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The Complete Idiot Guide to American Literature Laurie E Rozakis Books

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The Complete Idiot Guide to American Literature Laurie E Rozakis Books

American Literature was my 10th CLEP test and was in a way one of the most challenging so far due to the enormously broad amount of material that one is required to be familiar with Just In Case a particular passage from that material is on the exam. The difficulty with the American Literature Clep is that it isn't simply knowing the titles of of the main pieces of work by around 3 dozen different authors but you may also be asked about specific events or characters in those works, you will also be provided an excerpt from various pieces of work and be expected to recognize its author.

I see some reviews say this is the only book you need to pass the Clep (I'm guessing they mean a 50 or higher though some schools might require as high as 65) but its not worth risking it considering the cost of the exam & proctoring and having to wait 6 months if you do not score high enough. Also people that took Honors & AP English classes in school are likely to be in a much better position starting out

I found this book to be a more fleshed out version of REA's old 2009 study guide / though there was some topics covered in one that wasn't in the other & vice versa. I'm not sure how this would compare to REAs new 2014 edition. The humor of the book is ok, but definitely becoming very dated with some old jokes in there. Actually for the first half of the book or so the humor sometimes is more distracting than helpful but seems to become much more subtle through the later half. Still the read is about as easy it can get.

Ultimately for preparing for the test I recommend this book, REAs online practice test, Peterson's online practice test, & using Spark Notes (google it, its free). For Spark Notes I think the only part that really is needed is reading the Context, Character, & Questions section and skipping the chapter breakdowns. This really helps cement the works and characters with the authors in your mind.


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The Complete Idiot Guide to American Literature Laurie E Rozakis Books Reviews

Based on recommendations here, I bought this book and used it over a period of 4 months to prepare for the American Literature CLEP. I found the book easy to read and would guess that it directly covers about 85% of what I saw. The book didn't cover a few authors and left out some of the works discussed but otherwise was right on target.

In addition to the book, definitely study the playwrights (Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill) as suggested by another reviewer. Also, the only chapter I didn't need was the one on Canadian authors.

As a study guide, I used this book almost exclusively and wouldn't have had a chance without it.

BTW, I scored a 72.
I used this and Barron's American Literature (EZ-101 Study Keys) almost exclusively to study for the American Lit CLEP. Does it have everything you need, to know everything about American Literature? No. Does it have everything you need to know, to pass the American Literature CLEP? YES! I studied this, the Barron's American Literature (EZ-101 Study Keys), and the free study resources that others had posted for the American Literature CLEP at QUIZLET.com for a solid five days and I received a 65/80. For the purposes of passing the American Literature CLEP, I would pay particular attention to reviewing the works (titles, characters, plots) of Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism authors, as well as playwrights--which this guide does not really cover. Reviewing the timeline in the appendix was helpful to know who and what works came before/after others. Also, if you can, I would advise spending more than five days studying. I am sure if I had put more time into studying, I could have easily gotten a higher grade.
Bought this for taking the American Literature CLEP test and it was a great help! The book breaks down nearly all of the important people and texts of American Literature. Only thing is I wish it had some information on plays and playwrights because the CLEP test did ask questions about that. Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who needs immediate help with American Lit whether its a test or not.
I listened to this every time I was driving home from work for a month and passed the CLEP test with flying colors! Thank god for this!
If you want to CLEP American Lit and don't want to sit for an entire semester reading and writing on, in my opinion, boring stories then buy this book! Seriously, just study this book from front to back and you will be guarantee to pass the CLEP test. I love reading but there is something about American Lit that makes me practically comatose. It was nice to get it out of the way with a simple test.
Though it is good, I definately wouldn't rely on this book alone for the CLEP because it, surprisingly, leaves out some major authors and playrights. "American Literature (Barron's EZ-101 Study Keys)" fills in the gaps in that regard.

I created a list of the authors from both books, narrowed everything down to their major works, and then read the plot summaries at the CliffsNotes and SparkNotes websites - easily passed the CLEP American Literature exam after three weeks of study.

...don't forget to study literary terms.
I gave this book ( version) 5 stars for a few reasons
(1) It is well-formatted for the and easy to navigate.
(2) It covers many of the important historical events as well as the authors during particular time periods in American history. This is helpful because so much of American Literature is tied to the historical events which took place at the time.
(3) The author's sense of humor and wit are entertaining (at least in my opinion), although some of the references to MASH and Cheers might not be picked up by the post-millennium crowd.
(4) Any teacher could use this as a refresher or for inspiration when teaching American Literature, and any student would benefit from the comprehensive summaries of the authors and works included in this book.

CONS
There are a few glitches in the text, especially in the Table of Contents. These glitches are strange symbols that appear in place of punctuation such as apostrophes and dashes.
American Literature was my 10th CLEP test and was in a way one of the most challenging so far due to the enormously broad amount of material that one is required to be familiar with Just In Case a particular passage from that material is on the exam. The difficulty with the American Literature Clep is that it isn't simply knowing the titles of of the main pieces of work by around 3 dozen different authors but you may also be asked about specific events or characters in those works, you will also be provided an excerpt from various pieces of work and be expected to recognize its author.

I see some reviews say this is the only book you need to pass the Clep (I'm guessing they mean a 50 or higher though some schools might require as high as 65) but its not worth risking it considering the cost of the exam & proctoring and having to wait 6 months if you do not score high enough. Also people that took Honors & AP English classes in school are likely to be in a much better position starting out

I found this book to be a more fleshed out version of REA's old 2009 study guide / though there was some topics covered in one that wasn't in the other & vice versa. I'm not sure how this would compare to REAs new 2014 edition. The humor of the book is ok, but definitely becoming very dated with some old jokes in there. Actually for the first half of the book or so the humor sometimes is more distracting than helpful but seems to become much more subtle through the later half. Still the read is about as easy it can get.

Ultimately for preparing for the test I recommend this book, REAs online practice test, Peterson's online practice test, & using Spark Notes (google it, its free). For Spark Notes I think the only part that really is needed is reading the Context, Character, & Questions section and skipping the chapter breakdowns. This really helps cement the works and characters with the authors in your mind.