During his one and only return visit to the Philippines, Johnny de la Cruz-plagued by a sense of isolation-succumbs to a quick sexual encounter with an old flame, the attractive and beguiling Bunny Piña. Years later, nineteen-year-old Winston Piña has barely finished eulogizing his recently deceased mother when he finds a letter she wrote, but never sent, to Johnny. This leads Winston into the lives of the de la Cruz family-a family to which he might or might not belong. When the de la Cruz Family Danced explores the ties within family and how they are affected by circumstances of birth, immigration, and assimilation.

When Luke Coleman first touches his sister’s doll, he feels an extraordinary warmth travel the length of his arm. Natasha is like nothing he’s ever seen, but the attraction soon develops into a crippling obsession. In desperation, Luke turns to his eccentric aunt Nadia for support. Why was Natasha the only doll of her kind ever made? What is the history his aunt is so reluctant to reveal? At nineteen, Luke is still a loner, unable to form a relationship and no closer to understanding the reasons behind his fixation. But someone has been watching him, someone else who is looking for answers, and when they meet, Luke’s life will change forever. Content warning: while this story is a romance, it also includes scenes relating to childhood abuse, suicide ideation and domestic violence.

"Could there be a timelier gift to quarantined readers...? I doubt it."—The Washington Post "A heartening gathering of writers joining forces for community support."—Kirkus Reviews "Connects writers, readers, and booksellers in a wonderfully imaginative way. It's a really good book for a really good cause"—Bestselling author James Patterson ALONE TOGETHER: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 is a collection of essays, poems, and interviews to serve as a lifeline for negotiating how to connect and thrive during this stressful time of isolation as well as a historical perspective that will remain relevant for years to come. All contributing authors and business partners are donating their share to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), a nonprofit organization that coordinates charitable programs to strengthen the bookselling community. The roster of diverse voices includes Faith Adiele, Kwame Alexander, Jenna Blum, Andre Dubus III, Jamie Ford, Nikki Giovanni, Pam Houston, Jean Kwok, Major Jackson, Devi S. Laskar, Caroline Leavitt, Ada Limón, Dani Shapiro, David Sheff, Garth Stein, Luis Alberto Urrea, Steve Yarbrough, and Lidia Yuknavitch. The overarching theme is how this age of isolation and uncertainty is changing us as individuals and a society. "Alone Together showcases the human desire to grieve, explore, comfort, connect, and simply sit with the world as it weathers the pandemic. Jennifer Haupt's timely and moving anthology also benefits the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, making it a project that is noble in both word and deed."—Ann Patchett, Bestselling author, bookseller, and Co-Ambassador for The Book Industry Charitable Foundation

Kartika Review's 2011 Anthology of Asian Pacific Islander American Literature. Read past issues at www.kartikareview.com.

Urban realism in the tradition of E.L. Doctorow, William Kennedy, Philip Roth and Jimmy Breslin, "When Jack Was With Us" immerses the reader in neighborhood life in New York City from the late 1950's through the late 1960's. Unlike many other novels by Baby Boomers, this novel makes no attempt to sugarcoat or nostaligize; it presents life as the author saw it while growing up, in all its beauty and all its brutality. There is no single protagonist; a number of characters whose lives intertwine each seek to make the best out of their lives amid the rich and often volatile ethnic tapestry of New York, against the backdrop of social change as the novel moves from the somnolent 1950's through the turbulent 1960's. Each character struggles and finds his/her damnation or redemption amid a city that personifies a nation in flux. It is a "coming of age" not only for the characters but for the greater American collective psyche.

One of the first anthologies to focus on Mexican dance practices on both sides of the border