Principles to Become an Effective Leader (Essay Sample)

The book review assignment is an opportunity to evaluate a book on leadership. The student will read The Conviction to Lead by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, then write a 5–7 page review. This is not simply a summary of the book, but a review of the content.
Brief Summary (1–2 pages: no more than 20% of your review)
• Do not state what every single chapter is about; instead, capture the main idea(s) of the book along with the underlining subtopics and themes.
• Briefly overview what the book as a whole is about as well as the issues, themes, and solutions the author presents.
• Identify the main thrust of the book and differentiate between the central and peripheral ideas.
Critical Interaction with the Book (2–4 pages: around 70% of your review)
• Do not discuss your agreement or disagreement with the author’s perspective. Instead, try to recognize what the author’s points are and what theological issues are prevalent.
• Document your assessment of the text. If you make a judgment of the author’s opinion, give an example along with a footnote to designate where this can be observed.
• Where is the author coming from? What is his/her goal?
• Does the author prove his/her point? Why or why not? How?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s arguments?
Conclusion (half-page maximum)
• Bring together all your interactions with the book and wrap up your review by conveying how well you think the author achieved his/her goals and to what degree his purpose was achieved.
• In what ways does the book make you think?
• With what questions does the author leave you?