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation (2014
What is the author’s central theme or idea? What are the important questions that author is addressing in the work? The author wants to convey to the reader something – an idea, a point of view – so what is it?
What are the ways the author uses historical evidence, and how does that evidence influence our perception of the book?
An analysis of the historical methods and sources the author used to develop her or his historical argument: How has the author organized the book – for example, is it organized chronologically, topically, thematically, or some other way?
How has the historian crafted the book’s main argument? What evidence did the author use to prove and defend the argument?
Did the author convince you about her or his argument, idea, or theme? Why, or why not? This is not mere personal opinion – an historian’s book review is not an expression of simple like or dislike, but a thoughtful assessment of the strength and weakness of the book, and the reviewer must also defend her or his assessments in the review. Did the evidence or other historical material support the author’s argument, theme or conclusion?
What did you learn, or did not learn, from this book that makes it a valuable, or not valuable, contribution to our understanding of the historical topic? Why?
