You must acquire, read, understand, and write a review based on Elizabeth Royte's book entitled Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash. This book is also a humorous, but informative, evaluation of our trash, as she follows the trail of trash and questions our decision-making with consumption. You should access the book as soon as the first review is done (in any format) and give yourself plenty of time to write the review (i.e. do NOT procrastinate). Use your own words, as plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated. A book review is NOT the same as a book report, which simply summarizes the content of a book. When writing a book review, you not only report on the content of the book but also merge your own perspective and understanding about the topic. It is not uncommon (or unacceptable) to provide an assessment, including strengths and weaknesses of the author’s presentation of material! To understand your own reaction to the book, as well as to merge your perspectives on the topic(s), you need to read the book carefully and critically. As a critical reader, you are not passive; you should ask questions of the book and note reactions as you read. Your book review then discusses those questions and reactions. Though there is no "correct" way to structure a review, the following is one suggested approach (but do it without being overly obvious!). Eloquently summarize the book and the author's main point(s). [Two+ paragraphs] Identify the author and describe his/her viewpoint and purpose for writing; note any aspects of the author's background that are important for understanding the book. [One paragraph] Note the most important evidence the author presents to support his or her perspective. [Two+ paragraphs] Is the book's argument convincing? If so why; if not, why not. Cite examples from the text. [Two paragraphs] Discuss sustainability within the context of the environment topic(s) covered in the book. Be sure to include stakeholders affected by the problem and potential solutions. Cite examples from the book, as well as those from other sources or class [Two+ paragraphs] Conclude with a final evaluation of the book. You might discuss who would find this book useful and why. [One paragraph] Formatting requirements: This review requires a title page and properly distributed subheadings that organize the paper. Use font type Times, size 11. Double space the paper with 1" margins on all sides. Include figures/tables or other visuals, but you must include figure captions are directly reference the figure in text. Reference style is up to you, but it must be consistent throughout the entire paper. It is optional to include a running head or page numbers. How to write a successful review: In order to produce a professional report on a book, it is recommended that you take notes as you read, keeping track of relevant characters/ agencies/ organizations, the main idea and supporting ideas/data, and any valuable statements/quotes that can be used to support your paper. When you begin writing, convert the suggested approach (i.e., the example listed above) to a working outline and continue adding text and ideas until it expands into a well-organized, flowing, professional paper. Write as if the instructor is your target audience (i.e., assume good background knowledge already exists) and proofread several times before submitting (e.g., do not assume spell-checker will find ALL misspelled words or bad grammar!). How you will be assessed: As there are 30+ students writing about the same book and topic, it is natural for the evaluation to "rank" reviews by quality. Initially, after skim reading each one, they will be placed in bins (excellent , good, average, poor, and unacceptable). I will then critique each one and use the rubric to score the review. Most categories are scored using A, B, C, D, and E. An A indicates perfection (there are no problems or errors that I can find). A C reflects average, and will be a common mark. An E may indicate something is missing or altogether unacceptable. These reviews will be graded strictly, so be sure to dedicate sufficient effort into reading and writing good quality work! Rubric Book Review Book Review Criteria Ratings Pts Purpose A 4.0 pts B 3.0 pts

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