Michael Schaub
Michael Schaub is a writer, book critic and regular contributor to NPR Books. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Portland Mercury and The Austin Chronicle, among other publications. He lives in Austin, Texas.
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Even talented artists have trouble creating the illusions known as "trompe l'oeil." Critic Michael Schaub says Nancy Reisman's tragic new novel of the same name never jumps into three dimensions.
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Jim Shepard's new novel follows a depressed and probably doomed young boy in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto during World War II. Critic Michael Schaub calls it a "rewarding, shocking and beautiful book."
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Journalist Åsne Seierstad's new book retells the story of Norway's Anders Breivik, from his troubled, violent childhood to his 2011 killing spree. Critic Michael Schaub calls it a painful masterpiece.
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Chigozie Obioma's novel follows a group of young boys who disobey their elders to spend afternoons fishing on the banks of an unlucky river, and the terrible consequences that flow from that choice.
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Things rarely end well for the people in Luis Alberto Urrea's new story collection, but there are flashes of humor. Critic Michael Schaub calls Urrea "a master storyteller with a rock 'n' roll heart."
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Kent Russell (brother of Swamplandia! author Karen) makes a striking debut with a collection of essays that double as memoir. Critic Michael Schaub calls the book tough, tender and deeply original.
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Paul Beatty takes no prisoners in this tale of two men trying to save their dying town through provocative moves like reinstituting segregation. Critic Michael Schaub calls it a comic masterpiece.
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Mohsin Hamid's new collection plays on the title of Sigmund Freud's classic Civilization and Its Discontents, but critic Michael Schaub says these essays are both more personal and wider ranging.
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No, really, don't. Reviewer Michael Schaub says David Duchovny's new novel Holy Cow is a mess of corny humor and half-baked, phoned in plotting. Fans may want to believe — but they shouldn't.
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Ander Monson's new essay collection is a thoughtful, original celebration of libraries; more than just buildings full of books, they're a living exchange of ideas and a way for people to connect.