Your assignment is to answer the following questions regarding John Dean’s book entitled “The Rehnquist Choice”.
a. How much does the book agree or clash with your view of the world, and what you consider right and wrong? Use quotes as examples of how it agrees
with and supports what you think about the world, about right and wrong, and about what you think it is to be human. Use quotes and examples (along with
the page numbers) to discuss how the text agrees or disagrees with what you think about the world, history, and about right and wrong.
b. How were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all? Did the text communicate with you? Why or why not? Give examples of how
your views might have changed or been strengthened (or perhaps, of why the text failed to convince you, the way it is). Please do not write: “I agree with
everything the author wrote” – since everybody disagrees about something, even if it is a tiny point. Use quotes (along with page numbers) to illustrate your
points of challenge, or where you were persuaded, or where it left you cold.
c. How well does the book address things that you, personally, care about and consider important to the world? How does it relate to things that are
important to your family, your community, your ethnic group, to people of your economic or social class or background, or your faith tradition? If not, who
does or did the text serve? Did it pass the “Who cares?” test? Use quotes to illustrate.
d. Reading “critically” does not mean the same thing as “criticizing,” in everyday language (complaining or griping, fault-finding, nit-picking). Your “critique”
can and should be positive and praise the book as much as possible, as well as pointing out any possible problems, disagreements and shortcomings.
e. To sum up, what is your overall reaction to the text? To whom would you recommend this text? Would you read something else like this, or by this same
author, in the future or not? Why or why not?
