Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York : Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009.
Description
Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.
Media reviews
Booklist
Shot with spirtualism, laced with love, and fraught with conundrums, this book, like Marcelo himself, surprises.
School Library Journal
Writing in a first-person narrative, Stork does an amazing job of entering Marcelo's consciousness and presenting him as a dynamic, sympathetic, and wholly believable character.
. . . in the skillful hands of Francisco X. Stork, 17-year-old Marcelo Sandoval is the bravest, most original hero I’ve met in years.
Publishers Weekly
Stork introduces ethical dilemmas, the possibility of love, and other real world conflicts, all the while preserving the integrity of his characterizations and intensifying the novel's psychological and emotional stakes. Not to be missed.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Whisper1
Many thanks to Stasia for recommending this poignant, powerful, sensitive and heart warming book.
Seventeen year old Marcelo Sandoval is a very special person for many reasons. He is a highly functioning young man who has a form of asperger's syndrome.
Marcelo hears music known only to him. He also
Shielded at a private school for individuals with learning disabilities, Marcelo's lawyer father forces Marcelo to expand his awareness and to work one summer in the "real world."
Demanding that Marcelo work at his law firm, his father faces severe repercussions when Marcelo's experiences are not the path of transformation he expected.
When Marcelo is befriended by a lovely female co-worker, Marcelo learns to trust his ability to study facial movements and nuances. Initially unable to put an emotion with an expression, Marcelo's world changes when he finds a photo of a young girl with half a face. Compelled to learn about this girl, Marcelo seeks the help of his new found friend Jasmine.
When he learns that his father is the lawyer defending the company that knowingly manufactured defective windshields resulting in maiming the woman in the picture and many others, he choices to make an ethical decision with far reaching consequences.
His quest sets a series of motions in place and in doing so, Marcelo is forever changed by experiencing the fact that the real world is filled with suffering, injustice, greed and ill will.
Marcelo also learns that the outside world contains a different kind of music, as powerfully lovely as that heard inwardly. In risking and trusting himself, Marcelo does more than come of age, he enhances what he already was -- a sensitive, loving, beautiful man.
Highly recommended!
Seventeen year old Marcelo Sandoval is a very special person for many reasons. He is a highly functioning young man who has a form of asperger's syndrome.
Marcelo hears music known only to him. He also
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obsesses in learning about religion. One of his mentors is a delightful female rabbi who listens and understands. Through their relationship, the author allows us inside the beautiful mind of Marcelo and his thought processes.Shielded at a private school for individuals with learning disabilities, Marcelo's lawyer father forces Marcelo to expand his awareness and to work one summer in the "real world."
Demanding that Marcelo work at his law firm, his father faces severe repercussions when Marcelo's experiences are not the path of transformation he expected.
When Marcelo is befriended by a lovely female co-worker, Marcelo learns to trust his ability to study facial movements and nuances. Initially unable to put an emotion with an expression, Marcelo's world changes when he finds a photo of a young girl with half a face. Compelled to learn about this girl, Marcelo seeks the help of his new found friend Jasmine.
When he learns that his father is the lawyer defending the company that knowingly manufactured defective windshields resulting in maiming the woman in the picture and many others, he choices to make an ethical decision with far reaching consequences.
His quest sets a series of motions in place and in doing so, Marcelo is forever changed by experiencing the fact that the real world is filled with suffering, injustice, greed and ill will.
Marcelo also learns that the outside world contains a different kind of music, as powerfully lovely as that heard inwardly. In risking and trusting himself, Marcelo does more than come of age, he enhances what he already was -- a sensitive, loving, beautiful man.
Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member mckait
I considered saying that this is a wonderful book about a young man with disabilities. But that wouldn't be quite correct. Marcello does indeed see the world differently, but would I call it a disability? Not for Marcello.
I thought about saying that this is a coming of age story. That is true,
This is the story of an extraordinary young man. A teenager who sees things differently, and thinks about what it is he sees. Really thinks. And finds understanding. He grows up in a family where he is embraced by his mother and sister for who he is, and who he can be. He is taught in an environment where there is no judgement, just unconditional acceptance. When the time comes for him to be tested, these all serve him well in finding his strength, his place in the world, his happiness and perhaps his love.
Marcello drew me in immediately. He and his family mattered to me. I so wanted him to be more than fiction, and I am sure that somewhere, he is. Marcello in the Real World is a wonderful book. I read it in one long session, because i couldn't make myself leave. I had to know how he faired. I couldn't step away before reaching the end of his story. But as with all good stories, there is no ending here. It is all about beginnings.
I thought about saying that this is a coming of age story. That is true,
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almost. Marcello does indeed find the strength within himself to see the world differently. In all of its ugliness and sad reality. So in this way, I guess he did go through a coming of age period, or at least began to find the strength he will need to make a place for himself. This is the story of an extraordinary young man. A teenager who sees things differently, and thinks about what it is he sees. Really thinks. And finds understanding. He grows up in a family where he is embraced by his mother and sister for who he is, and who he can be. He is taught in an environment where there is no judgement, just unconditional acceptance. When the time comes for him to be tested, these all serve him well in finding his strength, his place in the world, his happiness and perhaps his love.
Marcello drew me in immediately. He and his family mattered to me. I so wanted him to be more than fiction, and I am sure that somewhere, he is. Marcello in the Real World is a wonderful book. I read it in one long session, because i couldn't make myself leave. I had to know how he faired. I couldn't step away before reaching the end of his story. But as with all good stories, there is no ending here. It is all about beginnings.
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LibraryThing member womansheart
I enjoyed reading this book especially because of the interplay between the non-verbal thoughts and audible responses of the protagonist as he communicates with others and interacts with his environment.
Some of the characters expressed an inner world of depth and beauty and others expressed an
The protagonist is a young man diagnosed as being somewhere on the Asperger's syndrome/autism spectrum. He is brilliant while being psychologically challenged and somewhat innocent. He attends a school where he gets lots of environmental, psychological, and emotional support.
His father asks him to work in his law firm, in the mail room, during the Summer before his final year of high school. Dad wants him to get a taste of the "real world." And ... he definitely gets more than a little taste!
It shares a few similarities to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time but the plot is somewhat more intense and includes spiritual/religious/philosophical/moral/legal topics as well. I found it quite heartening and inspiring.
The author is is also brilliant. Another lawyer/novelist of talent and verve.
Highly recommend it. Four and a half stars. ****1/2
Some of the characters expressed an inner world of depth and beauty and others expressed an
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interior landscape based in their amoral and sometimes superficial and detached worldliness. There are lighter passages that describe humorous situations and experiences as well.The protagonist is a young man diagnosed as being somewhere on the Asperger's syndrome/autism spectrum. He is brilliant while being psychologically challenged and somewhat innocent. He attends a school where he gets lots of environmental, psychological, and emotional support.
His father asks him to work in his law firm, in the mail room, during the Summer before his final year of high school. Dad wants him to get a taste of the "real world." And ... he definitely gets more than a little taste!
It shares a few similarities to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time but the plot is somewhat more intense and includes spiritual/religious/philosophical/moral/legal topics as well. I found it quite heartening and inspiring.
The author is is also brilliant. Another lawyer/novelist of talent and verve.
Highly recommend it. Four and a half stars. ****1/2
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LibraryThing member kayceel
First off, I was completely enchanted by this book. Could not put it down, then about halfway through I had to put it aside for a few days because I both wanted it to never end but also because I was uncomfortable with the way things were going.
I just finished it today, and while the discomfort was
Marcelo is such a fascinating character - being on the autism spectrum, he has difficulty reading social and emotional cues, and so by nature he's outside of the "real world" and as such, is able to observe "normal" people with simple yet spot-on insight . At the beginning of summer, Marcelo make a deal with his lawyer father - come to work at his law firm, and if he "succeeds," Marcelo can choose for himself which school he'd like to attend in the fall. Fail to succeed and Marcelo has to go to the local high school for his senior year, instead of the special school he's been attending for his whole life.
Marcelo's work at the law firm brings him into contact with several situations and people, some of whom mean him harm, and his struggle to learn how to navigate this new, "real world" is breathtaking and heartbreaking.
I cannot recommend this book enough - it will make you smile, laugh, worry and it certainly made me choke up a bit.
One of my favorite reads all year.
I just finished it today, and while the discomfort was
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there, and I did squirm, I'm sooooo glad I read this.Marcelo is such a fascinating character - being on the autism spectrum, he has difficulty reading social and emotional cues, and so by nature he's outside of the "real world" and as such, is able to observe "normal" people with simple yet spot-on insight . At the beginning of summer, Marcelo make a deal with his lawyer father - come to work at his law firm, and if he "succeeds," Marcelo can choose for himself which school he'd like to attend in the fall. Fail to succeed and Marcelo has to go to the local high school for his senior year, instead of the special school he's been attending for his whole life.
Marcelo's work at the law firm brings him into contact with several situations and people, some of whom mean him harm, and his struggle to learn how to navigate this new, "real world" is breathtaking and heartbreaking.
I cannot recommend this book enough - it will make you smile, laugh, worry and it certainly made me choke up a bit.
One of my favorite reads all year.
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LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
Francisco X. Stork has written a thought provoking book in Marcelo in the Real World. Marcelo is bright but his mind processes verbal and written communication slowly and he is a very literal processor. The Paterson School which he attends and loves has taught him to somewhat recognize sarcasm and
His father, Arturo, has different plans for Marcelo. Arturo wants Marcelo to experience the ‘real world’ and has placed him in his law firm’s mailroom, working for Jasmine. The deal is: if Marcelo fails in the real world for the summer, he must attend public school. If he succeeds, he can choose whether or not to return to Paterson.
On his first day on the job, Jasmine tells Marcelo straight out that she is not happy he is working for her. She wanted to hire someone else, a proven entity, not someone with a ‘cognitive disorder’, as Arturo, unknown to Marcelo, describes him.
Marcelo is also exposed to Wendell Holmes, the son of Arturo’s law partner, also summering unwillingly at the law firm. Wendell’s goal is to get Jasmine in bed and he tries to enlist Marcelo’s assistance. Naïve, Marcelo thinks that Wendell is his friend and his refusal will ruin their friendship. He also somewhat understands right and wrong when it comes to sex and ‘using’ people. One of many conundrums Marcelo faces.
Finally, Marcelo is introduced to the business of law—suits, settlements, private negotiations. Arturo’s firm is representing the manufacturer of automobile windshields that shatter on impact. The manufacturer is being sued by motorists who were injured. Marcelo sees the photo of a young girl’s disfigured face and discovers that she is represented by a local attorney. He is torn between helping the girl and the impact of these actions on his family and co-workers.
This is a long plot summary which covers a small portion of the story. Marcelo is a teen who thinks differently than other teens, trying to understand the world around him. Is it right for Arturo to represent a company producing a defective product? Marcelo’s interactions with Jasmine and Wendell describe the two opposite ends of a wide spectrum. The moral issues Marcelo faces play into his ‘special interest’ in religion and his discussions with Rabbi Heschel (even though Marcelo is Catholic) are quite interesting.
Stork’s writing is spare, but his characters emerge brilliantly. Readers will get inside Marcelo’s head. They will unconsciously decide to like or dislike characters. Marcelo’s struggle to understand people’s intentions, to decide what is right and wrong will, hopefully, make readers think about these same topics. Hopefully Marcelo in the Real World will also make people consider whether we have, somehow, lost our way in the world, lost sight of what is good, what is important, what is beautiful. I haven’t said this in a while, but Marcelo in the Real World may be one of the ten best books I’ve read this year.
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innuendo but he was not taught to recognize bad intent in people, so to him everyone has honorable intentions. He plans to spend the summer between his junior and senior high school years at Paterson caring for the ponies used in hippotherapy for children with developmental disabilities. His father, Arturo, has different plans for Marcelo. Arturo wants Marcelo to experience the ‘real world’ and has placed him in his law firm’s mailroom, working for Jasmine. The deal is: if Marcelo fails in the real world for the summer, he must attend public school. If he succeeds, he can choose whether or not to return to Paterson.
On his first day on the job, Jasmine tells Marcelo straight out that she is not happy he is working for her. She wanted to hire someone else, a proven entity, not someone with a ‘cognitive disorder’, as Arturo, unknown to Marcelo, describes him.
Marcelo is also exposed to Wendell Holmes, the son of Arturo’s law partner, also summering unwillingly at the law firm. Wendell’s goal is to get Jasmine in bed and he tries to enlist Marcelo’s assistance. Naïve, Marcelo thinks that Wendell is his friend and his refusal will ruin their friendship. He also somewhat understands right and wrong when it comes to sex and ‘using’ people. One of many conundrums Marcelo faces.
Finally, Marcelo is introduced to the business of law—suits, settlements, private negotiations. Arturo’s firm is representing the manufacturer of automobile windshields that shatter on impact. The manufacturer is being sued by motorists who were injured. Marcelo sees the photo of a young girl’s disfigured face and discovers that she is represented by a local attorney. He is torn between helping the girl and the impact of these actions on his family and co-workers.
This is a long plot summary which covers a small portion of the story. Marcelo is a teen who thinks differently than other teens, trying to understand the world around him. Is it right for Arturo to represent a company producing a defective product? Marcelo’s interactions with Jasmine and Wendell describe the two opposite ends of a wide spectrum. The moral issues Marcelo faces play into his ‘special interest’ in religion and his discussions with Rabbi Heschel (even though Marcelo is Catholic) are quite interesting.
Stork’s writing is spare, but his characters emerge brilliantly. Readers will get inside Marcelo’s head. They will unconsciously decide to like or dislike characters. Marcelo’s struggle to understand people’s intentions, to decide what is right and wrong will, hopefully, make readers think about these same topics. Hopefully Marcelo in the Real World will also make people consider whether we have, somehow, lost our way in the world, lost sight of what is good, what is important, what is beautiful. I haven’t said this in a while, but Marcelo in the Real World may be one of the ten best books I’ve read this year.
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LibraryThing member stonelaura
To look at him you might think Marcelo was just an ordinary, good-looking 17 year-old. But Marcelo sleeps in a tree house, refers to himself in the third person, and hears internal music in his head. Marcelo has an Asperger-like syndrome and he functions at a high level in his special school and at
Marcelo’s vulnerability and Stork’s full development of all the characters makes for a compelling story. Nothing is simple for Marcelo, but Stork’s wonderful writing makes for a simply terrific book.
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his job tending to the school’s ponies. But this summer Marcelo’s dad, Arturo, wants him to enter the “real world” and forces him to work in the mail room at his high-powered law firm instead. If it weren’t for Jasmine, his tough yet sensitive supervisor, who understands his love of lists and his inability to read emotions in others, Marcelo might not have survived his first day. But not all is warm and cozy at the water cooler. Seeing an easy target, slimly Wendell, the underhanded son of Arturo’s equally slimy partner, begins to use Marcelo for his own rewards, mostly to do with getting Jasmine alone on the family yacht. When Marcelo finds a photo of a girl severely injured through the negligence of a corporation his father represents it becomes a turning point for Marcelo’s true entry into the real world.Marcelo’s vulnerability and Stork’s full development of all the characters makes for a compelling story. Nothing is simple for Marcelo, but Stork’s wonderful writing makes for a simply terrific book.
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LibraryThing member bbellthom
Marcelo in the Real World is about a teenage boy who appears to have autistic tendencies. Marcelo often refers to himself in the third person. Marcelo attends Paterson school, which is a special school for kids with various needs. At Paterson Marcelo takes care of the Haflingers ponies a job he
Generally when forced to describe what he has Marcelo describes himself as having Asperger’s Syndrome which he feels dishonest in doing because:
“the negative effects of my differences on my life are so slight compared to other kids who have AS or other forms of autism and truly suffer. I always feel like I’m doing the people who have these conditions a disservice when I use the medical term because then people say “Oh that doesn’t seem so bad. What’s all the fuss about?’
I related to the way he felt because I have two children, one with Aspegers and one with Pervasive Developmental Disorder but are on the very high functioning end, and I never quite know how to explain what they have that make them unique. I have even had a parent ask me once how to make her child “autistic” because my son appeared to be so well behaved, when really he didn’t interact much with his peers which made him seem well behaved and quite. I couldn’t even come up with an answer to that question.
Another part of the book that I found interesting was a conversation between Marcelo and his father regarding religion Marcelo’s special interest.
“People in the workaday world are discreet about their religion. They pray in private. They don’t quote Scriptures unless it’s a figure of speech like, I don’t know, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ ‘the blind leading the blind.’ Things like that. Phrases that have common usage.”
“Can a blind man lead a blind man?” I say.
“Beg your pardon?”
“Jesus’s exact words were ‘Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?’ Luke, chapter six, verse thirty nine.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. It’s not customary to quote Scripture to someone, much less quote him chapter and verse. I think that you’re going to benefit from this experience, it’s important that you try to act as is customary”
“I take out the yellow notebook that I always keep in my shirt pocket. I write: Do not pray so that others see M. pray. Do not quote Scripture. Note: Listen for religious phrases that have become figures of speech. Those are allowed even if not accurate. Do not provide correct version or cite where it appears in the Bible.
This is something that I think baffles my youngest son, why can’t you correct someone when you know that they are inaccurate, why is it rude, he doesn’t mean it to be rude. His special interests are animals and I never doubt what he tells me to be accurate. Luckily he has a teacher that understands when he corrected her when she was teaching a unit on Animals, he wasn’t being disrespectful he just knew a fact to be incorrect. I think as a society what has been deemed as appropriate behavior is not always correct.
I highly recommend Marcelo in the Real World
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wants to do throughout the summer and a job that he is comfortable doing. His father has other plans; he would like Marcelo to function in his so called “Real World” and work as a mail clerk in his law firm and attend public high school for his senior year. Marcelo wants to attend Paterson and care for the ponies. A deal is struck between Marcelo and his father that if Marcelo works in the mail room and functions by his father standards in the “Real World” for the summer Marcelo can make the decision to attend a public high school or Paterson. In the end Marcelo proves just how well he can function.Generally when forced to describe what he has Marcelo describes himself as having Asperger’s Syndrome which he feels dishonest in doing because:
“the negative effects of my differences on my life are so slight compared to other kids who have AS or other forms of autism and truly suffer. I always feel like I’m doing the people who have these conditions a disservice when I use the medical term because then people say “Oh that doesn’t seem so bad. What’s all the fuss about?’
I related to the way he felt because I have two children, one with Aspegers and one with Pervasive Developmental Disorder but are on the very high functioning end, and I never quite know how to explain what they have that make them unique. I have even had a parent ask me once how to make her child “autistic” because my son appeared to be so well behaved, when really he didn’t interact much with his peers which made him seem well behaved and quite. I couldn’t even come up with an answer to that question.
Another part of the book that I found interesting was a conversation between Marcelo and his father regarding religion Marcelo’s special interest.
“People in the workaday world are discreet about their religion. They pray in private. They don’t quote Scriptures unless it’s a figure of speech like, I don’t know, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ ‘the blind leading the blind.’ Things like that. Phrases that have common usage.”
“Can a blind man lead a blind man?” I say.
“Beg your pardon?”
“Jesus’s exact words were ‘Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?’ Luke, chapter six, verse thirty nine.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. It’s not customary to quote Scripture to someone, much less quote him chapter and verse. I think that you’re going to benefit from this experience, it’s important that you try to act as is customary”
“I take out the yellow notebook that I always keep in my shirt pocket. I write: Do not pray so that others see M. pray. Do not quote Scripture. Note: Listen for religious phrases that have become figures of speech. Those are allowed even if not accurate. Do not provide correct version or cite where it appears in the Bible.
This is something that I think baffles my youngest son, why can’t you correct someone when you know that they are inaccurate, why is it rude, he doesn’t mean it to be rude. His special interests are animals and I never doubt what he tells me to be accurate. Luckily he has a teacher that understands when he corrected her when she was teaching a unit on Animals, he wasn’t being disrespectful he just knew a fact to be incorrect. I think as a society what has been deemed as appropriate behavior is not always correct.
I highly recommend Marcelo in the Real World
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LibraryThing member kellyholmes
Summary: 17-year-old Marcelo has a condition similar to autism—he hears music in his mind that no one else can hear. Marcelo loves his school, but in order to keep going there, first he has to prove to his father that he can make it in “the real world.”
Review: I found this book a little
One trivial thing bugged me an eensy weensy bit. A lot of times, the characters didn’t use common contractions when speaking, like always saying “it is” and “you are.” While I bought that Marcelo would talk that way, it made the other characters’ speech sound stilted.
This is a sweet story, and I actually found myself missing Marcelo as I typed up this review.
Review: I found this book a little
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difficult to get into at first because the main character is so guarded with his emotions, but I appreciated and completely understood the realism. And I ended up thoroughly enjoying this story. I got especially wrapped up in the plot around a decision Marcelo has to make in “the real world.”One trivial thing bugged me an eensy weensy bit. A lot of times, the characters didn’t use common contractions when speaking, like always saying “it is” and “you are.” While I bought that Marcelo would talk that way, it made the other characters’ speech sound stilted.
This is a sweet story, and I actually found myself missing Marcelo as I typed up this review.
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LibraryThing member heathersblue
This is great book for young adults and adults alike. Marcelo and his father have a deal: if Marcelo works in his office for the summer Marcelo can decide where he wants to spend the next school year. Marcelo is a great character and it is wonderful watching him grow and change as he interacts with
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people day to day. He meets both wonderful and cruel people and learns to tell the difference and speak his mind. Wonderful read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Awesomeness1
It's not really a three, but wasn't quite a four.
Seventeen year old Marcelo Sandoval is different. He hears music no one else can hear, his social development is stumped, and his special interests include religion, classical music, and therapy ponies. Marcelo is looking forward to a summer of
I was a tad disappointed in this book. It wasn't Marcelo. I loved him. I could read books in his voice all the time and never get sick of it. It's blunt, but honest and insightful. Marcelo was a great character, and the topic of autsim didn't deter me either. I was quite excited to see how he would survive in an average person's reality. I also liked Jasmine and Arturo, as well as Marcelo's fluctuating relationships with them. I didn't like Wendell, but I wasn't supposed to. He was the designated douche.
What I really didn't like was practically the entire middle part which consisted of the "legal thriller". There was nothing thrilling about it. It was dull, and I found the discussions, both internal and external, to be dull too. I just felt that out of all the paths that this book could have taken, why this one? I would have rather liked to see it spent more on Jasmine and Marcelo's stay in Vermont, or with the Rabbi or something. I just didn't like that part.
Marcelo was a great character though, and overall the book was a worth-while experience. I recommend it to anyone looking to get into the head of an autistic kid.
Oh, and the author's name is epic. Francisco X. Stork? Sounds like a James Bond character. I really hope it isn't a pseudonym.
Seventeen year old Marcelo Sandoval is different. He hears music no one else can hear, his social development is stumped, and his special interests include religion, classical music, and therapy ponies. Marcelo is looking forward to a summer of
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working as a stable boy at Paterson, a school for kids with special needs, when his father tells him that he must get out of his comfort zone and join the "real world" or else he won't be able to go to Paterson for his senior year. The real world in this case is his father's law firm's mailroom where Marcelo will have to learn how to get along with Jasmine, his beautiful and quirky boss, complete tasks on time, and wade the truth out of all the corporate muck. I was a tad disappointed in this book. It wasn't Marcelo. I loved him. I could read books in his voice all the time and never get sick of it. It's blunt, but honest and insightful. Marcelo was a great character, and the topic of autsim didn't deter me either. I was quite excited to see how he would survive in an average person's reality. I also liked Jasmine and Arturo, as well as Marcelo's fluctuating relationships with them. I didn't like Wendell, but I wasn't supposed to. He was the designated douche.
What I really didn't like was practically the entire middle part which consisted of the "legal thriller". There was nothing thrilling about it. It was dull, and I found the discussions, both internal and external, to be dull too. I just felt that out of all the paths that this book could have taken, why this one? I would have rather liked to see it spent more on Jasmine and Marcelo's stay in Vermont, or with the Rabbi or something. I just didn't like that part.
Marcelo was a great character though, and overall the book was a worth-while experience. I recommend it to anyone looking to get into the head of an autistic kid.
Oh, and the author's name is epic. Francisco X. Stork? Sounds like a James Bond character. I really hope it isn't a pseudonym.
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LibraryThing member bragan
Seventeen-year-old Marcelo, who is somewhere on the autism spectrum, has led a fairly sheltered life, attending a school for special-needs kids. His father, a high-powered Boston lawyer, believes that it's time for Marcelo to learn to get along in "the real world" and insists that the boy take a
Marcelo is an interesting and likeable enough character, and the story here isn't bad at all. It's got decent writing, some thoughtful bits of philosophy, and a fairly nice ending. So I mostly enjoyed it well enough, but there's something about it that I found very vaguely unsatisfying. Maybe it's that Marcelo's ability to understand the nuances of what other people are saying varies just a little too much with the needs of the story, or that aforementioned ethical dilemma seems just a little too contrived, or that the smarmy character is a little too over-the-top in his smarminess... Or maybe it's just that it was over-hyped to me a bit, and I read it too soon after Sabina Berman's Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World, which also features a high-functioning autistic main character, but one whose voice worked slightly better for me. Whatever the case, I can't help feeling I should have liked it more thoroughly than I actually did.
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job in his law firm's mail room, where he meets a nice young woman, is forced to deal with his father's partner's smarmy son, and eventually finds himself facing a significant ethical dilemma.Marcelo is an interesting and likeable enough character, and the story here isn't bad at all. It's got decent writing, some thoughtful bits of philosophy, and a fairly nice ending. So I mostly enjoyed it well enough, but there's something about it that I found very vaguely unsatisfying. Maybe it's that Marcelo's ability to understand the nuances of what other people are saying varies just a little too much with the needs of the story, or that aforementioned ethical dilemma seems just a little too contrived, or that the smarmy character is a little too over-the-top in his smarminess... Or maybe it's just that it was over-hyped to me a bit, and I read it too soon after Sabina Berman's Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World, which also features a high-functioning autistic main character, but one whose voice worked slightly better for me. Whatever the case, I can't help feeling I should have liked it more thoroughly than I actually did.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I found Marcelo in the Real World to be an exceptional book about a young man who has autism. He is on the higher end of the spectrum, and his father, who apparently has some difficulty in accepting that his son is different, has decided that he should spend the summer working in his law office. He
Being seventeen, Marcelo is at an age of questioning everything. He ponders on matters of trust and loyalty, sex and friendship, religion and music, all with his own unique way of looking at things. As we work through his thought processes with him and see how people he comes into contact with treat him, it is impossible not to fall in love with him.
Working at the law firm and allowing himself to be stretched this way, Marcelo eventually stumbles upon a moral decision that he must make. This decision could have averse affects for both himself, his family and the law firm.
This story of self-discovery, told in such a unique voice was a wonderful read. Compelling and thought-provoking, my only complaint was as authentic as I found Marcelo’s voice, many others in this story felt too formal and stiff. Marcelo himself is far from perfect, I can only imagine how difficult it is for parents to cope with a son who really prefers to be on his own, would rather live outside in a tree house than in the family home, doesn‘t like to be touched, and becomes obsessed over details. Marcelo in the Real World gives us a different type of hero to root for and a fair picture of what living in the real world can be like for people who are classed as being different.
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is hoping that Marcelo will agree to go to regular high school in the fall rather than staying at the special school that he has been attending.Being seventeen, Marcelo is at an age of questioning everything. He ponders on matters of trust and loyalty, sex and friendship, religion and music, all with his own unique way of looking at things. As we work through his thought processes with him and see how people he comes into contact with treat him, it is impossible not to fall in love with him.
Working at the law firm and allowing himself to be stretched this way, Marcelo eventually stumbles upon a moral decision that he must make. This decision could have averse affects for both himself, his family and the law firm.
This story of self-discovery, told in such a unique voice was a wonderful read. Compelling and thought-provoking, my only complaint was as authentic as I found Marcelo’s voice, many others in this story felt too formal and stiff. Marcelo himself is far from perfect, I can only imagine how difficult it is for parents to cope with a son who really prefers to be on his own, would rather live outside in a tree house than in the family home, doesn‘t like to be touched, and becomes obsessed over details. Marcelo in the Real World gives us a different type of hero to root for and a fair picture of what living in the real world can be like for people who are classed as being different.
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
This book uses the vehicle of a young man with asperger's syndrome to discuss how we should live in the world. Marcelo's area of special interest is god, he goes regularly to the Catholic church, says the rosary to maintain calmness, and he regularly visits a rabbi to discuss religion, philosophy
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and morality. Marcelo is ripped from the special school he loves where he is respected and talented and forced to work in his father's law office so that he can learn how to compete in the real world. The discussions with the rabbi cover Marcelo's reactions to the unpleasant and confusing attitudes he finds in real life. The discussion of Adam and Eve eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil emphasizes that this is just what Marcelo is doing. The function of belief is discussed in that belief in god is not necessary, but belief in one's ability to act correctly is. Marcelo has to decide whether to live in serenity and joy or to expose himself to pain. I recommend this book for anyone considering such decisions. Show Less
LibraryThing member jenniferthomp75
One of the best books of 2009 and a definite Printz contender. Marcelo is a 17 year old who has something similar to Asperger's Syndrome. Comfortable at his special needs high school and working with horses, Marcelo is challenged by his attorney father to work "in the real world" at a law firm
Marcelo's journey in discovering "the real world" is heartbreaking, poignant and realistic. All of the characters are excellent and believable (especially his coworker's father suffering from dementia).
Struggling with faith and morals play a large part in Marcelo's character development as do the law firm's fuzzy ethics. Even though Marcelo learns that complicated decisions always come with a price, the book re-affirmed my faith in humanity. Brilliant book!
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during his summer before senior year. If Marcelo manages to follow direction, he can attend his current school in the fall. If he fails, he will attend a "regular" high school.Marcelo's journey in discovering "the real world" is heartbreaking, poignant and realistic. All of the characters are excellent and believable (especially his coworker's father suffering from dementia).
Struggling with faith and morals play a large part in Marcelo's character development as do the law firm's fuzzy ethics. Even though Marcelo learns that complicated decisions always come with a price, the book re-affirmed my faith in humanity. Brilliant book!
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LibraryThing member lilibrarian
Marcelo is happy a Patterson, a special school for learning disabled children. He is looking forward to working with the therapy horses over the summer, and completing his senior year there.
Marcelo's father, however, wants his son to experience the "real world", not the protected one of Patterson.
Marcelo's father, however, wants his son to experience the "real world", not the protected one of Patterson.
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He arranges for Marcelo to have a summer job at a law firm, where Marcelo learns that the real world is anything but straightforward, and "real people" are not always what they could be. Show Less
LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
17-year old Marcelo has his future planned out. He'll work training horses this summer at his school, a special school for kids with disabilities. In the fall, he'll return to Paterson for his senior year and then go to college to study nursing. But Marcelo's dad has other plans for him. Arturo
I loved this book. Marcelo came to life for me and I love that even though the protagonist has a disability the conflicts that Marcelo faces are the same conflicts that face any teenager. Girls, jobs, family, and doing the right thing. Highly recommended.
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would like Marcelo to join "the real world" by working at his law firm for the summer and attending a typical high school in the fall. They make a deal. If Marcelo gets through the summer working at the law firm, adapting to new situations and following the rules of the real world, then Marcelo can choose what school he attends in the fall. But the real world is more complicated, beautiful, and frightening than Marcelo could ever have imagined.I loved this book. Marcelo came to life for me and I love that even though the protagonist has a disability the conflicts that Marcelo faces are the same conflicts that face any teenager. Girls, jobs, family, and doing the right thing. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member bhs
Better than The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time because the author truly understands the world from the viewpoint of a high school student with Asperger's. Marcelo is an endearing character who spends his summer "in the real world" of his father's law office, where he needs to make
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some tough decisions. Show Less
LibraryThing member delphica
(#39 in the 2009 book challenge)
I was very mixed about this YA novel, which has been popping up on a lot of recommended lists. Marcelo has an autism spectrum disorder, which in his case manifests itself somewhat like Asperger syndrome but not really (more on this later). He has been attending a
Grade: B
Recommended: Eh, I'm lukewarm on this, cosi cosi.
I was very mixed about this YA novel, which has been popping up on a lot of recommended lists. Marcelo has an autism spectrum disorder, which in his case manifests itself somewhat like Asperger syndrome but not really (more on this later). He has been attending a
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special education high school, but his father believes that there would be advantages to transferring to mainstream high school for his senior year. They come up with a compromise, that Marcelo will go to work as a summer intern in his father's law firm. So there's all sorts of stuff about Marcelo learning how to work in the mail room (with a young, attractive, independent woman as his boss, OF COURSE) and then he stumbles upon some sketchy details of a liability case in which accident victims are seeking compensation from a car manufacturer that installed defective windshields. On the plus side, I was quickly caught up in the story and liked most of the people and wanted to find out what would happen next. However, Marcello's kinda sorta Asperger's started to get to me ... I get that it's a spectrum, but it was too obvious that his particular place on the spectrum was "wherever it needs to be in order to make this particular plot point work out, and then it will conveniently move to a slightly different place for the next plot point." Also, I strongly suspect if you are a lawyer, this would make your head explode due to the all the finger-wagging over the lawsuit and the poor sad victims and the mean ruthless corporate lawyers.Grade: B
Recommended: Eh, I'm lukewarm on this, cosi cosi.
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LibraryThing member books_ofa_feather
Excellent! I'm inspired to read more about autism and endeavor to learn more. I almost feel like picking the book up and reading it again to see what else I could glean from the story. Also I want to keep reading about Marcello and finding out how he continues with his dreams. This is definitely a
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book that I'm happy I read and that I now own. Show Less
LibraryThing member framberg
Not quite as compelling as Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, to which it is often compared, Marcelo in the Real World is never-the-less an engaging portrait of a young man searching for his place in a confusing, sometimes painful world. Marcelo is a sympathetic and
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articulate protagonist, narrating his story clearly and forthrightly. His unfolding understanding of the "real world" can feel somewhat unrealistic at times, and secondary characters come across as caricatures, but the reader is always rooting for Marcelo, and when I finished I wanted to know more about how his story unfolds. Show Less
LibraryThing member smohri
This book got a lot of good reviews, but it fell flat for me. I couldn't help but compare it to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Doubleday, 2003), which I loved. Though the spectrum of Autism the boys suffer from are very different, there are some similarities. The story felt
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contrived and unrealistic. I also felt that the author was trying to tackle too many things. If I wanted to recommend a book about autism, I would recommend Rules, (Scholastic Press, 2006) or the above mentioned book. Show Less
LibraryThing member 59Square
Merideth Says: This is a beautifully writen book. Stork nails Marcelo' s oddly formal, strangely lyrical way of thinking and speaking. My only quibble is that the supporting cast are not as well drawn as Marcelo. Arturo (the father) is little more than a sketch, and Wendell is almost a parody of a
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entitled Ive League d**ch*b*g. Compelling is the word that I would use for this book; I read it almost in one sitting, and couldn't put it down. Show Less
LibraryThing member bethdalton
Seventeen-year-old Marcelo Sandoval has autism. He prefers the ordered world of his home and his special school, Paterson. His likes listening to the special music in his head and taking care of the ponies at Paterson. His father, a high-powered attorney, insists that Marcelo is capable of handling
Marcelo's first assignment is working in the mailroom with Jasmine. Jasmine isn't pleased to have him as his assistant, but the two become increasingly close. Marcelo later is reassigned to work with the conniving Wendell, the son of the another partner in the firm. While he is organizing files for Wendell, Marcelo finds a photo of a disfigured girl injured by the negligence of his father’s biggest client. Marcelo decides to find the girl and try to help her case, even though he realizes that this means that he will have betrayed his father and failed to meet the terms of his agreement with his father. This story mixes spirtuality and philosophy in with romance, legal drama, and a coming of age story. It is complex, charming and engaging. Many librarian's are considering it a contender for the 2010 Printz award. It is worth checking out!
Note: Sexual references.
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the "real world". He wants Marcelo to go to the local high school. The two strike a deal. Marcelo will work at his father's law firm in the summer. If he does his best, Marcelo will be given the choice of returning to Paterson or being mainstreamed. Marcelo's first assignment is working in the mailroom with Jasmine. Jasmine isn't pleased to have him as his assistant, but the two become increasingly close. Marcelo later is reassigned to work with the conniving Wendell, the son of the another partner in the firm. While he is organizing files for Wendell, Marcelo finds a photo of a disfigured girl injured by the negligence of his father’s biggest client. Marcelo decides to find the girl and try to help her case, even though he realizes that this means that he will have betrayed his father and failed to meet the terms of his agreement with his father. This story mixes spirtuality and philosophy in with romance, legal drama, and a coming of age story. It is complex, charming and engaging. Many librarian's are considering it a contender for the 2010 Printz award. It is worth checking out!
Note: Sexual references.
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LibraryThing member mdtwilighter
Marcelo is a 17 year old boy living with something similar to Asberger's Syndrom. His mind is clear and focused, but he has trouble concentrating on more than one thing at a time. He goes to a school for kids with special needs and he's got a job there over the summer working with the ponies. His
Seeing into Marcelo's mind was fascinating and easy to follow. The book had a lot of aspects. The only problem that I had with it was that the ending seemed a little rushed. A good book club choice.
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father, a successful lawyer, decides that Marcelo should live in the 'real world' this summer and get a job at the lawfirm. Marcelo is not thrilled but goes. Along the way, he learns a lot about the 'real world.'Seeing into Marcelo's mind was fascinating and easy to follow. The book had a lot of aspects. The only problem that I had with it was that the ending seemed a little rushed. A good book club choice.
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LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
A wonderful story of a unique boy who makes his own way in the world despite the people attempting to help and hinder him. I can see why it is compared with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, as both narrators have boy with Asperger's Syndrome, but the feel here is entirely different
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- Marcelo takes the world entirely on his terms and is successful at it. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Nominee — 2012)
Green Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2012)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2012)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2014)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Teen — 2013)
Arkansas Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2011)
The Flume: NH Teen Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2012)
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (Finalist — Finalist — 2010)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — High School — 2012)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2012)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Young Adult — 2012)
Massachusetts Book Award (Must-Read (Longlist) — 2010)
Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature (Commended Title — 2010)
South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee — Young Adult Book Award — 2011)
Schneider Family Book Award (Winner — Teen — 2010)
James Cook Teen Book Award (Winner — 2011)
Booklist Top of the List: Best of Editors' Choice (Audio — 2009)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2010)
CCBC Choices (2010)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Teens (Fiction — 2009)
Reading Olympics (High School — 2024)
OYAN Book Rave (2010)
Language
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
312 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
0545054745 / 9780545054744