Critical Review Essay – Monica Munoz Martinez, The Injustice Never Leaves You (2018)

Book: Monica Munoz Martinez, The Injustice Never Leaves You (2018)

Prompt:

This essay is a critical review of an academic book. The task of the review is to analytically evaluate the text. Do not summarize the book. This is also not a research paper, so you will need no sources other than the book under review; it is not necessary to look for supplementary or explanatory material elsewhere in course readings or the internet to provide content for the essay. Engage the book’s content and nothing else.

[Tips: You should identify and state the book’s thesis clearly in your introduction; this is the most important part of any academic book review. Other topics which your body paragraphs may focus on include the author’s source work, methods/organization, and/or style. You may also choose to evaluate the author’s choices, judgments, errors, or effectiveness. Generally, a reader of your review should understand the merits and flaws of the book without reading a summary of the book.]

Format:

1000 words
Double space
12-point font
Standard written English
One-inch margins
Chicago style footnote citations. Do not cite in parenthetical MLA style.

Content:

Your paper must have a main idea/thesis/argument. It cannot be a summary of the reading. Your thesis must answer the prompt.
Your paper must be carefully edited. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling count.
Cultivate your own voice/style. You will be writing a lot of papers in college, at least three in this course, so find your voice. This means papers by different students on the same prompt should be distinct. It does not mean the papers are about you. Do not write about yourself and do not use a conversational tone or self-references..
You must demonstrate understanding and familiarity with Martinez’s book. This is not really possible if you have neglected to read it.
These are reading response essays, not research papers. There should be no other source material beyond Martinez; do not summarize content you have read on the internet.
A paper with no citations is an F paper.