The New York Times Book Review (NYTBR) features “To Touch the Hand of God” by Eugene J. Phelan
Eugene J. Phelan’s masterpiece, “To Touch the Hand of God,” was featured in the summer issue of The New York Times Book Review (NYTBR) Magazine of 2024.
Current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed in The New York Times Book Review (NYTBR), a weekly paper magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of The New York Times (an American daily newspaper with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to be a growing 6 million paid digital subscribers). It is one of the most well-known and significant book reviews in the business.
“To Touch the Hand of God” by Eugene J. Phelan was nominated for the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award. The Eric Hoffer Book Award commemorates the memory of the famous American philosopher Eric Hoffer by honoring outstanding writing and the independent spirit of small publishers. Since its foundation, Hoffer has become one of the most prestigious worldwide book awards for small, academic, and independent presses.
Author Eugene J. Phelan was born in New York City. He is an education specialist and a former special education teacher and counselor. Phelan lives and works in Kentucky. “To Touch the Hand of God,” which is based on an experience Phelan shared with his own daughter when she was seven years old, is his first book.
Illustrator Penny Weber is a full-time artist and illustrator from Long Island, New York, where she has lived all of her life. She works mostly in acrylics as well as collage and mixed media. Weber has worked for the educational market, various magazines, and independent publishers.
Eugene J. Phelan, the inspiring author of this masterpiece, was interviewed by CBS Radio’s Benji Cole in the program People of Distinction. The program is one of the most wide-ranging radio shows in the United States, hosted by Benji Cole and Al Cole from CBS Radio. People of Distinction is the right fit for authors and readers to discover newly published books, mostly written by passionate and independent authors. Benji Cole, the host of the program, is a world-class interviewer, video formulator, Los Angeles actor, and filmmaker. He’s shared the acting stage with superstar Tom Hanks.
Listen to the full interview below:
Sherry Galetka of the US Review of Books acclaimed “To Touch the Hand of God” by Eugene J. Phelan, acknowledging that “in the use of daily chores that keep Walter moving through his sadness, the author has created a believable story about life, grief, and depression. Phelan shows the positive influence people can have at any age by using a child to provide the encouragement Walter needs to bring out the infinity mirror and begin to move forward with his life. This inspiring book will ring true with those who practice the Christian faith. It also provides a thought-provoking outlook on the changes that the loss of a parent brings to any family unit.”
“To Touch the Hand of God” presents Walter, who has recently experienced the loss of his wife and is having trouble adjusting to his new role as a single father. Feeling particularly down one Saturday morning, Walter is caught off guard by a question from his young daughter, Karen: “What happens if you hold a mirror up to another mirror?” Her curiosity leads the two on a mission to answer the question. What results are a thrilling discovery for Karen and confirmation for Walter that he will continue to create happy memories with his daughter despite the loss felt by them both?