An old childhood memory surfaced recently.
High school English – sophomore year – a writing assignment: Read a book of your own choosing. Then write a book review in the style of the New York Times Book Review.
From what I recall, there was little to no discussion, analysis or presentation of what goes into any book review, much less a New York Times Book Review review. This was several decades ago.
As a self-identifying smart high school student, I somehow concluded, without giving it much thought, that I could wing it because my family got the Sunday edition of the New York Times (wherein one could find the Book Review). Did I conduct my own analysis? Demand the teacher provide a breakdown of the basics, with some examples? No. That never occurred to me.
On the other hand, my teacher, a taciturn Yankee with silvery hair, piercing blue eyes, middle-aged jowls, and a wardrobe of heavy flannel winter overshirts, was rumored to be a Harvard graduate. I guess he didn’t believe in actual teaching.
For the assignment, I chose some not very noteworthy science fiction book. I’ve long forgotten the title, plot, or any other details. Somehow I got a B on the paper. I didn’t learn a darn thing.
What brought this long-buried memory to the surface? YouTube. I’m a fan of Steve Donoghue’s “book tube” videos. I wasn’t searching for info on writing book reviews, but for some reason, The Algorithm fed me one of his older videos on that very subject.
Now, Steve Donoghue has spent a good portion of his professional life as a full-time book reviewer. He knows what he’s talking about. He is also a reading fanatic.
So there is the instruction manual I didn’t even realize I’d been subconsciously looking for all these years!
I might try my hand soon at book reviewing. It sounds like fun, and it would help complete the education I never got from that high school assignment.
Steve actually has two videos (maybe more?) on this topic. Two hidden gems on his ultra-prolific channel: