Who is the author?
1. Is it an academic/journalist? Where do they work? What other books/work have they written? Would you characterize them as a "global historian?" What areas of the world/time periods do they specialize in? How do their research interests inform their interpretation of global history?
What is the book about?
1. What time period does this book cover?
2. Which areas of the world?
3. What is the book's argument/thesis? (what question is it trying to answer/explain?)*
Sources
1. What evidence does the author use to support their claims? (i.e. newspapers, correspondence, archival manuscripts, books, etc.)
2. Is the work footnoted? Does it have a bibliography? If the work is on a non-English subject, are any sources in a foreign language?
Global Approach
1. What trends in global history/globalization does this work cover?
2. How does this work inform your understanding of the historical processes discussed in class?
i. What does it add to the narrative of globalization from the European perspective?
ii. Does it challenge any of the conclusions we have discussed in class?
Criticism
1. How effectively does the author present his/her story?
2. Do they answer their historical question?
3. Do they provide evidence for their claims?
4. What perspectives on historical events do they fail to acknowledge (or acknowledge incompletely)? For instance, the roles of women, non-European peoples, specific social classes
New questions
1. What remains unclear after reading this book?
2. What aspects of the book would you like to know more about?