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Marcelo in the Real World

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MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is quite simply one of the most beautiful and moving stories that I have ever read. By author Francisco X. Stork, this lovely, thoughtful book tells the very special story of Marcelo, a seventeen year-old boy with a high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Told from Marcelo's point of view, the reader is transported into a very unique way of thinking, bringing Marcelo's world alive with amazing clarity and detail.

In MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD, Marcelo Sandoval has always experienced music in his head that no one else can hear, and he has always attended a school where his unique differences and abilities have been nurtured and protected. But the summer before his senior year, his father requires Marcelo to work in his law firm's mailroom, so that Marcelo can begin to understand and experience "the real world," and, perhaps, attend the mainstream high school for his final year. At the law firm, Marcelo develops friendships with Jasmine and Wendell. But are they real friendships? Only time will tell. As the summer unfolds, Marcelo learns about many new emotions and ways of life, from competition, jealousy, anger, and desire, to patience, control, wisdom, and strength. When he finds a disturbing photo in a box of documents to be destroyed - a picture of a girl with horrific injuries - Marcelo finally, truly connects with the real world, and begins to understand his place in it. Marcelo learns about pain, suffering, and injustice in the world, as well as what he can do to fight it.

This story is told in the first person by Marcelo, and it his most unusual way of thinking and speaking that completely draws the reader in. It takes Marcelo longer than most of us to thoroughly process input and information (although he processes much MORE information than you or me), and you would think that this would slow down the pace and reading of this story, but it absolutely does not. The reader becomes so completely absorbed in Marcelo's mind that the story speeds along. I was actually shocked when I came to the end of the book. I could not put it down.

All the characters, including Marcelo, are real, alive, and wonderfully developed. Human to the last, each has their own strengths and foibles, and each affects Marcelo (and the reader) in a different way. I believed in these characters; their breadth of emotion brought them off the page and into my life. I applaud Francisco X. Stork and his amazing literary talent for creating this unique world.

While this book is marketed for teens, I think older teens and adults alike will appreciate the unusual and beautiful wisdom of Marcelo. I give MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

I chose to read this book because of a personal interest in literature dealing with Asperger's syndrome, also sometime referred to as "high functioning autism." Marcelo, the main character of the book is so afflicted, although as he puts it, he doest not "have many of the characteristics" that define a person with Aspergers.

Marcello has been raised in a somewhat protected environment, attending a special school where is "difference" is not much of an issue. He is forced to work at a law firm one summer where he discovers much more about life.

The book is written first person, providing a chance for the reader to reach into the thought processes of Marcelo as he moves through various situations. I found the book successful at explaining how Marcelo thinks about the things in his world. This was most frequently done, however, through Marcelo explaining thing to the reader, rather than living the events and having the explanations develop in the reader's mind. .

I personally found the characters to be overstated as either forces of good or forces of evil. In the world of the law office, for example, Marcello finds an island of good surrounded by basically corrupt individuals. The only "good lawyer" is fired from the firm. Part of this may be realistic, I don't know, but to me it was overstated.

Overall, I gave the book a rating of three stars. On the plus side, it does a reasonable job of lending understanding to people with AS. When you run into them, you will have a better understanding of what they deal with. The matters of character and writing style I previously mentioned kept me from giving it a higher score.

I had picked this book up a couple of times in the last 2 weeks but always set it aside to read something else. Finally I opened it and began - then I could not put it down! I immediately fell in love with the main character, Marcelo, who has some type of cognitive disorder in the autism/Asperger's spectrum. But this book is NOT about the neurobiological condition, but about the HUMAN condition.

Marcelo, age 17, is going to be a senior in high school. He has lived a somewhat coddled and sheltered life - living in a tree house next to the family home and going to a special school for children with disabilities. His father asks that he work the summer at his law firm in order to learn more about the "real world" and about the skills and abilities Marcelo will need for his future. Marcelo hesitantly agrees, knowing that the deal was that if he should do well, he will be permitted to return to his special school versus having to attend the public high school in the fall. Marcelo starts his job, meets his boss Jasmine and learns to make small talk, work and interact with the other employees in the firm, including the son of his father's partner - a playboy with a bad attitude and poor ethics.

In the course of the story, Marcelo learns some secrets about himself, his father, and about a lawsuit in progress that show him that all people are not completely good and that the world is not black and white. His special obsession is religion and there is a lot of spiritual discussion in the book which at times went on a little long, but Marcelo does learn how to differentiate within shades of gray to make a very momentous decision that will change his outlook and his life. Recommend: BUY IT!

Reason for Reading: I have Aspergers and have wanted to read this book since I first heard of it.

Summary: Seventeen year old Marcelo has Aspergers (high functioning form of autism) though he doesn't like to label himself that way but when asked does say that the closest diagnosis for his condition would be Aspergers. He's lived a very happy life, going to an upscale private school for kids with learning or psychological difficulties. Here he is allowed to be himself, follow his interest and gently learn how to communicate with the "normals". Aspies have obsessions and Marcello's special interests (as he prefers to call them) are first and foremost God. His family is Catholic, he prays the rosary and memorizes scripture but he also reads theology from all sorts of perspectives and meets regularly with a Rabbi friend of his mother's for hour long sessions on discussing God. His other interest is Halflinger ponies which are raised at his school and used as therapy for autistic and other hard to reach children. He looks after them and has planned once again to work there this summer vacation but Marcelo's father has a different plan for him this time. His father refuses to believe that Marcelo has any sort of condition that (now that he's a man) getting out in the "real world" will not help him overcome and he has arranged for Marcello to work in his law firm's mail room for the summer with the stipulation that if he does well he can decide whether he wants to go back to his special school for his last year of high school or to public school but if he fails to meet all tasks assigned to him he will have to go to public school for his last year. Thus his father hopes a dose of "real world" will cure his son.

Comments: I loved this book! I have Aspergers myself and I was continuously turning page corners down because there would be sentences or groups of them that would ring so true for me. Being female my outward presentation is very different than Marcelo's (except for the eyes thing) but I found such a soul mate with his inner thoughts, fears and reasonings with the "real world". Marcelo does not want to go to the law firm at first and is very annoyed. This part of the book gave me great anxiety as I knew how Marcelo felt and I didn't want him to have to go either. But as it turns out Marcelo is very good at communication, yes he's blunt and forthright, not always saying the most appropriate things but he certainly did not let that stop him for speaking which was an inspiring trait of his for someone who rarely speaks unless necessary.

This is a coming of age story as Marcelo pushes his boundaries to experience new things in his life but he also end ups facing the same challenges we all do when we take that step from childhood to adulthood. Marcelo comes upon something in the law office that shocks him and he knows is not right, he is compelled to do something about it but when he has finally tracked down the information he needs and confronted with his choices of action he must decide between the good of his family over the good of the unjustly treated. Marcelo's Aspergers actually helps him a lot in making decisions, looking at things logically, putting his knowledge of God to the test, and in accomplishing routine tasks at work very efficiently.

The story is also a romance though Marcelo does not figure this out until the end of the book! Marcello has a lack of emotions. He feels them but does not recognize them for what they are when he has them nor can he show them outwardly very well without faking it on purpose because he believes it would be appropriate. This lack of emotion is an obvious sign of Aspergers in males but is not always found to this degree and it is much less common in females, at least at a visibly noticeable level. So when Marcelo becomes friendly with his co-worker Jasmine, he does not realize why he thinks of her so much and says poetical things to her about her eyes, etc. He tells her truths about herself which are so honest and innocent such as "Does Jasmine know she is beautiful?" that the reader can tell Jasmine (18 years old) is falling for him. What follows is a beautiful awakening of awareness of romantic feelings in Marcello.

I could go on and on writing about every individual aspect of this book! It's wonderful. A fantastic look inside the mind of a young adult male with Aspergers. Others with Aspergers will feel Marcelo's anxieties as they read, the writing is that good. I was worried for a while as the book started to near the end that things wouldn't end the way I had envisioned they should but happily for me everything swung into position at the last moment and the ending was the best one possible. You are missing a treat if you don't read this book.

Marcelo in the Real World

"As soon as she leaves the room, I decide to check out the term 'cognitive disorder' on the Internet. The term is unlike anything I've ever heard Arturo use and I am curious to find out what he may have meant by it. It cannot be that Arturo thinks I have a cognitive disorder. There are so many serious mental illnesses that are referred to as cognitive disorders: dementia, schizophrenia, paranoia, hallucinations (auditory and visual). I decide that Arturo used a short-cut term to describe a reality difficult to explain. That is the only explanation that makes sense. Would Arturo want me to work at the law firm or attend a regular high school or go to college if he thought I was not in touch with reality? All my life he's fought against anything that separates me from the normal." -- From the book

Geared towards young adults, Marcelo in the Real World follows a High School senior with an Aspergers-like condition. Thriving and comfortable in a special school for kids with disabilities, Marcelo enjoys acceptance, responsibility and patience at Paterson.

However, his father, successful Boston lawyer Arturo Sandoval, thinks Marcelo needs a dose of the "real world" to test his coping abilities. Arturo tells Marcelo that he must work with him at the Sandoval and Holmes law firm for the summer instead of Paterson where he usually takes care of the Haflinger ponies. If Marcelo completes the tasks assigned to him, Marcelo gets to choose if he wants to go to public school for his senior year (he dreads that as much as working at the law firm), or finish out his schooling at Paterson.

Marcelo is used to lists and no-pressure situations, so the law firm presents quite a learning curve for him. He begins his job able to "zone out" to his IM (internal music that isn't really music, but more of a state that would arise from pleasant music), but as confusing, contentious and awkward situations arise, Marcelo finds it increasingly difficult to access his IM.

Marcelo in the Real World is intriguing enough with that plotline (especially having a child diagnosed on the PDD spectrum), but the main character also finds himself embroiled in a possible cover up involving a disfigured child (supposedly injured by Vidromek, the windshield manufacturer that Sandoval and Holmes represent). Wendell Holmes, son of the other partner in the firm, Stephen Holmes, pressures Marcelo to get his beautiful mailroom co-worker, Jasmine, to go on a boat ride with him, as well--subtly threatening Marcelo if he doesn't coerce her to agree.

Woven throughout this story is Marcelo's "special interest" in the big questions of life, including God, personal meaning, good versus evil, and doing the "right" thing. Insightful conversations with Rabbi Heschel, a co-worker of his mother's, reflect the inner turmoil Marcelo experiences as he faces a variety of circumstances that pushes him out of his comfortable zone--and, possibly, may derail his desire to finish school at Paterson.

Because of the rampant use of the "F" word, as well as crude sexual conversations, I feel that Marcelo in the Real World is more for older teens rather than those 13-15.

This book is unlike any I've ever read, which is refreshing. I was pulled immediately into Marcelo's world--fearing for him, applauding him, and admiring him for his courage at the expense of self-interest (which many "normal" people couldn't, or wouldn't, pull off in the same situation). The first 3/4 of the book reads like a low-key thriller; one chapter featuring Jasmine's father is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

I felt that the ending was a bit of a stretch on several levels (Marcelo's hyperdrive into accepting certain situations and rapid emotional growth, for example), as well as a tad anticlimatic given the tense build up. Still, Marcelo in the Real World is a finely crafted novel by Francisco X. Stork that presents a plausible world within a world swirling with ethical dilemmas, cutthroat legal dealings, sticky relationships and one boy's challenge to successfully navigate the world "out there" for his father and his future.

-- Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book

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, 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.

As someone with Asperger's syndrome, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself nodding in recognition when I read Marcelo's first-person account of his interactions with those living in 'the real world'. Francisco Stork presents a realistic and entertaining window into the thought processes of those on the autism spectrum.

I liked a great deal about this novel. Marcelo, the main character, is a kind and intelligent person who thinks deeply about life. His mother and his work partner, Jasmine, also are interesting people with many good qualities. It can be refreshing to read about people that are trying to do the right things in life.

The basic plot seems promising at first, too. Marcelo has always gone to a special school for children with various disorders, many on the autistic spectrum. His father wants him to live in the so called real world, and so makes him work at his law firm for a summer. If he does well, he can return to the special school for his senior year. If he doesn't, he will go to the public high school.

However, the plot soon thickens. The book starts to be a bit of a legal thriller, and also a romance, and also a book about country vs. city life...and lots more things. I don't think all these elements were necessary and in fact they distracted from my enjoyment a good deal.

My main quibble, however, was Marcelo's disability. It is said to be closest to Aspergers Syndrome, but not exactly the same and not as severe. Well, I've known a lot of people with AS, and I can say Marcelo in some ways was far MORE severe than any of them. Why do he always feel drawn to not use pronouns? Why does he seem to so often be experiencing basic emotions for the first time? The internal music he hears does little to expand his character, and seems to only be an extended metaphor of some kind. Over and over it struck me that Marcelo reminded me more than anything of the character Data from Star Trek The Next Generation---an extremely good hearted soul who doesn't understand basic human emotions and who has odd grammar patterns!

Another character that bothered me was Wendall, the son of Marcelo's father's partner. He is pretty much portrayed as pure, pure evil. We are even given hints he's raped women or done other unspeakable things to them. He seems like a sociopath. It seems like he's put in the story mostly to contrast with saintly Marcelo.

The ending was also far too pat and clean for me, although I'll be honest and say I do like endings like that, but I don't think it was earned in this case.

I don't mean to sound overly negative about this novel. I think part of what I didn't like was amplified in my case by being the parent of two children on the autistic spectrum, and also because the book seemed to suddenly turn into a different genre in the middle, one I don't like as much as what it started as! However, I think these complaints would not bother most people as much as me, and in fact they might like the book more because of them. I did read rather intently to see what was going to happen,and that's a sign of a plot that at least does draw you in somewhat. So try this book if the premise appeals to you!

I bought MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD for its beautiful cover. Isn't it gorgeous? I love the warm light in the treehouse, the cool sky full of stars, and the two black silhouettes walking hand in hand. The title is wonderful as well and, having read it, I can't think of a better one for this lovely book. And we might as well go ahead and acknowledge that Francisco X. Stork has got to be the best author name I've come across in ages. Seriously. Put the three together and I don't see how you can not pick this one up.

Marcelo (pronounced mar-SEL-o) is different from other 17-year-old boys. He has what doctors and other "normal" people call a cognitive disorder. As Marcelo is constantly forced to explain to people, the closest thing his condition can be likened to is a mild form of Asperger's. But that is not what Marcelo would call it. Certainly not a disorder. In fact, Marcelo experiences a heightened sense of order. The way he sees the world is governed by a rigid set of principles self-imposed to help him function and make sense of the often baffling people and predicaments that surround him. His mother has always been supportive of his interests: an obsession with religion in all its forms, the tending of ponies at the private school he attends, the treehouse room he lives in outside his family's home. His father, on the other hand, has a few problems with Marcelo. He offers him a deal. If Marcelo agrees to work at his dad's law firm for the summer, he can choose which school he'll attend his senior year--the public high school that intimidates the hell out of him or the private academy for other kids like him where he feels safe and accepted. Backed into a corner, Marcelo agrees and enters the real world.

This book had me from the beginning. Despite his inhibitions and seeming inability to express emotion, Marcelo is an entirely sympathetic character. I thoroughly enjoyed following him from safe haven to real world, even though it was periodically extremely painful to watch him stumble through social interactions he had no preparation for and deal with ruthless people who had no understanding of him and no inclination to acquire any. I loved the simple, almost imperceptible way Marcelo and Jasmine became friends in the copy room and I loved Marcelo's theological debates with his friend Rabbi Heschel. There is nothing flashy about this story. It builds slowly and organically, in such a subtle way that several chapters later you find yourself looking up suddenly at the clock, wondering where the time went. There's really no way not to fall in love with Marcelo. His story is layered and full of compassion and I would not be at all surprised to find it on my Best of 2009 list. Recommended for fans of Madeleine L'Engle, Meg Rosoff, and Lisa Ann Sandell.

I work with adults with developmental disabilities and I've often (daily) wondered how they think, how they see the world and how they process information. Sure, there are lots of people who can give clinical answers to these questions that are helpful, but to see the world through their eyes would be more than enlightening--more than eye-opening. It would be miraculous.

Marcelo gives the reader the opportunity to have just such a perspective. As a young man with Asperger's Syndrome, Marcelo sees facts, events, people and morality in a much different way than most. He is quite literal, very blunt, and not intuitive enough about people to be able to play the social games that are expected of adults. Within a few minutes of meeting him, his acquaintances can tell he's odd. His brand of intelligence leaves people feeling uncomfortable. Welcome to the world of intellectual disabilities.

Marcelo is, in fact, a very intelligent young man. He has found a place where he fits very nicely and looks forward to his last year of high school and a part time job training the therapy ponies at the special school he attends. He hears music inside his head that he calls his internal music or IM. He meets with a rabbi weekly to discuss his obsessive focus on religion. He never uses contractions in his speech and never uses pronouns, even when talking about himself. He lives in a tree house, oddly enough, by his mother's permission. His father, however, tries at every turn to deny his son's disability and finally mandates that Marcelo work in the "real world" for the summer in the mail room at his father's law firm.

While at the firm, Marcelo has his first experiences with girls, immorality, crude language about sex and people who spitefully use others for their own gain. He wrestles through difficulties about his own feelings of right and wrong, making some hard decisions and exposing some scandalous information about the firm and, specifically, his father. In the end, the whole experience ends up being good for Marcelo. He grows in ways he could not have grown in his own safe little world.

The story is told entirely through Marcelo's eyes. There are no scenes where a narrator conveys information apart from Marcello's perspective. Thus, it is told in the first person--an interesting way to tell a story. I was intrigued by Marcelo's voice in the story--mechanical and factual, reminiscent of Data from Star Trek. He seems to feel deeply, and yet doesn't seem to know how to express it, even to himself. As the story progresses, he begins to be able to identify some feelings by name and link the name of the feeling with its "symptoms". Because the story is told from Marcelo's perspective, we aren't told whether his facial expressions ever reflect such feelings, but I doubt that he was able to make that leap. By the end of the book, Marcelo is much different in his ability to adapt to his surroundings and in his ability to understand hidden and double meanings in language. He becomes more able to read emotions in others and able to react appropriately.

My favorite character in the book was the rabbi. She was honest and truthful about life, about herself, about Marcelo, and still stayed true to her beliefs. There was no beating around the bush between herself and Marcelo. She was the perfect mentor for her young charge.

Overall, the story is well written. It flowed along easily and the characters were well developed without the reader getting bogged down in useless details. It was informative, entertaining and gave life to the individual, quite unlike many of the more clinical accounts that I've read that seem to have little regard for the person inside the shell of autism. I would have liked to investigate the world of a person who is not as "high functioning" as an individual with Asperger's. There was none of the OCD and repetitive behaviors that seem to be so unexplained in so many autistic people. It was also slightly unrealistic in that so many changes took place in Marcelo in just a single summer. However, I appreciate the author's attempts to communicate the world of autism to the world.