One of the “evergreen” features of the Adoremus Bulletin is the back-page book review. The purpose of a book review in general is twofold: 1) To relate the topic and scope of the book being reviewed and 2) to examine the claims, theories, ideas, and overall veracity of the book. Since Adoremus is a journal with a specific focus on the liturgy, the books the journal tends to review will reflect that focus.
The following are a few guidelines to keep in mind while writing a book review for Adoremus Bulletin:
The Book Review before the Book Review
Every reader is a critic—at least every attentive reader is. For that reason, you will have already started reviewing the book you wish to write about as soon as you start reading the first page of the book. The following are some preliminary questions to keep in mind as you read. Once you’ve finished the book, your answers to these questions will serve well as an outline for your review.
- What is the main argument of the book? What is its central claim?
- What are the subordinate arguments supporting the author’s main claim and do you find them convincing?
- How is the book organized? Does each chapter build off the previous one or is each a separate element? Does the author develop his arguments and points organically (i.e. do they follow logically or thematically from previous points or do these seem disjointed or more like a collection of loosely related essays?)
- What are the key terms the author uses in the book? Are they familiar or do they require some additional research? Did the author coin them or are they part of a larger conversation?
- What is the author’s methodology (e.g. historical, sacramental, pastoral, etc.)?
- Is the author’s evidence compelling, trustworthy, and cited from accessible sources?
The Book Review: General Principles
A book review is an analysis of a main idea or ideas of a book. Therefore, the writer should develop a main thread from which the rest of the review follows. For example, find a common theme present in most, if not all, the chapters to support your own claim regarding the review.
The book review ought to begin with a main topic which the book develops. For example, a review about a book which examines the history of the Roman Rite should not try to cover the entire history of the rite in the review (that’s what the book is for). Rather, if the book is particularly good at explaining, for instance, the importance of celebrating Mass ad orientem, the reviewer ought to begin the review with a general discussion of ad orientem, citing various authorities who have spoken on its importance—and bring in pertinent texts from the book to support this claim.
Use intertextual citations, and the author’s name in only the first reference. For example, in a review of Joseph Ratzinger’s The Spirit of the Liturgy, the first reference should read: (Ratzinger, 9) and all other references should only include the page number: (22), (49), (220), etc.
Reviews should be no longer than [2,200?] words and should include the book’s publishing information beneath the headline but before the byline. Thus:
Headline
Title of Book by Author. City: Publisher, Copyright Date. pp. ISBN (13): #. $Price. Book Type (Paperback or Hardcover?).
Byline
The Book Review: Specific Structure
- Introductory Paragraph—The book review you write will likely not be the first word nor the last on either the book you are reviewing or the subject which the book addresses. Consider your book review as a contribution to an ongoing conversation. Therefore, make clear in your introduction what that conversation is. Who are the major authors and scholars contributing to this topic? Cite a few of them to help begin the conversation. Is there a particularly heated discussion or controversy related to the topic? Make note of this in your introduction. In fact, make note of anything you consider important to establishing the critical context in which the book has been written. In doing so, you will command the reader’s attention. After all, your review should seek to answer the question, “Why should the reader care?”
- Make your point early. Part of your introduction will be to introduce the book you wish to review. Without going into detail, make clear what the main argument or assertion of the book is. Now is not the time to argue the finer points but to state the author’s position and why it is important to readers.
- Main body—Here is where you start examining the main argument of the book—and supporting arguments. Introduce key details of the book—data, theories, terms, and ideas—that make the book work (or not). Also, make clear how these supporting arguments frame the book. How are the chapters structured? (Chronologically? Thematically? Topically? etc.) Resist using the book’s chapters as the structure for your review (i.e. the “Book Report” approach: “In chapter 1, the author says…In chapter 2, the author says…” etc.)
- What’s your take on the book? Now offer an appraisal of the book. Does what the author says make sense? Are the arguments convincing? Show where you agree or disagree and why.
- Conclusion—The review should end on a positive note. (If the book is not worth reading, it’s probably not worth reviewing. But that’s not to say you shouldn’t take issue with particular ideas in the book.) This would also be a good place to define the kind of audience that would find this book helpful or informative. Is it written for the general audience or for academics? Is the book self-contained, or does it require some familiarity with the topic or topics which the author presents in the book?
The following list of articles published by Adoremus provide good examples of what the editors are looking for in a book review:
- https://adoremus.org/2023/01/book-finds-christ-at-the-center-of-ratzingers-liturgical-theology/
- https://adoremus.org/2021/07/dom-prosper-gueranger-liturgical-warrior-for-christian-culture/
- https://adoremus.org/2020/11/the-heart-of-john-henry-newman-beating-with-the-spirit-of-the-liturgy/
