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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In his new book, the literary scholar presents an absorbing, necessary look at the "Redemption" era, in which the hard-fought gains of African-Americans were rolled back by embittered Southern whites.
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Amy Hempel's first book of new material in 14 years showcases her immense talents as a fiction writer. It's a powerful collection of stories about uneasy, unmoored, even desperate people.
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Bryan Washington's debut story collection brings the Texas city to life in all its struggle and imperfect glory.
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German author Takis Würger's debut novel, a thriller about a secret society at Cambridge University, also tackles hot-button issues of privilege and toxic masculinity. It's now out in English.
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Helen Oyeyemi played with fairy tale ideas in the past; her new novel takes off from "Hansel and Gretel" for the story of a mother, a daughter and a mysteriously powerful family gingerbread recipe.
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Jen Beagin is a wonderfully funny writer with a knack for serious subjects. Her exuberant new novel follows a young house cleaner who grew up too fast and is trying to reinvent herself.
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Han Kang's new novel isn't quite a novel — it's a gorgeous, hard-to-categorize series of reflections, themed around the color white, on grief, mourning and what it means to remember those we've lost.
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Pitchaya Sudbanthad's novel follows a broad cast of characters who gradually come together in and around a condominium tower in Bangkok. It's a promising debut that expertly evokes a sense of place.
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Lauren Wilkinson's debut novel follows the life and career of an African American FBI agent who's recruited by the CIA to aid in the overthrow of a charismatic African leader.
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Yiyun Li wrote her devastating, brilliant new novel after the suicide of her son — in it, the unnamed narrator confronts the same situation, holding an extended conversation with her own dead son.