In Need of a Response, in more ways than one

I have this "reading response" paper due in a week and I could use some tips. I need to create an annotated bibliography for 5 different reading. My problem is deciding what the dam thesis statement is in any given reading. They seem to drag on and on for a million or so words that I could probably state in a few hundred. So what are your tips for honing in on the central point in a "critical" reading?

HELP!