I. Getting started
1. Chose two books from the bibliography that you would like to read and write about. (I would recommend choosing books with similar themes.)
2. Read the books, concentrating especially on the introduction and conclusion.
3. Identify the thesis statement.
3. Does the author prove his/her thesis?

II. Issues of content
1. Where does this author's work stand in terms of the historiography of the topic?
2. Is the subject matter new and different?
3. Is the intrpretation new and different?

III. Issues of style
1. Is this book written clearly and logically? Does it hang together?
2. Does it tell its story well?
3. What about the sources? Are they primary or secondary?
4. What about the notes? Do they help the reader?

IV. Issues of comparison and contrast
1. Are the books similar? If so, how?
2. Do the books make similar points? If so, what?
3. Do the books make different points?  I so, what?
4. Do the books contradict one another?  If so, how?
5. Which book meets its stated goal more successfully? Why?

VI. Putting together a comparative book review.
1. Place the titles of the books being reviewed at the top.

Belinda J. Davis. Home Fires Burning: Food, Politics, and Everyday Life in World War I Berlin. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press,  2000.

Joe Schmo. A Brief History of DeKalb. DeKalb: Corn Press, 1988.

2. If you are not sure of the difference between a book report (narrative) and a book review (analytical), take a look at the New York Review of Books or the American Historical Review.