Useless Miracle

(Paperback)

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A classic, smart comedy about a meek college professor who achieves one of mankind's most fervent wishes- the ability to fly. College professor George Entmen has been granted what he calls a "useless miracle" -- he can fly, but only three inches off the ground and very, very, very slowly. Plus, he has to put his arms out in front of him like Superman. But when word leaks out that he's acheived one of mankind's greatest desires, George finds himself in a caught in a world of exploitive friends, angry magicians, and non-stop media attention.

Reviews

Just a cunning party trick Or a true 21st Century miracle It is a nice little riddle and, as the plot thickens, George [Entmen] proves such an engagingly self-deprecating narrator that you want to know where his strange odyssey will end. The Daily Mail

"You might think it'd be difficult to contemplate philosophical matters with your nose four inches from the carpet, but Barry Schechter, writing with an incisive eye, a spry mind, and a towering heart, not only pilots us through a turbulent set of Big Questions but even arrives at the answers, arguing sublimely for the value of living a dignified life in hilariously undignified times." Jeremy P. Bushnell, author of The Weirdness

One of the funniest novels Ive ever read. I dare you not to love this book not to hoot out loud at every page, nor marvel at the novels poignant social satire, genuine warmth, and careening twists and turns. Useless Miracle is a necessary wonder.Christopher Boucher, author of How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive

"Schechter deftly balances lush and descriptive prose with humorous dialogue, creating a complex plot from a mundane miracle and a cast of witty characters."The Arkansas International

Praise for Barry Schechters The Blindfold Test

Barry Schechter regards the dirty tricks with which life undoes his protagonist with a kind of glee. We are reminded that Kafka was supposed to have held his sides laughing while he read friends his stories. Lore Segal, author of Half the Kingdom

The Blindfold Test is a beautiful and terrifying pleasure, a metaphysically witty novel rich with melancholy joie de vivre. Matthew Sharpe, author of The Sleeping Father

Schechter . . . skews the horrible world to just the right kind of acceptable lunacy. Han Ong, author of The Disinherited

"The kind of novel Woody Allen and Hunter S. Thompson wouldve written together if they couldve gotten along That Schechter can combine HSTs gonzo morality and pacing with Allens deadpan is almost too much. But still, we couldnt get enough. Jonathan Messinger, TimeOut Chicago

Part-comedy, part-thriller . . . The Blindfold Testis blanketed with paranoia, quite Kafkaesque . . .New City Lit

The slapstick comedy . . . never entirely drowns out an undercurrent of hard-won paranoia. And the best thing that Schechter does, the thing that earns his book a deserved double take, happens when you hear the conspiratorial whispers yourself.Philadelphia City Paper

A funny book with lots of local color.Chicago Reader

A playful and thought-provoking book about howand whetherwe accept our fate.The Second Pass

Author Bio

Barry Schecter is the author of the novel The Blindfold Test. His short fiction, poetry, and criticism have appeared in the Paris Review, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Review. He's a lifelong resident of Chicago.