Recognition and Impact | Rebecca Miller

TOUCH: A Novel Exposing the Hidden Crisis of Youth Male Trafficking

A story-driven project raising awareness of boys in trafficking, a group that may account for up to 50% of victims yet remains largely invisible.

Up to half of all trafficked youth may be male—yet their stories are rarely told.

Touch is an award-winning novel that tells the story of Shawn, a teen boy caught in exploitation. Written with trauma-informed realism, the book challenges cultural blind-spots and sparks recognition of a population too often unnamed.

Storytelling becomes advocacy.

Fiction invites readers where statistics cannot.

Recognition & Impact

TOUCH: A Novel Exposing the Hidden Crisis of Youth Male Trafficking demonstrates how storytelling can shift culture and expand education on overlooked issues. By centering a teen male survivor with trauma-informed realism, the novel invites readers into an urgent conversation that too often remains absent from classrooms, festivals, and cultural dialogue.

TOUCH Wins 25+ Literary Awards for Advocacy and Storytelling

Since publication, TOUCH has earned 25+ honors—including the New York Big Book Award, Independent Press Award, B.R.A.G. Medallion, a Hawthorn Prize shortlist, and three Readers’ Favorite wins. Each honor affirms not only the novel’s artistic quality but also its ability to illuminate a silenced population through narrative.

TOUCH Featured at Boston, Rhode Island, and Miami Book Fairs

TOUCH has been showcased at some of the largest book festivals in the United States, including the Boston Book Festival, the Rhode Island Author Expo, and the Miami International Book Fair. These appearances place the novel alongside nationally recognized authors and works of cultural impact, while creating opportunities for dialogue with readers, advocates, and community leaders.

Film & TV Industry Exploring Adaptation of TOUCH

The story’s reach now extends beyond the page, with active development toward film and television adaptation. This growing interest demonstrates the power of fiction to cross mediums, bringing an urgent social issue into cultural spaces where it can no longer be ignored.

Why This Matters

TOUCH reframes trafficking as a human rights issue that explicitly includes boys. It is more than a book—it is a project of awareness and advocacy. Each award, festival feature, and step toward cross-media adaptation points to the same truth: storytelling can shift culture, broaden recognition, and create pathways toward change.