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23rd out of 270 books
—
746 voters
Marcelo in the Real World
by
Francisco X. Stork (Goodreads Author)
Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." There Marcelo meets Jasm...more
Hardcover, 312 pages
Published
March 1st 2009
by Arthur A. Levine Books
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first, some blathering. it is, after all, me...
i understand why writers like carl hiaasen and james patterson and them are now writing books for younger readers, after having already established themselves as writers of adult fiction with considerable staying power. get 'em while they are young and then when they grow into the adult section, they already have the name-recognition. friends for life, paying their electricity bills...
but why do authors like this one and suzanne collins write exclu...more
Jun 02, 2010
Tatiana
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tatiana by:
ala
Marcelo Sandoval is 17 and has a mild form of autism which makes him... well, different. Knowing that he is often perceived to be mentally challenged, Marcelo prefers to stay close to the circle of his friends and people who know that there is nothing wrong with him intellectually. He is planning to spend his final school year at Patterson, a specialized school where he is surrounded by the students just like him, he also has a summer job lined up working with horses in his school's stables. How...more
23 likes · like · see review
3.5/5
plɹoʍ lɐǝɹ ǝɥʇ uı olǝɔɹɐɯ
marcelo can be a bit naive, but not in an annoying way. he's naive in the way that makes you wonder how the hell you turned out so bitter and question why the world can't be as simple or straightforward as someone like marcelo sees it. marcelo is just a great person and anyone would be lucky to have him as a friend. many of the people marcelo encounters at the law firm treat him like crap or act as though he's stupid. so being marcelo's friend would probably lead me...more
plɹoʍ lɐǝɹ ǝɥʇ uı olǝɔɹɐɯ
marcelo can be a bit naive, but not in an annoying way. he's naive in the way that makes you wonder how the hell you turned out so bitter and question why the world can't be as simple or straightforward as someone like marcelo sees it. marcelo is just a great person and anyone would be lucky to have him as a friend. many of the people marcelo encounters at the law firm treat him like crap or act as though he's stupid. so being marcelo's friend would probably lead me...more
Absolutely stunning. I haven't read a book worthy of five stars in a while, and I am so grateful to my friend for recommending this to me.
Marcelo hears music that no one else can. He has been diagnosed with an impairment similar to autism, but higher-functioning - he can process things but it takes him time, and he is able to adapt to social situations through learning and experience. However, this is not enough to satisfy his father, a powerful and persuasive lawyer. His father decides to have...more
Marcelo hears music that no one else can. He has been diagnosed with an impairment similar to autism, but higher-functioning - he can process things but it takes him time, and he is able to adapt to social situations through learning and experience. However, this is not enough to satisfy his father, a powerful and persuasive lawyer. His father decides to have...more
13 likes · like · see review
Marcelo is a 17 year old guy who has an autistic-like condition, not necessarily Asperger's but similar. He can hear music in his mind, Internal Music (IM). It's like experiencing the feelings one gets when listening to music, except without the music. Marcelo's "special interest" is religion. He often sees his mother's best friend, a female rabbi even though he's Catholic, to talk about religion and life. Marcelo lives in a tree house, has a dog called Namu, short for Namu Amida Butsu, a Buddhi...more
Meet Marcelo Sandoval. Read his story. Witness first-hand the transition from dream world to real world.
Marcelo has always been different. (He lives in a tree house, for example.) Lived in his own little world--not cut off from the world, by any means, but taking it in at his own pace, staying in his comfort zone, doing this much and no more. Marcelo has autism--Asberger's Syndrome to be exact. He's always chosen to attend a special school--Paterson--to be with children and teens who are differe...more
Marcelo has always been different. (He lives in a tree house, for example.) Lived in his own little world--not cut off from the world, by any means, but taking it in at his own pace, staying in his comfort zone, doing this much and no more. Marcelo has autism--Asberger's Syndrome to be exact. He's always chosen to attend a special school--Paterson--to be with children and teens who are differe...more
4 likes · like · see review
This beautifully written book is published ya, but adults who enjoyed THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME will wonder if it isn't time for dual editions here as in Great Britain. Marcelo, a 17 year old with Asperger's syndrome, has been educated in a special private school but takes a summer mail room job at his father's law firm. He has a strong moral sense and discovers much more than his father wished during his time at the law firm. The author is able to convey Marcelo's way o...more
Have you ever gotten to the end of a book and wished there was more? Or better yet, wished your writing could move people the way that the story moved you? Marcelo in the Real World is that kind of book.
It's no secret that I love fantasy, but I try to read outside of the genre as well. Marcelo isn't a super hero. He's a teenage boy with an unidentified cognitive disorder who is comfortable with his routines, his special-ed school, his job at the therapeutic riding stables. His father decides tha...more
It's no secret that I love fantasy, but I try to read outside of the genre as well. Marcelo isn't a super hero. He's a teenage boy with an unidentified cognitive disorder who is comfortable with his routines, his special-ed school, his job at the therapeutic riding stables. His father decides tha...more
4 likes · like · see review
I love unique voices, especially when their view on the world is skewed and you, as the reader, can see the chasm between reality and the main character's reality. Marcelo, a seventeen-year-old with asperger's syndrome, fits the bill beautifully. After spending his childhood sheltered in a school for disabled children, his father makes him spend the summer working at his law firm so he learns how to deal with real-world situations. At the law firm, Marcelo befriends his boss in the mail room, Ja...more
1 like · like · see review
Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: High School
Format: Chapter Book
Awards: ALA Best Book for Young Adults (2010), ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
At the insistence of his father, Marcelo, a male adolescent with a condition resembling Asperger’s Syndrome, is forced to participate in the “real world” by working at his father’s law firm over the summer. The typical behaviors of autism, accompanied by atypical introspection and insight, leads Marcelo into the position of contempl...more
Format: Chapter Book
Awards: ALA Best Book for Young Adults (2010), ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
At the insistence of his father, Marcelo, a male adolescent with a condition resembling Asperger’s Syndrome, is forced to participate in the “real world” by working at his father’s law firm over the summer. The typical behaviors of autism, accompanied by atypical introspection and insight, leads Marcelo into the position of contempl...more
4 likes · like · see review
Still digesting this a bit, but my general feeling is that there was a bit too much going on, though much of it was wonderful. The combination of a regular coming-of-age story with a 'Asperger's is the closest to a description of my condition' one with a romance with a legal-mystery with a spiritual coming-of-age was a lot for one book, and I thought it left some of the elements which were resolved wonderfully in one sphere very much less so in another. The spiritual and the regular coming-of-ag...more
This is an excellent book. As one reviewer put it, I only wish that there were more people like Marcelo in the real world! This is a book that really makes you think. Marcelo is a 16 or 17 year old boy who has an unnamed condition "similar to Asberger's." He has been attending a special school where he gets to work with horses, which he loves. But his father disapproves and wants Marcelo to attend regular high school and learn to live in "the real world." To that end, the father requires Marcelo...more
1 like · like · see review
UPDATE 2/8/09
My initial impression still stands. Although I liked the way the author had the main character Marcelo speak, and how he added certain quirks that were realistic, Stork was unable to keep it consistent.. and some characteristics were not compatible w/someone w/Aspergers..such as speaking in literal terms only and then suddenly speaking/understanding metaphors, for example. The plot was sort of intriguing but I thought kind of trashy too.
Oh, I am not sure I like this book. A goodread...more
My initial impression still stands. Although I liked the way the author had the main character Marcelo speak, and how he added certain quirks that were realistic, Stork was unable to keep it consistent.. and some characteristics were not compatible w/someone w/Aspergers..such as speaking in literal terms only and then suddenly speaking/understanding metaphors, for example. The plot was sort of intriguing but I thought kind of trashy too.
Oh, I am not sure I like this book. A goodread...more
4 likes · like · see review
Realistic fiction, young adult, disabilities, friendship, family, identity, legal mystery, corporate greed.
It is the summer before Marcelo's senior year of high school and his father wants him to experience the "real world" and work at his law firm in the mailroom. Marcelo would rather work at his private school with the ponies. A friendship evolves with Jasmine who runs the mailroom. They both love music and she acknowledges his skills, intelligence, talents. Marcelo has Asperger Syndrom and h...more
It is the summer before Marcelo's senior year of high school and his father wants him to experience the "real world" and work at his law firm in the mailroom. Marcelo would rather work at his private school with the ponies. A friendship evolves with Jasmine who runs the mailroom. They both love music and she acknowledges his skills, intelligence, talents. Marcelo has Asperger Syndrom and h...more
1 like · like · see review
This is a quiet book, but very well-written. I found it fascinating to be able to get into the head of a boy w/ autism/ Aspergers. I thought, though, at times that the author lost the voice, that sometimes the character (Marcelo) seemed more "normal" (as in a kid who didn't have Aspergers at all, but was just a little bit awkward) than he did at the start. He may have grown as a character, but I'd think that his "voice" and the way he looked at the world would pretty much stay the same. Also, I'...more
I LOVED this book. It's beautiful in a subtle way. It's gentle and subdued, but oh so deep. Goodness is it's message. Doing the right thing. Marcelo is special, and not because he has AS, but because he has the kindest soul I've probably ever read about. I had tears leaking out of my eyes at the end, but not because it was sad, but because it was just beautiful.
Also, it's way better than The Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I couldn't connect with the latter, but I sure connected deeply wi...more
Also, it's way better than The Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I couldn't connect with the latter, but I sure connected deeply wi...more
2 likes · like · see review
Very beautiful story. Marcelo is the epitome of naivety and innocence that I almost hated that he had to be brought into the real world, and learn about the suffering man can bring upon man. I spent most of the book marvelling at his integrity and hoping he wouldn't sacrifice it in order to complete in "the real world."
Jun 09, 2009
elissa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to elissa by:
Elsworth, and Karlan and Lynn's ratings
Absolutely beautiful. The language is very simple, but completely absorbing, and it won't appeal to readers looking for high excitement, but to readers who are looking for ideas to ponder. Marcelo, a teen on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, is completely unforgettable. Fifth 2009favorite, and it's hard for me to imagine it being knocked off of this shelf by the end of the year. I saw that we got it in as a book on CD a week or so ago, and I'm going to go listen to that ASAP.
Marcelo Sandoval goes through a journey of life similar to that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He was protected in his early life by Paterson, a school for the mentally challenged, by his mom and most impotantly by his problems. But his dad is not the type of person that lets him live that way.
Marcelo was pushed to work at the alw firm that his dad owned, and he saw the real world, and it was a lot harder than he could ever imagine. If you were a really slow and ahd to do things you no...more
Marcelo was pushed to work at the alw firm that his dad owned, and he saw the real world, and it was a lot harder than he could ever imagine. If you were a really slow and ahd to do things you no...more
I actually finished this book a few days ago, and aside from a general glow of well-being and happiness, I wasn't sure what I thought of it. Was it really a five star book to go on my goodreads page? But then, after recommending it once every single day since then, I've realized . . . yep, it is. It's a quiet book, thanks to the subdued narration style on Marcelo's part, but it's a good one.
Marcelo is a very high-functioning autistic -- so high-functioning that even the label Asperger's doesn't...more
Marcelo is a very high-functioning autistic -- so high-functioning that even the label Asperger's doesn't...more
9 likes · like · see review
Marcelo in the Real World
By Francisco X. Stork
Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 9780545054744
314 Pages
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork is listed as a young adult novel. It may contain the story of a teenager; however, I personally would place it for reading by older individuals as well. For those who have found the Rain Man or Forrest Gump of special interest, this book may well be a must-read for you.
Marcelo is just 17 when his father decides that he must be introduced to the “real wo...more
By Francisco X. Stork
Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 9780545054744
314 Pages
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork is listed as a young adult novel. It may contain the story of a teenager; however, I personally would place it for reading by older individuals as well. For those who have found the Rain Man or Forrest Gump of special interest, this book may well be a must-read for you.
Marcelo is just 17 when his father decides that he must be introduced to the “real wo...more
Marcelo loves religion, thinking about G-d and scripture, about right and wrong, hearing his own internal music, which seems like 'music of the spheres,' and any other music. He loves taking care of the ponies at the special school he attends, for those with disabilities of all kinds, and he doesn't feel disabled, despite his high-functioning Asperger's syndrome. But his father, a partner in a law firm, hates that he's different, and wants him to fit in better, so makes him work in the firm's ma...more
Marcelo Sandoval lives a comfortable existence. His family accepts his Asperger's Syndrome and makes adjustments as necessary. For example, Marcelo lives in a tree house and goes to a special school called Paterson. His father Arturo, however, is not happy with his easy-going existence.
Arturo believes that Marcelo will not be able to function in the "real world" if he doesn't ever experience it. He also thinks that it's high time that Marcelo went to a "normal" school for his senior year. Marcel...more
Arturo believes that Marcelo will not be able to function in the "real world" if he doesn't ever experience it. He also thinks that it's high time that Marcelo went to a "normal" school for his senior year. Marcel...more
Marcelo has always attended a special school despite being high functioning enough on the autism spectrum to go to a public high school. He loves his school, working with the therapy ponies there, and reading about his special interest, religions. His father, who loves him but is frustrated with how his "different" son is perceived (and how that reflects on himself) wants his son to begin public high school. They agree that Marcelo will work for his father's law firm over the summer and, if he d...more
More of a 4 1/2 than a 5 - but I loved this book. Marcelo hears music that nobody else can and doesn't catch social cues (refers to himself in the third person) and likes his very predictable life where he will be a senior at his private school surrounded by students like himself and working with horses. Then his father demands that he come into Boston and work at his father's law firm in Boston, so he can learn about the real world. Great battle between them and soon Marcelo is learning the rop...more
I was surprised at how good this book is. I had to read it as an assignment and found that I really enjoyed it.
Marcelo in the Real World provides an intriguing look into the mind of someone with Asperger’s Syndrome. Throughout the story, Marcelo works on decoding meanings in idioms, phrases, looks, and expressions. As Marcelo learns about the real world, the reader learns how the mind of someone with AS thinks and reacts to situations most people barely notice. The story also addresses the ways...more
Marcelo in the Real World provides an intriguing look into the mind of someone with Asperger’s Syndrome. Throughout the story, Marcelo works on decoding meanings in idioms, phrases, looks, and expressions. As Marcelo learns about the real world, the reader learns how the mind of someone with AS thinks and reacts to situations most people barely notice. The story also addresses the ways...more
Apr 12, 2013
Jay Piltser
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
teen,
identity,
autism-spectrum,
aspergers,
alt-education,
legal-profession,
social-justice
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/1Czqy_HiENE
This book is a useful read for anyone who is either on the spectrum or who wants to understand the experience of having a non-neurotypical brain better or have the experience mirrored positively. The main character, Marcelo, begins the story in a special high school and likes ponies a lot. He identifies himself as similar to Asperger's. He is referred to as being on the autism spectrum, but the book does not over-focus on labeling or on his specific condi...more
This book is a useful read for anyone who is either on the spectrum or who wants to understand the experience of having a non-neurotypical brain better or have the experience mirrored positively. The main character, Marcelo, begins the story in a special high school and likes ponies a lot. He identifies himself as similar to Asperger's. He is referred to as being on the autism spectrum, but the book does not over-focus on labeling or on his specific condi...more
8/10
I loved this book; Marcelo, Jasmine, Aurora, all of them were amazing (especially Marcelo!). It's a coming-of-age YA, about 17 yr old not quite normal Marcelo Sandoval. He's autistic, has gone to a special school his entire school life, and who, let's be honest, comes from a fairly rich family. His father is a very successful lawyer, his mother is a nurse, and his sister goes to Yale.
Arturo (father) decides that this summer break, Marcelo must live in the 'real world' by working at his law...more
I loved this book; Marcelo, Jasmine, Aurora, all of them were amazing (especially Marcelo!). It's a coming-of-age YA, about 17 yr old not quite normal Marcelo Sandoval. He's autistic, has gone to a special school his entire school life, and who, let's be honest, comes from a fairly rich family. His father is a very successful lawyer, his mother is a nurse, and his sister goes to Yale.
Arturo (father) decides that this summer break, Marcelo must live in the 'real world' by working at his law...more
This book took awhile to get into, but it finished strong. Having the main character refer to himself in third person as well as his referring to his parents by their first names took some getting used to. As I read, I kept wondering if the author was accurately portraying Marcelo, a young man with Aspberger's. Marcelo's father wanted Marcelo to get a taste of the real world, so he had him work in his law office for the summer. During the summer, he learned how painful the real world could be. R...more
One of those books that starts out with a decent concept, and utterly fucking derails.
The main character of this story, Marcelo, is autistic. He remains autistic for about the first third of this book. Long story short, Marcelo's father wants to introduce him into reality, and so he gives him a job. At his job, there's this hot chick. And there's this douchebag who wants to be Marcelo's friend, and also wants Marcelo to conspire with him to set up a situation in which he can rape that hot chick...more
The main character of this story, Marcelo, is autistic. He remains autistic for about the first third of this book. Long story short, Marcelo's father wants to introduce him into reality, and so he gives him a job. At his job, there's this hot chick. And there's this douchebag who wants to be Marcelo's friend, and also wants Marcelo to conspire with him to set up a situation in which he can rape that hot chick...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Dot Books: Ma...: The Best and the Worst? | 1 | 13 | Oct 21, 2012 04:54am | |
| RE: suffering | 2 | 27 | Oct 13, 2011 11:31am | |
| RE: religion | 1 | 16 | Sep 28, 2011 04:01pm | |
| RE: issues | 1 | 12 | Sep 28, 2011 03:59pm |
Francisco X. Stork was born in Mexico. He moved to El Paso Texas with his adoptive father and mother when he was nine. He attended Spring Hill College, Harvard University and Columbia Law School. He works as an attorney with a state agency in Massachusetts that finances affordable housing. He is married and has two grown children and one beautiful granddaughter.
He loves to play tennis, go for walk...more
More about Francisco X. Stork...
He loves to play tennis, go for walk...more
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7 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Be in the world but not of the world.' The words are from Jesus. But I have not the slightest idea how to accomplish that or even if it's possible. The world will always poke you in the chest with its index finger.”
—
25 people liked it
“Is not seeing any ugly parts in myself an ugly part? Is not wanting to forgive someone's ugly parts an ugly part in oneself?"
Yeah. I didn't understand a word you said, but yeah.”
—
20 people liked it
More quotes…
Yeah. I didn't understand a word you said, but yeah.”
Dec 29, 2011 12:40pm
twss
Dec 29, 2011 12:45pm