The Author's Point of View on a Topic

An author's point of view is their attitude or opinion about the subject.

In nonfiction, point of view means the author's attitude or position on the topic: are they for it, against it, worried, excited, or neutral? Authors don't always state it directly, so look at their word choice, which facts they include, and what they leave out. Read: 'Each summer, thousands of visitors crowd the tiny island.

Trash piles up on the beaches, and nesting sea turtles are disturbed by noise and lights. Something must change before the island is ruined. ' The author never says 'I'm worried', but words like crowd, piles up, disturbed, and ruined show concern. The point of view is that tourism is harming the island.

A different author might write about the same visitors as 'bringing life and jobs to the island', showing a positive point of view. Same facts, different attitude.

• 1Point of view is the author's attitude toward the topic.
• 2Word choice reveals it, even when it's not stated.
• 3Different authors can view the same topic differently.