Book Reviw

BOOK REVIEW DIRECTIONS

From Praha to Prague: Czechs in an Oklahoma Farm Town

Philip D. Smith
University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, OK, 2017

You should fully answer all questions in complete sentences using paragraph form. Do not number your answers. This should be a book review and not a numbered assignment. I have numbered the questions for your benefit, only.

If you get information from the book, please put page number in parenthesis after the appropriate sentence or paragraph. This is the way I want your page references: (129). You should have page references for all of your factual answers. — (23) is the only way I want your reference noted.

You do not need footnotes unless you refer to an outside book review. If you use a book review or any other source you will also need to include a works cited page. Footnotes or Endnotes should be done according to the Chicago Manual of Style.

I would much rather you just read the book and think about it for yourself.

Remember, write in complete sentences using paragraph form.

Things you need to include in your Review:

1. Early in your paper, identify the thesis of this book. In other words, what is the author trying to say? What is his primary point(s)?

2. Give a quick discussion of the sources the author used in this work. Were they mainly primary or secondary sources? Please do not only look at the bibliography for this question. Look at the footnotes. Many times, a primary source will be used over and over while a secondary source might be used only once or twice. Remember, a primary source is material written during the period studied. Primary sources include newspapers, census records, diaries, journal accounts, church records, fraternal association records, etc… Secondary sources are books, articles, and other material written long after the events of the period studied.

3. Describe the formation of Prague, Oklahoma. What was the importance of the railroad in the creation of Prague? Don’t forget important people in the formation of the town.

4. Was religion important in the early days of Prague? Discuss the religious landscape of the frontier farming town.

5. How did the Prague Czechs attempt to maintain their social, cultural, and linguistic heritage in their new environment? Be specific.

6. Did the Czechs of Prague participate in the local economy and other activities of the town? Discuss and give examples.

7. Discuss the everyday life of the Prague Czechs. Be specific.

8. How did the educational system change for the Prague Czechs? How do public schools affect the community?

9. Did the Prague Czechs participate in politics? Explain. Did they participate in community activities? Discuss.

10. Did the author convince you of his thesis? Why or why not? Give your overall feeling of the book. Did you like it? Why or why not?