ASSIGNMENT
Your assignment is to pick one of the books on the list accompanying this document, read the book and write a 1,000-word book review on the book. In essence, this is a compare-and-contrast essay – it is not a book report. A sample outline is included to show how to do your paper. In order to complete this assignment successfully, you will have to read additional books and other materials to evaluate the book and assess the book’s strengths and weaknesses.
FORMAT
Please make sure that your paper is formatted like the example paper accompanying this document. Your paper should be typed in a regular-style font (Times New Roman or Calibri) and the type should be no larger than 12-point. Margins should be no larger than one inch and indentations for paragraphs should not exceed one tab. Please single-space your papers.
Each paper should be properly cited and each paper is expected to include a properly-formatted works cited page. Both the paper and the works cited page should be included in the same document and that document should be uploaded to Eagle Web no later than the start of class on the due date. Late papers will not be accepted!
Each paper should have no fewer than six outside sources. All sources should be books, periodicals or online articles from scholarly journals or scholar-run websites. Sources from websites not affiliated with academic research will not count as a source and neither do encyclopedias, dictionaries or your textbook. In addition, the book you are reviewing does not count as an outside source.
All papers will be checked for plagiarism. Papers that have excessive amounts of unoriginal work (more than 50 percent according to turnitin.com) will be awarded a zero, even if the outside information is cited. The purpose of this assignment is for you to review the book, not someone else. Turning in a paper that consists of lengthy quotes from other sources does not meet the criteria and will result in a grade of zero!
If you have taken this class before and you did a book review in it, please choose another book and do a new paper. All papers are stored electronically and when you resubmit it, it will show up as plagiarism. Plus, if you are taking the class for a second time, it might indicate that you didn’t do such a good job before so you will be required to do a new paper on a new book.
All book reviews must be done on books accompanying this list. If your book is not on the list accompanying this document, you will receive a zero.

WORLD HISTORY BOOK REVIEW GRADING SHEET
NAME: _______________________________________________________________________________ CLASS: _______________________________________________________________________________ BOOK REVIEWED: ______________________________________________________________________
CATEGORY
STUDENT POINTS (100 Points Total, 10 Points Per Category) TOTAL POINTS
Paper Is 1,000 Words Or More
Paper Formatted Correctly
Student Used 6 Outside Sources
Works Cited Page Formatted Correctly Student Properly Cited All Sources In Paper Proper Grammar, Logical Flow Well-Rounded Summary
Comparison Of Book With Other Sources Organization
Coherence
TOTAL:
____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
COMMENTS: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
SAMPLE BOOK REVIEW OUTLINE
I. Introduction
A. About The Author
1. Define His/Her Expertise, Etc. B. Main Points Made In The Book
1. Point 1 2. Point 2 3. Point 3 4. Point 4
II. What Other Sources Say A. Source 1
1. Information on author of Source 1 2. Main Points Of Source 1
a. Compare with book b. Contrast with book
B. Source 2
1. Information on author of Source 1 2. Main Points Of Source 1
a. Compare with book b. Contrast with book
C. Source 3
1. Information on author of Source 1 2. Main Points Of Source 1
a. Compare with book b. Contrast with book
D. Source 4
1. Information on author of Source 1 2. Main Points Of Source 1
a. Compare with book b. Contrast with book
E. Source 5
1. Information on author of Source 1 2. Main Points Of Source 1
a. Compare with book b. Contrast with book
F. Source 6
1. Information on author of Source 1 2. Main Points Of Source 1
a. Compare with book b. Contrast with book
III. Conclusion
A. Evaluation
1. Compare, contrast
EXAMPLE REVIEW
Joe Smith HIS 121-101 Spring, 2006
Niall Ferguson, The Ascent of Money
In this work, Niall Ferguson discusses the evolution of the use of money in human societies as well as the evolution of financial institutions, from banks to stock markets to bond markets to life insurance.
Ferguson, whose recent work, War of the World, sparked controversy among scholars of nationalism and the rise of the world wars (Brendon, Review, pp. 1-3), writes the book amid the current collapse of the world financial markets. His thesis is that collapses are often the result of unscrupulous business practices combined with government and business working hand-in-hand to game various financial systems, such as the housing market which collapsed following a spate of mortgage foreclosures. (Ferguson, Ascent, p. 8-15) Needless to say, Ferguson’s assertions in the book have drawn fire from many quarters during the recent scandal yet his overall chronicle on the rise of money and financial institutions is clear unparalleled in the field of financial history, which is one of the less interesting fields of research in the entire discipline.
The author begins the book not by talking about money but by talking about mathematics, specifically the discovery of the concept of zero by Indian mathematicians in the fourth century. (Ferguson, Ascent, p. 24-28) Ferguson said that, coupled by developments in algebra and in the computation of fractions led to the development of calculations of interest rates, which revolutionized financial activity around the world. (Ferguson, Ascent, p. 110-124)
After these ideas made their way to Europe in the Renaissance, economies exploded from Italy to England as businesses began to develop new calculations for making money. Ferguson discusses how bonds arose as a result of this as did banks and other financial institutions, giving rise eventually to the development of the joint-stock company and the stock market. (Ferguson, Ascent, p. 200-375)
Most of what Ferguson writes about the development of money is not that controversial but when he begins his analysis of the Great Depression and the growth and development of the welfare state, he gets dinged, mostly by partisan writers of the right and left who are more interested in pushing an agenda rather than the truth or the history of money. (Bag ration, “Depression,” p. 383-384; Donnell y, “Free Markets vs. Free fall” p. 987-989) Ferguson’s breakdown of the various financial strategies employed by governments not only to escape the Depression but also to deal with more pressing problems such as insurance and healthcare, is not skewed – instead, he backs up his assertions with data collected from demographers and economists from all parts of the political spectrum.
In conclusion, Niall Ferguson’s book, The Ascent of Money, is a historical look at how humans and money have co-existed from almost the start of recorded history. It is an examination of how money and finance work and the promise and perils inherent in the workings of these tools and institutions. Like all human institutions, money and financial institutions have their problems and many times those problems impact the lives of people. Despite the powerful grip money and finance has over our lives, we oftentimes do not understand what is happening until it’s too late, if at all. Ferguson’s book works to dispel how we think of money and it does a good job of showing how these forces operate to shape, maintain and stabilize the modern world. He also tells us of the flaws inherent in these systems and leaves it up to us to figure out how we, as individuals, can benefit or be hurt by changes in these institutions. It was a fascinating read and after finishing it, one can feel much better about having more knowledge of the world’s finance system.
WORKS CITED
Berendon, Piers. “Review of War Of The World.” WWW.history alive.org Published January, 5, 2004
Ferguson, Niall. The Ascent of Money (2008) Penguin Books: New York.
Ferguson, Niall. The War of the World (2003) Penguin Books: New York.
Bag ration, Kate. “Depression: Government Foibles And The Great Slump.” The Economist. Vol. IX, No. 7, April, 2009.
Donnell y, K.J. “Free Markets Vs. Free Fall.” The Social Journal. Vol. MC, No. 9, May, 2008.

READING LIST FOR HIS 121
(Only works from this list will be accepted for review! MAKE SURE YOUR WORK IS ON THIS LIST!!!!!)
Ca hill, Thomas. Heroes and Heretics.
Hancock, Graham. Fingerprints of the Gods.
Miles, Richard. Ancient Worlds.
Manchester, William. A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind And The Renaissance.
Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy.
As bridge, Thomas. The Crusades: An Authoritative History.
Mann, Charles C. 1493: Uncovering The New World Columbus Created.
Van De Pierrot, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East.
Mayor, Adrienne. The Poison King.
Wilson, Peter H. The Thirty Years’ War: Europe’s Tragedy.
Oppenheimer, A. Leo Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization.
Giles, Joseph and Frances. Life In A Medieval City.
Prescott, William H. History of the Conquest of Mexico.
Cantor, Norman F. Antiquity: From The Birth of Sumerian Civilization To The Fall Of The Roman Empire.
Rose, William. Justinian’s Flea.
Mann, Charles C. 1491.
Weather ford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.
McNeil, William. Plagues and Peoples.
Cook, Michael. A Brief History of the Human Race.
Meltzer, Milton. Slavery: A World History.
Tuchman, Barbara. Bible and Sword: England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour.
Fernandez, Felipe. Civilizations: Culture, Ambition and the Transformation of Nature.
Polo, Marco. The Travels of Marco Polo.
Norwich, John Julius. A Short History of Byzantium.
Ber green, Laurence. Over the Edge of the World.
Brown worth, Lars. Lost to the West: The Byzantine Empire.
Everett, Anthony. Augustus.
Everett, Anthony. Hadrian.
Everett, Anthony. Cicero.
Green, Peter. The Hellenistic Age.
Hanson, Victor Davis. Carnage and Culture.
Holland, Tom. Rubicon.
Keegan, John. The Face of Battle.
Roux, George. Ancient Iraq.
Cantor, Norman F. In The Wake Of The Plague: The Black Death And The World It Made (2001) New York: Free Press.
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs And Steel: The Fates Of Human Societies. (1997) New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Tuchman, Barbara. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. (1978) New York: Knopf.
Chadwick, Owen. The Reformation. (1982) Harmondsworth: Penguin Press.
Armstrong, Karen. A History Of God (1994) New York: Balanchine Books.
Williams, Marty. Between Pit And Pedestal: Women In The Middle Ages. (1994) Princeton University Press Res ton, James. Warriors Of God: Richard The Lion-Hear ted And Saladin In The Third Crusade. (2001)
New York: Doubleday.

Res ton, James. The Last Apocalypse: Europe On The Year 1000 AD (1998) New York: Doubleday
Gotshalk, Richard. The Beginnings Of Philosophy In China (1999) Lanham: University Press of America.
Hay, Jeff. The Early Middle Ages (2001) San Diego: Green haven.
Keen, MH Chivalry (1984) Yale University Press.
Schema, Simon. The Embarrassment Of Riches (1987) New York: Vintage Books