Abstract
Early in my academic career as an assistant professor (while I was trying to carefully craft my professional identity), Stephen Sweet (the current editor of Teaching Sociology), invited me to write a book review. At that time, I had no idea how important to my future trajectory that deceptively simple essay would be. I was invited to write the review as part of a review symposium to be published in the Journal of Family Theory and Review (Kozimor-King 2009). While the review did not lead directly to our partnership editing this journal, it bolstered my confidence at a time when my emotional energy was waning. More importantly, that review opened the door to future collaborations, a larger professional network, and my development of valuable supplemental teaching materials.
My engagement with the content from the review did not end with its publication. The book I was assigned to review, Work, Family, and Leisure: Uncertainty in a Risk Society (Orrange 2007), proved to be more useful than I imagined at the time I was reading the book and writing the review. After the publication of the review, I was invited to give multiple on- and off-campus talks focused partially on the content of the book. Finally, the book itself became supplemental reading material assigned in two of my undergraduate courses. Advanced students also referenced results from the book in undergraduate research papers.
My approach to writing the book review was the same process most academics take when embarking on any new intellectual project—research. Initially, in order to prepare my essay, I read a large selection of book reviews published in peer-reviewed journals. I conversed with colleagues who had written reviews, and I scoured the Internet for sources describing the common characteristics of a good book review. It is my intent to share what I have learned from this process. The rest of this comment is focused on how to write a good review for Teaching Sociology based on my research, conversations, and experience editing reviews this past year. Please consider this comment as my invitation to all readers of Teaching Sociology to write a review of a book, film, or website for the journal in the near future.
The foundation of a good review begins with the choice of a particular book or film to critically evaluate based on content and pedagogical value. Since writing a review can seem initially daunting, it is crucial that the reviewer has teaching experience or expertise in the subject area to avoid the paralysis that can result from feeling like an imposter: who am I to criticize [insert the name of your hero here]? While I was exceptionally lucky to have been assigned a book that was well suited to my academic background, as deputy editor, I encourage potential reviewers to choose the most pertinent book or film from a list of materials I have acquired from publishers and producers. I welcome review suggestions for current or newly published books or films, especially those in content areas that have been least represented in past issues.
While all reviews provide the audience with a concise summary of the book or film, good reviews move beyond mere description of the events or listing of the contents. An essential element of a good review is that it includes a dialogue about the purpose, target audience, value, contribution to the field, and overall success of the book or film in meeting its goals. A good review resembles other types of academic writing by providing a thesis, concrete evidence for opinions, and proper use of citations. Moreover, a good review is evaluative, informative, and engaging.
Since this is a disciplinary teaching journal, a good review also focuses on the perceived pedagogical utility, which includes examples of specific courses for which the book or film would be appropriate, the level of instruction for which the book or film is suited, and other concrete suggestions for ways the book or film could be integrated into a sociology course(s). Good reviews also include specific teaching suggestions, class activity ideas, and additional supplemental resources on the topic. I am grateful to the assiduous and enthusiastic reviewers I have collaborated with this past year for writing truly good reviews.
How are reviews vetted for publication in Teaching Sociology? First, I seek submissions of resources relating to sociology instruction and classroom application from authors, film producers, and publishers. Included in these efforts has been the work of my undergraduate assistants at Elizabethtown College, Kaitlyn Xanthopoulos (who graduated in May 2015) and the current assistant, Samantha Poremba. They helped me obtain, process, summarize, and organize over 200 books and films. Second, I have identified a significant number of reviewers from the American Sociological Association and Alpha Kappa Delta preconference teaching workshops and scholarship of teaching and learning sessions at national and regional disciplinary meetings. Reviewers were also recruited from an invited teaching workshop I led for the Sociology Department at Bowling Green State University. Furthermore, I encourage potential reviewers to contact me directly (