Typically a book review serves the purpose of helping others to decide if they should or want to read a particular book or not. This is done by reading and evaluating a given book, and summing it up in terms of how well it has been written and/or how well the author has handled the subject matter. The 4-MAT REVIEW book review system is a way of responding to readings, lectures, and life experiences that requires the learner to interact with new ideas on 4 specific levels.