The importance and varieties of human touch have been the subject of much research. Touching varies from culture to culture and is a way of talking in most Latin American countries. Three Puerto Rican novels provide examples of this nonverbal communicative style: "Mambru se fue a la guerra," by Jose Luis Gonzalez; "La vispera del hombre," by Rene Marques; and "Usmail," by Pedro Juan Soto. These novels contain many references to nonverbal communication, particularly touch. In varying degrees, the books offer examples of R. Heslin's categories of touching behavior: (1) functional-professional; (2)social-polite; (3) friendship-warmth; (4) love-intimacy; and (5) sexual arousal. The evolution of some of the characters' relationships also reflect tactile courtship behaviors described by researchers in haptics, the communicative aspect of touching. (Thirty-one references are attached.) (SG)