Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco S. Stork
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Nov.11, 2009, under Bullying, Mental Health, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? Readers, grade 8 and up, interested in Asperger’s Syndrome, music, law firms, or justice, OR are looking for a great story told from a unique point of view.
Why? Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old on the high end of the autism spectrum, comes of age in this insightful, moving novel by Francisco S. Stork. Stork’s first person narration provides a clear window into Marcelo’s character; readers share in his thinking process, his unique observations, his intense struggles, and his marvelous range of reactions to people and events in the “real world.” The book starts with Marcelo’s excitement about his perfect summer jub caring for the ponies at his beloved private school. Then, his father, a high-powered attorney, demands that Marcelo work at his law firm for the summer so that he can experience the “real world.” The people that Marcelo meets at the law firm and the disturbing, difficult situations that he encounters form a riveting, moving story that kept me turning pages well into the night and brought me to tears at the end.
(Be aware that Marcelo’s narration does not censor the ugly, sexist comments of Wendell, the son of his father’s law partner.)
312 p. 2009 Review by Samrarian;
My longer review of this book for the Register-Guard is available in the library.
