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Homework answers / question archive / HIST 106 – AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1877 WRITING ASSIGNMENT - BOOK REVIEW In a review essay of 1500 words, you will discuss the monograph assigned, which this semester is Kyle Longley, LBJ's 1968

HIST 106 – AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1877 WRITING ASSIGNMENT - BOOK REVIEW In a review essay of 1500 words, you will discuss the monograph assigned, which this semester is Kyle Longley, LBJ's 1968

Writing

HIST 106 – AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1877

WRITING ASSIGNMENT - BOOK REVIEW

In a review essay of 1500 words, you will discuss the monograph assigned, which this semester is Kyle Longley, LBJ's 1968. An academic book review requires careful reading and analysis in order to achieve a satisfactory result. The reviewer need not have extensive prior knowledge of the subject; the review focuses on the book in question, though additional information may be included where appropriate.

After an introduction that identifies the author’s thesis, your essay will include a brief synopsis of the subject and the author’s contributions to our understanding of it, some discussion of the book’s construction and approach and an assessment of its effectiveness, and a conclusion that addresses the quality, importance, and value of the work.

The essay will conform the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, utilizing footnotes. A basic guide to the citation format can be found here:

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html

Additional resources, including guidelines for academic writing and a sample book review, will be provided. The book and the writing process will also be discussed in class at intervals leading up to the assigned due date. You must follow the reading schedule given on the syllabus, as class discussions will require you to have read up to the points listed. A rubric will be provided that details the expectations for the essay, the grading breakdown, and the criteria for achieving a satisfactory result for the assignment.

  1. Discuss your assessment of the author’s thesis. What is he trying to present to the reader, how is he trying to do so, and why does he believe his perspective is useful to our understanding of the broader subject? Do you find his approach compelling?
  2. The author provides only limited historical background – when combined with your existing knowledge of the 1960s and the Johnson Administration, did you find it sufficient? Did you think the specific examples given in the early chapters were wellchosen, in that they supported the author’s contentions?
  3. The sources referenced make clear that there were many factors and forces at work during 1968. What were these, and do the sources make clear why they were important? How much can we infer about the big picture from these individual perspectives?
  4. How, if at all, does the inclusion of photographs from the period support the author’s approach?
  5. Based on what you’ve read so far, what do you expect from the rest of the book? Did the first few chapters provide a good sense of what the author intends to present later on, or is it vague or unclear?
  1. Consider your understanding of the author's thesis. In the context of this, think about the events described in each chapter thus far - how do they support your understanding of the thesis? What specific details of LBJ's handling of these events might be useful in making your assessment of the author's work?
  2. How did LBJ's decision not to seek reelection in 1968 affect his actions after the 31 March speech? Did the lack of need for votes in November alter the way he governed, or did he continue on mostly as before?
  3. How did Johnson handle the assassinations of King and Kennedy in the spring of 1968 ? How did the public's views of these two men differ from LBJ's? Did Johnson's public statements and private views differ, and if so, how and why?
  4. By the end of the summer, Johnson had faced both domestic and foreign crises, some of his own making. How did his approach to situations he helped to create (Vietnam, the Fortas affair) differ from those that occurred largely without his influence ( Czechoslovakia, the MLK and RFK assassinations)?
  1. How did LBJ handle the events of his last few months in office? Would his actions have been different earlier in the year? How, if at all, did he change over the course of the year?
  2. Now that you have completed the book, what is your overall assessment? Did your initial thoughts about the thesis hold up? Did the author achieve his purpose as you understand it? Did he make a convincing argument in favor of his thesis? What made it convincing or not?
  3. No book review can cover every subject contained in the book being assessed. What topics were most effective in making the author's case? Which were less so?
  4. Is this a book primarily about the history of 1968, or is it first a time-limited biography of Lyndon Johnson? What is the relationship between the year and the president? How does understanding one aspect of this help to understand the other?
  5. Viewed from today's perspective more than fifty years later, how should we view the last year of Johnson's presidency? Is our modern view different from the view of people at the time? Why or why not?
  6. To whom would you recommend this book, and why? What are the strong and weak points of it? What would make it better?

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