Writing a Book Report

Sometimes you’re lucky; you copy the jacket notes written by some guy who was paid big money to write them, and the teacher gives you the ‘A’.  Of course you don’t copy it word for word, and you do look up the words you don’t know so  in case you are called upon in class you’ll  give the impersonation of someone who knows what s/he’s written.

Other times you get a synopsis in Cliff’s Notes or some site on the ‘Net and again, a bit of ‘your own words’ and it’s good to go.

Fine.
Fine with books which aren’t ‘Must Read‘.

Must Read books are those which either contain the secret information so that you know what you’re seeing; i.e. The Matrix had so much from Alice in Wonderland, (and the Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ ) that if you
were unfamilar with it, you’d be one of the clowns who doesn’t ‘get it’.

Nothing is more uncool then when folks are tossing clever remarks and you’re in the middle with a stupid look on your face,  asking the dumbest question, and everyone laughs at you. 

Hence there are some books you have to physcially read cover to cover and know, so that when someone says something about “Big Brother” you aren’t limited to the T.V.show,  or don’t catch that Gregory House is a take off on Sherlock Holmes.

How do you know if the book you’re supposed to read is a Must or a Pass?

You can do a search on the ‘Net, which often is pretty useful.  You might also find the smartest person you ever met and ask.

Lots of times English teachers assign ‘must read‘  books, as they aren’t going to waste your time or theirs.

Other times it’s something that is only hanging around the book list cause in the Pliestocine it was a ‘must read’  but hasn’t been one since the advent of the Holocene.

Some books make you think; can’t help it.  If you really read them you’ll actually get them into some convolution of your brain and at some point in your life you’ll actually put the info to use.

Best sellers are not usually a good place to start for a ‘must read’.  If you do a search of ‘Best Sellers’ in like 1969 you’ll find books you never heard of which are probably out of print.

Sometimes classic authors, (who were paid by the word, like Charles Dickens) can be better read and enjoyed in a synopsis. 

Sure after you’ve gotten the two page summary into your head you should speed read the book to keep it ‘honest’ and get the flow of the language.

When you do the book report, grab the key point or the famous quote or whatever is the ‘hook’ of the ‘book’, and start there.

 Don’t go; “Lord of the Flies is a book written by William Golding in 1954 about…”

Better to start with;

“Beelzebub, meaning Lord of the Flies, is the Hebrew name for Satan…” and then go on to enlarge on that aspect of evil.

In this way you prove you read the book, you prove you understood it, and you prove you actually have some familarity with more than what not to eat in the cafeteria.

Getting full marks for a Book report isn’t difficult, even if you never did read the whole book.