Presents the story of Philip Benjamin, a young man haunted by images of his staid, middle-class parents and frightened by the thought of revealing his homosexual identity to them.

Set in the 1980s against the backdrop of a swiftly gentrifying Manhattan, The Lost Language of Cranes tells the story of twenty-five-year-old Philip Benjamin, who realizes he must come out to his parents after falling in love for the first time with a man. Philip's parents are facing their own problems: pressure from developers and the loss of their longtime home. But the real threat to the family is Philip's father's own struggle with his suppressed homosexuality, realized only in Sunday afternoon visits to gay porn theaters. Philip's revelation to his parents leads his father to a point of crisis and provokes changes that forever alter the landscape of the family's lives.

Sketches an intimate portrait of a family and its emotional struggle to come to terms with the death of matriarch Louise Cooper.

A lyrical fantasy blending fairy tale elements with contemporary issues Thirteen-year-old Suyin is a poor orphan who has a strange gift with languages and a mysterious connection to the cranes in her small Chinese village. When a shady human trafficker arrives promising luxury and riches beyond belief in America, the villagers elect Suyin - whom they consider lucky - to go as their benefactress. But instead of luxury, Suyin is forced to work in a sweatshop in New York City's Chinatown. Suyin's future seems hopeless, until her beloved cranes arrive and reveal that she is no ordinary girl - instead, she is the daughter of the Crane Queen. Now her mother's life is in danger, and Suyin must prove herself worthy of her position as the Crane Princess, in order to save her mother and the entire clan of cranes. For fans of Grace Lin and Laurence Yep, this is a beautiful story of the meaning of family and finding one's true path in life.

For Cooley the cranes are something beyond curiosity, perhaps familiar, yet inexplicable. To learn about the cranes, she went to the International Crane Fdn. in Wisconsin (the only place where all 15 species exist). There she walked among them and interacted with them. For 60 million years, cranes have flown over practically every continent. They can fly at altitudes of up to 30,000 ft. and can migrate over 5,000 miles. This book shares the magnificence of these creatures and helps their survival. For each species of crane, Cooley offers a page of poetic description accompanied by a watercolor illustration. A beautiful work of art with a gorgeous slipcase.

David Leavitt's second collection of stories further confirms a talent deep and wonderfully creative in its empathy. A Place I've Never Been explores family relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships, among characters whose sexuality is fluid or uncertain -- a barrier or under threat. A real estate agent happily married to a woman finds himself in love with another man in "Houses." A man entering a bold new world of gay hookups feels sheltered from the most intimidating attentions by his more attractive, charismatic friend. And Leavitt moves from the familiar American suburbs to Italy, where he's also spent time, to create a contrast with European concepts of loyalty and fidelity that transcends the usual stereotypes. A Place I've Never Been is clever and pleasurable, but also revelatory and wise.