Let Me Hold Your Hand is a heartwarming, emotional, and inspiring story written by Spondon Ganguli, a computer science teacher who loves reading and writing. He has published a poetry book titled Forgotten Love Unforgotten Love and stories in online magazines. Mr. Ganguli is a new author for me, but I love a good heartwarming story that I could relate to as I have faced many challenges in my life with being disabled. I truly enjoyed reading this book despite having some trouble reading the character's name, setting location as the story takes place in another country, and the songs Sourav sings to Preetam to cheer him up, but the author provides an English translation. Let Me Hold Your Hand is full of pain, unforeseen circumstances, and life-changing situations. It is different from any other story I have read where a character faces a life-altering situation after an incident. It brought back memories of when I first learned about my health declining and how I struggled to accept that I needed to be in a wheelchair, but I had lots of support from family, friends, and teachers.

Let Me Hold Your Hand tells the story of Sourav, a young man who feels alone because his family disapproves of his dream of becoming an author and doesn't accept that he is a teacher. Sourav's parents wish he had become a lawyer like his brother. Sourav forgets about his writing dreams and focuses on teaching and holding extra classes for the students who wish to learn more about computer programming. He loves sharing his knowledge and helping his students meet their goals. When he learns that his former student, Preetam, has been in a terrible motorcycle accident, he drops everything and runs to his house to check on him. I love that Sourav is a passionate and caring teacher who cares about his students. The student-teacher relationship in this story touched my heart because teachers who are interested in their students are the best type of teachers, and sometimes students need someone they can turn to when they feel like they can't talk to anyone else. As a teacher myself, I always check on my students and help them to the best of my ability. Being able to relate to a story and connect with the story's character is an important aspect of writing a good story that people will love, so I congratulate the author for creating relatable, believable characters.

The story's setting takes place in the eastern part of India, where the author is from. The story's setting makes it unique and brings a captivating aspect to the story because the reader gets to experience another country through its characters and learn about the culture. The reader experiences music written in another language and learn about their lifestyle. This story made me very emotional because of the way Sourav's parents did not support his dreams and Preetam's accident. Mr. Ganguli did an outstanding job choosing the right words and writing style to describe Preetam's accident and his struggles in learning how to live his life in a wheelchair. The journey of feeling anxiety, depression, and thinking you can't live out your dreams anymore is very authentic.

The relationship of Preetam and Sourav goes beyond student-teacher and into brotherly love. He goes to Preetam's house every night to talk to him and does everything in his power to pull him out of his mental illness. Eventually, pursuing and supporting Preetam's abilities to paint and draw. Sourav shows Preetam how talented he is and helps him showcases his art pieces in a galley. Sourav's outlook on life and personality changes. Spending time with Preetam and his family helps Sourav become more confident and speak up to his parents. He gains confidence in himself and begins to focus on his dreams again. It was like Preetam and Sourav needed each other to overcame their pain, suffering, and trauma.

The author did a wonderful job developing the characters in this delightful, moving story. The protagonist, Sourav, is a good, caring young man who doesn't let his family get in the way of his dreams and does everything in his power to save a former student. I loved how the author uses his computer science background and incorporated his hometown into the story to share India with the readers. When an author adds personal experiences, it makes the reader connect to the story more and brings a natural element into the writing. Overall, this story was amazing to read despite the plot beginning slow and the challenges of reading the character's names. It had all the elements of a heartwarming story about people overcoming unforeseen trauma. If you like heartwarming and inspiring stories, you will love Spondon Ganguli's Let Me Hold Your Hand.