Reading, discussing, and reviewing both Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down and Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Has to have read the book and think about how it relates to the themes and concepts in medical anthr

Book Review Assignment
In this course you will be reading, discussing, and reviewing both Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and
You Fall Down and Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. For this assignment, you will not
only read/review the book, but also think about how it relates to the themes and concepts we covered in the
course, incorporating (and citing) various aspects of Medical Anthropology.
Assignment Objectives:
A book review is an analysis of not only the material and ideas presented but also how and why the material is
presented the way it is by the author and if this presentation is successful. A book review is a commentary, not
merely a summary. It allows you to address and assess the arguments made by the author and make your own
arguments about the knowledge presented and judgments made by the work. You should be clear about your
assessment of the work in question and cite relevant examples from the text.
Answer each of the following with a paragraph or two:
1. What are the main arguments or themes of the book? What does the author want you to get from the
book?
2. What Medical Anthropology themes and topics are referenced/reflected in the book? Think about large
themes, but also anthropological concepts like cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, emic/etic perspectives, etc.
Be sure to give examples and cite both the book and our course materials.
3. How is the subject presented in the book? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author
cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion?
4. How does the author support her argument? What evidence does she use to prove her point? Do you find
that evidence convincing? Why or why not?
5. How does the author structure her argument? Is the book well-written? Accessible? How is the book
organized and is that organization effective? Does the argument make sense? Is it persuasive? What group of
readers would find this book most useful (Lay people? Students? Experts in the area?). Why or why not?
6. How has this book helped you understand the subject? Does any of the author’s information (or
conclusions) conflict with other books you’ve read, courses you’ve taken or just previous assumptions you
had of the subject? How does the information presented compare or contrast to the culture/worldview you
know?
7. (How) Has this book influenced your understanding of topics within the sphere of Medical
Anthropology? What will you take with you?
Important Information:
Bibliographic reference: You must cite everything (both in-text and in a bibliography) that you quote and/or
reference. See syllabus for citation information.
Vocab: The word “novel” indicates a work of fiction. It is not synonymous with the word “book”. This is not
fiction and is therefore not a novel.
Format: Times New Roman 12 pt font. 1” margins. 1.5-2.0 spaci