Letter to the author:
Your paper should take the form of a letter to the author about the book. In the letter, discuss
your response to the book, addressing the following issues:
 Research question: What question do you think she was trying to answer in this book? Do you
agree with her that it is an interesting/important question?
 Methodology: Do you think her methodology is appropriate for her research questions, or do
you think there are some limitations?
 Conclusions: Do you think her conclusions are valid given the evidence she presents? Do you
think her conclusions are important? Why or why not?
Finally, discuss the impact the book had on you personally. Prior to reading this book, what was
your experience with poverty? How much did you know about social class and the working
poor? Has reading the book impacted how you view the working poor? Be specific about how
familiar/unfamiliar you were with it, and where your ideas about it came from. Did the book
change or confirm your beliefs. Be specific about how it changed or confirmed your ideas.
Why do you think the book has been placed on the banned book list?
IMPORTANT:
Your paper must reflect an in-depth understanding of the book. Be sure to make sure your letter
draws from specific points made in the book. To be more blunt, make sure I am not left
wondering at the end whether you have read and understood the book! You do not need a
bibliography, and you do not have room to quote extensively in this paper. You should not quote
more than one or two sentences in the whole paper. If you include a quotation, be sure to
indicate the page number of the quotation in parentheses after the quotation. I will NOT accept
papers with quotations that are not cited!