A good review should contain your critical evaluation of the book, your personal reaction to it. Do not say merely that it was "interesting" or "uninteresting". Discuss its merits and flaws, why you liked or disliked it, and whether you would recommend it to other students in your class. Do you disagree with any or all of it? Does it run counter to the ideas of other writers in whom you have confidence? Does the evidence brought forth by the author support his or her conclusions? Is the evidence presented with logic and cogency/ does the author present any new evidence in the form of unpublished letters, original documents, diaries, contemporary testimonies, etc. or does she rely mainly or entirely on secondary works -- that is, books written by other people on the same subject? Were foreign language works cited? Does the narrative contain evidence, either implicit or explicit, of a bias on the part of the author? In some cases, particularly in the older works, it would strengthen your review if you included some biographical data. In general your book review should weigh the value of the book to historians and also provide enough information and analysis about it so that your classmates could readily decide for themselves if they would like to read the book. Spelling and grammar are very important. Have some frank and fearless friend read over your review for possible corrections and improvements before handing it in. It might be helpful to read some sample reviews in the historical journals such as the American Historical Review, The Journal of African History, The Hispanic American Historic Review or The Journal of American History. Also consult the Washington Post Sunday Book World and The New York Times Sunday Book Review.