Iphelia: Awakening the Gift of Feeling by Erick Kenneth French is a beautiful, inspirational book that discusses and explores the gift of empathy and the power of feeling from very unique angles, a book that everyone — and I mean everyone — should read because it is about the one important thing we need to create a hospitable and peaceful society, to grow as individuals, and to thrive in the relationships we build.

Starting from the days of childhood, the author looks at the reality of feeling — the excitement of the child, the feelings of fun, the sense of wonder — and shows how it fills life, but points out that the purity and strength of this feeling ebbs as the child interacts with older folk, until the child starts discerning it faintly. Erick Kenneth French shows the place of feeling in personal and community life, explaining how it can be the one thing we need to define who we are, understand what we really want, and detect what people around us feel and desire. Feeling can also lead individuals to identify their purpose, what they were created for.

With relevant and telling images, this book unveils the anatomy of feeling, leading readers through its different stages. Some pages are filled with images and a few lines that explain what those images stand for, and it will be helpful to spend some time experiencing them. The part that speaks a lot to me is where the author shares exercises and offers a step-by-step guide on harnessing the gift of feeling and allowing it to project us towards our purpose. Iphelia: Awakening the Gift of Feeling speaks about empathy in a very creative and captivating manner, convincing readers that it is essential for success in both personal and business life. There is a wealth of wisdom in this book and a message we need in today’s technocentric cultural and business environments.

Do you remember the first time you were emotionally wounded? You had no idea how to fix it, you cried and possibly screamed because maybe if you let it all out, all the emotion would also be released. Iphelia by Erick Kenneth French is a graphic novel which follows the journey of a young girl named Iphelia, who has the power of empathy. She can feel what other people feel and sometimes it is overwhelming for her, so overwhelming that she doesn’t know quite what to do. However, Iphelia isn’t just about a little girl; it is also about you, the reader. Iphelia is a self-help book of sorts. A guide to understanding your feelings and accepting the fact that it is all right to feel emotional, even when you are an adult.

Iphelia is one of those books that you will find surprisingly insightful. Originally I had thought it to be just a graphic novel with goofy illustrations and then, after reading the author’s note, I realized he had planned to provoke my thoughts and emotions through the images presented. French knows that the illustrations in his novel will raise eyebrows. He welcomes readers to note which images they like or don't like, and even which images “repulse” them. He reminds us that we’re never too old to openly feel things and to empathize with other people. A simple message, but one lost on us as we grow older in a reality that can be full of harshness. I implore others to utilize this ingenious novel. Never judge a book by its cover or its sometimes disturbing images.

Iphelia: Awakening the Gift of Feeling by Erick Kenneth French is an incredible book on one of the powerful gifts we have received and one that few of us harness and use well—empathy. With compelling images, the author helps readers understand how their feelings are an intrinsic part of their being and a component that plays an essential part in relationships, vision, and personal growth. In the introduction the author notes that: “Most of the struggles we have in our relationships stem from an inability to be aware of our own feelings and the feelings of others, and to communicate on a level of feeling.” In this book, readers will understand how their feelings evolve, and how they lose touch with this powerful faculty as they outgrow childhood, but he shows a path that readers can use to reconnect with their feelings, and explains why this is important.

This book helps readers understand how to connect with their feelings and how to use the power of feeling in relationships and in life. Our feelings are very revealing of who we are and that helps us understand what we are called to be and do. The more we are connected to our emotional side, the more we gain clarity in relationships, understand our deepest needs, and become people who are engaged with others, creative and compassionate. The illustrations are very meaningful, each offering a message of its own. This book is a quick read, but it will be beneficial for readers to read with patience, to reflect on each sentence and to follow the exercises proposed in it. Iphelia: Awakening the Gift of Feeling is a gift that everyone needs in a world that is quickly losing its humanity.

Iphelia: Awakening the Gift of Feeling by Erick Kenneth French is both a story and resource by the author, compiled in an arrangement intended to engage a reader through a series of illustrations and narrative. In the first portion, French provides the tale of Iphelia in a picture book format, about a young girl learning to understand and manage her feelings. There is a textual transition at the end of each of the three acts, with a comprehensive analysis on Iphelia's emotional growth and how it applies to all of us. The second portion of the book delves deeper into French's explanations with each section followed by practices and exercises.

Iphelia by Erick Kenneth French is more than just a book. It actually feels like an experience. The illustrations are absolutely sublime, and there was very little in French's narrative that I couldn't get on board with. For me, it was the section titled Improving Personal Integrity that rang the most personal, and the declaration that everything we struggle with is ultimately the result of compromises to our personal integrity. "I am humble. I am profoundly honest with myself. I really want to be true to myself." There is a great deal of self-care that I have pushed to the back burner for so long, and opening up the reservoir of feelings and allowing, not just the acceptance of that, but having the tools to change the pattern, is everything I didn't realize I was searching for. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for the changes that begin from within.