by Caleb Miller
Have you ever met someone with a goal to write a certain number of words a week? How much quality content are they actually producing?
Have you ever met anyone with a goal to read a certain number of pages a day or books a year? How much of what they read are they actually retaining?
Some people find this method successful, but whenever I have set goals like these, they have led to frustration. More often than not, I’ve felt doomed to keep revising drafts and revisiting my notes, with very little to show for my efforts, because I could not commit the book’s themes to memory. That was until I began writing my own book reviews.
One day, after noticing that many of my favorite authors developed a habit of reviewing books (one example is Tom Ricks), I started attempting my own book reviews. I soon learned that they can be a sort of bridge between reading and writing, and improved both for me.
When writing a book review, book selection matters. Pick a book on a subject of importance to you and by a familiar author. Then, write a book review that adheres to the standards and guidelines of a typical review (such as those found in this excellent how-to guide). Don’t write a report that regurgitates what the author said. Instead, take an honest shot at restating the author’s thesis, story, or insight in your own words, before offering a critique and recommendation.
Whether you are reading this as a brand-new, would-be writer or as an established writer, what follows are four reasons why the act of writing book reviews is worth your time.
1. Book reviews force us to take memorable notes
Have you ever noticed how we can remember every detail of a heated online political exchange? Or how we can relay a play-by-play of our sports team’s playoff game? Yet, often we have trouble recalling anything from mandatory training.
Our brains do something differently with information that we have a vested interest in. Instead of listening to information passively, in one ear and out the other, as the saying goes, our brain reorganizes and retains information when we are actively engaged. For example, our brains retain information better when we have to explain concepts to others. We start to notice details we may have missed and anticipate follow-up questions.
Writing a book review allows us to retain information because we are explaining the information to ourselves, by reiterating, summarizing, and reorganizing the author’s themes.
2. Book reviews usually have a built-in scope and thesis
A book review typically signals to the reader the book’s primary themes, strengths, weaknesses, and audience. Your book review should not rehearse everything about the book’s subject. Instead, focus on one or two concepts that stick with you and write about those.
3. Book reviews accumulate
Book reviews accumulate like old friends. Even with the reviews that I am embarrassed to look at now, I am still able to express what those books were about, where I disagreed with the author, or why I found their ideas poorly articulated or unrelatable.
They also accumulate toward long-term goals. Write enough of them on a particular topic, and you have a solid basis for an annotated bibliography or literature review to help you formulate your own, informed, and focused thesis for future projects.
They become more rewarding as your skill and experience develops. The more you know about the subject and are able to develop your foundational knowledge, the more insightful your critiques will be and the more you will grow from your reviews. And, of course, you can always reread your reports if you decide to review a subject.
4. Book reviews sometimes involve perks, like free books
If your experience is like mine, then writing a review will prove useful even if the results are never published. But there are additional perks with formal submission. Not all publications offer to mail books, but some do (such as the Journal of Advanced Military Studies, Army History, or Aether).
But the perks may go beyond a new book. If you are consistent in publishing high-quality reviews, that may someday open the door to more ambitious writing projects such as articles or books.
Keep reading. Keep reviewing
Book reviews force us to take memorable notes. They include a built-in scope or thesis, accumulate over time, and allow us to form lasting impressions and long term goals. Write enough book reviews, and you might even earn free books. Finally, book reviews can be a tool to help remedy the pains of reading without recall and writing without direction.
CH (CPT) Caleb Miller is currently a battalion chaplain stationed at Fort Bragg, NC.
