Book Review: An Outline of Book Review for Students

A book review outline I find very useful, especially when reviewing an academic thesis as an assessment task. If you are looking for a simple outline for your uni assessment, you'll find this outline useful too.

Establish a Background, identify the book by author, title, and publishing information.

Include some background to enable readers to place the book into context. Describe the general problem the book addresses or earlier work the author or others have done. In framing your review, you should provide some information on the author. What are her relevant qualifications and background (or lack thereof) for writing on this subject? What were his reasons for writing this book? (Often the preface contains such information.)

1. Content Summary 

1.1. Overview A book review is an essay whose purpose is to comment on a particular work bearing upon a single subject or related subjects. Provide an overview, including paraphrases and quotations, of the book's thesis and primary supporting points. The most important element about a book review to remember is that it is a commentary, not just a summary. Present an overview of the book, an outline or synopsis of the major topics, indicating the scope, the major emphasis (political, economic, intellectual, etc.) and which, if any, aspects of the subject are totally ignored.

1.2. Comparative Evaluation – a Recent Publication

What evidence is cited? Has new documentation become available? If so, identify the new documentation. Or, does the book present a novel interpretation based on previously available documents or information? Your conclusions and assessments regarding these aspects will affect your comparative evaluations of the works. You should also consider the time during which the book was written and, if evident, the author's values and biases. For example, a book on sociocultural evolution written by a conservative Republican sociologist in the 1950s (say Talcott Parsons) would be quite different than one written by a member of the American Socialist party (say Harry Braverman).co

Recommended A review of Helen Tovola's Secondary Education in Fiji - Key to Future

Note: 

*It will probably will be necessary to refer to specific portions of the books to illustrate your statements and conclusions, but it is generally not advisable to quote extensively from it. Do not try to make more points than can be accomplished thoroughly in your review. It is better to make a few points well than many points poorly. Once you have decided on the central points you intend to make, treat each one as a separate section of your review. Each section should explain the one point, supporting it with your own arguments and with brief examples from the book under review and drawing conclusions as to the meaning and importance of the point.

* The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half.

2. Your Evaluation – Opinion & Discussion: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?

The bulk of your review should concentrate on your evaluation of the way the author handled the issues discussed.

2.1. Describe the book: What is the overall thesis? Is it interesting, memorable, entertaining, instructive? Why?

2.2. Respond to the author's worldview: What do you agree with? And why? What do you disagree with? And why?

2.3. Explore issues the book raises: What possibilities does the book suggest? Explain. What matters does the book leave out? Explain.

2.4. Relate your argument to other books or authors: Support your argument for or against the author's opinions by bringing in other authors you agree with.

2.5. Relate the book to larger issues: How did the book affect your worldview of sociocultural stability and change? How have your opinions about the topic changed? How is the book related to the course? How did the thesis compare with other course material? What are your reactions? Did the book enhance your understanding of the issues? Be as direct as possible.

3. Conclusion - summarise the discussion 

Source - http://faculty.rsu.edu/users/f/felwell/www/Info/BookReview2.htm

What does it mean to be ranked 154/188 on the Human Development Index - PNG, Vanuatu, Fiji & Australia

UNDP, 2016

Australia

A Very Human High Development country with Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.939 out of high of 1.0, Life Expectancy at Birth of 82.5 years, Expected Years of Schooling of 20.4 years, Mean School Years of 13.2 years, Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of $42,822 (International Currency) and GNI per capita minus HDI rank of 19. Of the 188 HDI ranking, Australia was ranked 3rd in 2014 and moved one place up to 2nd in 2015.

Fiji

A High Human Development country. It has a HDI value of 0.736 out of a possible 1.0, Life Expectancy at Birth of 70.2 years, Expected Years of Schooling of 15.3 years, Expected Years of Schooling of 10.5 years, GNI per capita of $8,245 (International Currency) and GNI per capita minus HDI rank of 20. Fiji was ranked 91 in 2014 and remained at 91 in 2015 among the 188 countries.

Vanuatu 

Vanuatu is categorised as a Medium Human Development country. Vanuatu has HDI value of 0.597 out of a high of 1.0, Life Expectancy at Birth of 72.1 years, Expected Years of Schooling 10.8 years, Mean School Years of 6.8 years, GNI per capita of $2,805 (International Dollar) and GNI per capita minus HDI rank value of 23. Vanuatu ranked 134 in 2014 and remained unchanged at 134 out of the 188 countries on the HDI ranking.

Papua New Guinea

PNG was categorised as Low Human Development Country. PNG has HDI value of 0.516 out of a high of 1.0, Life Expectancy at Birth of 62.8 years, Expected Years of Schooling at 9.9 years, Mean Years of Schooling at 4.3 years, GNI per capita of $2,712 (International Currency) and GNI per capita minus HDI rank value of 4. PNG HDI rank was 153 in 2014 but fell 1 place to 154 in 2015 out of the 188 countries ranked.

Comparison - some similarities 

1. Australia (VHHD), Fiji (HHD) and Vanuatu (MHD) have HDI value was near 0.6 or higher,
2. Life Expectancy at Birth above 70 years where Fiji and Vanuatu’s Life Expectancy at Birth were 70.2 years and 72.1 years respectively. 
3. Expected Years of Schooling for the three countries have an interval of 5 years with Australia at 20.4 years, Fiji at 15.3 years and Vanuatu at 10.8 years, 
4. GNI per capita about $3,000 (Vanuatu = $2,802) or more 
5. GNI per capita minus HDI rank value more approximately equal to 20. 
6. Fiji and Vanuatu DHI ranks have remained the same in 2014 and 2015 at 91 and 134, respectively. Australia’s HDI rank improve from 3rd in 2014 to 2nd in 2015.

 Contrast - some differences 

1. The difference between the Human Development Index (HDI) value of Australia and Fiji was 0.203 (0.939 – 0.736 = 0.203) and Australia and PNG was 0.423 (0.939 – 0.516 = 0.423) indicating a wide disparity between the VHHD – MDH and VHHD – LDH countries; 
2. The difference between the Life Expectancy at Birth of Australia and Fiji was 12.3 years (82.5 – 70.2 = 12.3 years) and Australia and PNG was 19.7 years (82.5 – 62.8 = 19.7 years another example of identifying disparity between the VHHD – MDH and VHHD – LDH countries;
3.  The difference between the Expected Years of Schooling in Australia and Fiji was 5.1 years (20.4 – 15.3 = 5.1 years) and Australia and PNG was 10.5 years (20.4 – 9.9 = 10.5 years)
4. The difference between the Mean School Year in Australia and Fiji was 2.7 years (13.2 – 10.5 = 2. 7 years) and Australia and PNG was 8.9 years (13.2 – 4.3 = 6.2 years);
5. The difference between the Gross National Income per capita in Australia and Fiji was $34,577 ($42,822 - $8,245 = $34,577) and Australia and PNG was $42 110 ($42,822 – 2,712 = $42,110) ; and 
6. The difference between the GNI per capita minus HDI rank in Australia and Fiji was -1 (19 – 20 = -1, Fiji higher value than Australia) and Australia and PNG was 15 (19 – 4 = 15). 

Summary 

The indicators for the VHHD, HHD and MHD countries showed relatively close similarities when the indicators of an MHD country was used, in this case Vanuatu. There were significant differences when the human development indicators from PNG (a LHD country) were differentiated again the indicators from VHHD and HHD countries. 

The HDI ranks for 2014 and 2015 showed that Australia improved by one place from 3rd to 2nd, Fiji retained its rank at 91, Vanuatu retained its rank at 134 and PNG’s rank dropped from 153 to 154.

Western Highlands Province | Road Network and Agriculture a Powerful Combination

I have little understanding of Western Highlands Province, especially its vast inter-linked road networks that link the province's fertile highlands and valleys until I visited the province. The roads are sealed and in excellent condition. All feeder roads lead to Hagen City. 

Pabarabuk Mission Station, Western Highlands Province. Coconuts and palm tree growing at this beautiful area just outside Hagen. #PNGInsight_filephoto2018 pic.twitter.com/0wyo3TV8Qy

— P.N.G. Insight (@PNG_Insight) October 8, 2018

One road worth mentioning was the road connecting Ogelbeng, Baiya Gorge, Baiya Valley and Kitip and Waghi Valley - sealed and in perfect condition. 

Local Western Highlanders are very hard-working people, toiling the soil. To name a few:

• Pabrabuk gives you the best pineapple.
• Paglum gives you the best Kaukau and potatoes. 
• Tambul gives you the best Karuka. 
• Fruit and vegetables, banana and you name it, grows in abundance. 

Western Highlands is probably the province in PNG that has a very good road network and its people cultivate the land to make ends meet. In fact, they are empowered to sustain themselves through the road excess to market. 

There are other roads like Tambul and Nibiliyer, Pabrabuk and Paglum roads which are in bad condition. The roads into Hagen city are, sadly, in an appalling state. I believe the Chinese are going to do a good job upgrading and sealing the Hagen City roads. 

Murmur pass, Mt Giluwe in the distance, Western Highlands Province | #PNGInsightphotofile2018 pic.twitter.com/POqSslrqJc

— P.N.G. Insight (@PNG_Insight) October 11, 2018

So, if I were to give WHP a mark out of 10 for its:

1. Road network I would give it       9.5/10 
2. Road condition......................      8/10 
3. Working the Land.................      10/10 
4. Taste of Pabrabuk pineapple....  10/10, and 
5. Tambul Karuka..........................  9/10

These are very high marks for road excess to market and service.

Mt Hagen ( Kagamuga) Airport. Air Niugini Fokka 100 plane taxing to stop | #PNGInsightVidfile2018 pic.twitter.com/cpISjg2Dqm

— P.N.G. Insight (@PNG_Insight) October 19, 2018

Five Free Online Tools For Creating Stunning Website - Make Money Online

The second part of Students Blogging Guide attempts to show how easy it can be for students to create a blog. I will also briefly highlight the 5 useful tools you can use to create a great blog as a beginner. Though this series is for students, any person interested in blogging can also use the tips to start a blog.

READ ABOUT HOW TO HOST A WEBSITE

As mentioned in Part 1, blogging is a useful way to improve students’ writing skills. That is why I would like to (again) encourage students, both secondary and tertiary students, to take blogging as a means to improve your writing potential. A 600 – 800 word post is just right to get a good Google ranking. Some examples of blog posts include assessments, poems, short stories and many more. You may not need plenty of mobile phone *data* to publish your work. Write offline (using Microsoft Word for example) and post when you are online – to help you here is the link to tethering your smartphone and laptop. From experience, 60 Megabyte is sufficient to publish your post.

So if you have not started yet, take a look at how easy it is to create a blog. You only need your Gmail account to become a blog owner. That is as easy as it is! Start a blog.

5 useful tools for student bloggers

Here are the 5 online tools that will make your blog stand-out from the others.

1. Grammarly

Grammarly valuable tool for Spelling & Grammar Check.

Grammarly is a useful online grammar and spelling checker. Just copy and paste your final  assignment or blog post in the window pane and click Check Your Text. Obliviously, English is second (even third) language for many Papua New Guineans. Grammarly, the Grammar and Spelling checker tool, is one blogging tool I've used many times and I'd recommend it highly to any student wanting to eliminate errors in their assessments and write-ups. Check it out here.

Make sure you have used the correct English version by choosing English (US) or English (UK), or whichever one you prefer. Grammarly is free on Chrome, Safari, and Firefox browsers. You can install the app as an add-on on Chrome or use the online version to check your work for both Grammar and Spelling errors.

2.  Social Media

Share your posts on Social Media

It is important to create social media accounts for your blog. Social media is probably the most important platform for reaching a wider readership. My top picks are Google +, Twitter and Facebook. These three are the most used platforms in PNG. 

If you are planning to use images on your blog, try Pinterest. In fact, Pinterest is a useful tool for showcasing your work as well as getting visitors to your blog. Another way to find the ideal social media platform, fit for your blog, is to experiment with various platforms that you believe will give your blog a good coverage and stick with it.

3. Images/visuals and messages

Does professional images & texts

Creating attractive visuals and powerful messages are good for your blog. Think of it this way: the images attract readers, and the messages give the readers a taste of what post is about. So, make the images appealing to attract readers and messages stimulating so that the readers will want to read further.

Many people are good with Photoshop. If you are one of them, please use Photoshop to create or collate better images to use on your website. For biginners, the two free image editors I have been using are Canvas and Ribbet. My favorite is Ribbet. You can auto-edit photos, add texts, use free photos and do many other formatting styles. 

Many of the photos on PNG Insight are examples of what you can do with an image editor like Canvas and Ribbet. My top tip is to always keep your photos the *same size*. Consistency is the key to making your blog stand out amongst the others.

4. Google Search Console & Google Analytic

Look at insights to your blog

Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA) provides insights into your blog or website. The GSC is, in simple terms, the platform where you tell Google about your website by submitting URLs. For example GA is the platform where Google provides you (the blogger or webmaster) with the data and information about your blog or website.

So, if you want to understand how your blog works (and improve its performance) you’ve got to use both platforms provided by Google – and they are free!

5. Google Trends and Adword Keyword Search

Rank well on Google - visibility!

This is the important part of blogging that many beginners ignore or did not know about. If you want to rank well in Google’s searches, you must learn to identify (and use the keyword in a post) that you want Google rank you for. For example, this blog has ranked well (first and third on Google) for the keyword ‘free education policy in png’.

It’s not hard. You just have to identify what is trending on Google and used Adword Keyword Search to choose a keyword. Then, use the keyword in your writing (and also in the post’s search description before publishing it). It is basically, the anchor text that Google shows to people in search results when the search matches your keyword.

In fact, these may seem like a mountain of work to do. It, probably, is. But blogging is fun and easy if you do it right from the start. In Part 3 of the series of Students’ Guide to Blogging we will look at how to *value* your blog. This is interesting so stay in tune.

____Note___

Check out the complete series on Student's Guide to Blogging here.