Human Touch

A new serialized story of hope during the coronavirus pandemic, set in the moment we are all living through together. “Human Touch” was written by Mitch Albom in the present, one week at a time.

“I am offering this new work to readers everywhere. It is my hope that the story will provide a welcome diversion in our suddenly shut-in world. Writing is my art form. It is the least I can give. If you enjoy the story, I encourage those who can to donate to Detroit Beats Covid-19!, a relief effort in my hometown of Detroit, which is being so hard hit by this pandemic.”

Mitch
Human Touch Book cover
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I believe in humanity.  I believe we will get through this together. And then we’ll each have our own “human touch” story to tell.

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A Story in Real Time

Chapters

Weeks

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Translated

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a sample from

Human Touch

a story in real time

Mitch Albom

 


 

“The spirit of man can endure only so much. And when it is broken, only a miracle can mend it.”

—John Burroughs,
American essayist

 


 

Prologue

Sometime in the future…

 

A little boy taps on a small basement window. 

“It’s open,” an old woman says.

She sits up on the mattress. An electric teapot is plugged in nearby, and a plate of half-eaten oatmeal rests on a tray. 

The little boy pushes his way through the window – only someone as small as he is could fit – and drops to the floor, his sneakers making a thwock on the basement concrete.

“Are you sure this is OK, Little Moses?” the old woman asks. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“No one saw me, Miss.”

“I don’t want to get you sick.”

The boy stomps his sneaker to lose some dirt. 

“I cannot get sick, Miss.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Miss. Don’t worry, Miss.”

A single tear falls down her cheek. She lifts her arms and the boy approaches. He pushes off his shoes as she makes room for him in the bed. Beneath her loose grey hair, which reaches her shoulders, he sees a small locket around her neck. He lays his head against her chest, wondering what is inside the locket.

“Thank you, Little Moses,” she whispers. “Thank you for letting me hold you.”

She coughs several times. The boy feels the old woman’s arms tighten around him, savoring the comfort of a simple human touch.

“You are welcome, Miss,” he whispers.

Set in a small town in Michigan, “Human Touch” follows the lives of four families who share a single street corner. As the strange new virus takes root in America, the once neighborly corner begins to fray, and a tradition of Saturday gatherings unravels. Some pull closer together. Some drift into mistrust and distance. A doctor must make severe choices. A pastor struggles with faith versus law. A Chinese-American couple is suddenly ostracized. And a unique little boy with an inexplicable power becomes the key to hope and a way out of the crisis. Until he suddenly disappears.

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Detroit Beats Covid-19!

Here or at the end of each chapter of “Human Touch,” you can donate to help Mitch Albom’s hometown of Detroit through SAY Detroit, a 501(c)(3) charity he founded in 2006.

The Detroit Beats Covid-19! project will devote 100% of the proceeds to fighting Covid-19 in the following ways:

  • By creating a mobile testing center in Detroit – Now Open!
  • Feeding 2,000 homebound seniors weekly
  • Continuing education for more than 100 underserved children
  • Helping to operate a quarantine center for homeless citizens
  • Funding the creation of reusable, washable masks and mask protectors for first responders
  • Feeding medical and hospital personnel on the front lines through the purchase of food from local Detroit restaurants at risk of closing
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Story Calendar

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Chapter One

Read Now

Chapter Two

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Chapter Three

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Chapter Four

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Chapter Five

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Chapter Six

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Chapter Seven

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Chapter Eight

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Translations

Hungarian

Olvassa el most Animus Kiadó

Indonesian

Baca sekarang dari Gramedia

Italian

Prossimamente da Sperling & Kupfer

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