The premise of Touch of the Elegrian is fascinating: a telepathic med tech trying to save sick children endangered by the failure of their equipment while trying to overcome the fear of his species. He also fights to overcome the reputation of his father, a war criminal.

The planet Lorian was vividly drawn, as well as the two conflicting cultures.
Anti-Elegrian prejudice reminded me of the anti-Jewish persecution of the Second World War…even to the mandatory symbol of his race to be worn on his sleeve.

As a teacher, I can sympathize with his love for children of any species, which caused him to fight laws that limited his ability to heal them.

I felt for his personal conflict between being like his father and defending himself when abused. I would have lost patience and given his assailants more than a headache. His determination to control himself instead of lashing out was driven by guilt and the need to repair his family’s reputation… It got so heavy it could've been put in a cart and dragged behind him.

The prejudice against his race bordered on hysteria. This could be attributed to the first contact fear between alien species that became enemies, especially those that physically resembled each other. Isolated by the accords arranged for peace, the different peoples grew fear and hatred instead of familiarity. As the writer Katherine Kurtz once said, "The humans kill what they do not understand."

I enjoyed this book, which could be used from late middle school and up. A solid addition to science fiction first encounter acquisitions.

This story could have been improved if tightened up a bit and shortened. Elys never was able to heal himself, always putting it off to help someone else. His arresting officer reminded me of a drill sergeant on a bad day. I now am an expert on alien wildlife due to repeated metaphors, as well as having a sizable Elegrian glossary.