Lams-i Bashar: Persian 1399

From internationally bestselling author Mitch Albom comes Human Touch, a fictional yet ripped-from-the-headlines story about how lives intersect in a small Michigan town amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Human Touch is a story being told in real time, to be published in weekly installments. As the COVID-19 virus takes root in America, a once neighborly street corner of four families begins to fray. A tradition of Saturday gatherings unravels into mistrust and distance. Self-protection dominates over kindness. Only eight-year-old Little Moses seems immune to what is happening around him, and continues to spread his own brand of joy and comfort. As people in the neighborhood become sick and begin to self-isolate, he secretly visits them, offering hugs and longed-for physical contact. When his mother reveals a long-held secret about him—that his blood somehow protects him against all illness—Little Moses draws quick attention from several sources, both good and bad. And then he disappears. A note from the author: “By making this story available for free to all, I’m hoping to inspire donations to my foundation, SAY Detroit—specifically for a project called ‘Detroit Beats COVID-19’ to help poor families and first responders fight the virus in my hometown of Detroit, which has become one of the nation's hot spots for the outbreak. To find out more, visit humantouchstory.com or saydetroit.org.”